Molasses in Gourmet Horse Treats!

Posted by Russell Gibbons on 29th Mar 2017

Molasses in the Huds and Toke Gourmet Horse Treats.

Molasses is one of those ingredients which can be quite a talking point.

In-fact, many people don’t actually know what it is? They make assumptions without totally understanding where it comes!

So I thought it might be a good idea to shed some light on the topic.

Whilst reading this though, please come back to the context of Molasses Horse Treats and Molasses in Gourmet Horse Treats. Remember, Horse Treats, like dog treats, and other pet treats, are not food. They are exactly as the name indicates. They are a treat.

These treats should be given as a reward or as a way of establishing, and re-enforcing, your bonds with your pet. So keep this in mind when considering the health benefits of Molasses and Horse Treats.

Firstly, lets look at what Molasses actually is shall we!

Molasses is the bi-product of the sugar refining process.

This means it is the syrup left over after a raw product, such as sugar cane, has been refined and the sugar crystals have been extracted. Yet it is still made up of over 30% Sucrose (Glucose and Fructose).

Molasses can be made from a number of raw products such as sugar cane, sugar beet, Sorghum, Pomegranate etc….

To be clear, the Molasses used in all Huds and Toke Horse Treats, and other Pet Treats for that matter, is made from Sugar Cane.

The molasses made from Sugar Cane is typically sweet and can be used for human consumption as well as for horse feeds etc…

Sugar Beet Molasses is predominantly bitter and is made mainly for the livestock industry in certain parts of the world.

BUT…….lets be clear, Huds and Toke ONLY uses Molasses from AUSTRALIAN SUGAR CANE. Check out the clip of us adding it here!

OK, so now we know what it is; why use it???

There are a number of reasons to use Molasses from a health perspective, however, we use it primarily because it is 100% natural.

This means, we don’t need to use any refined or artificial sweeteners……And that’s just how we like our products to be made…….. As natural as possible.

From a health perspective though, molasses has some of these following qualities:

High in energy
Contains essential minerals such as
- essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper, iron, phosphorous, chromium, cobalt and sodium.
Contains plenty of vitamins such as
- niacin, vitamin B-6, thiamine and riboflavin
Very low in Fibre
Very low in Fat.
High in Antioxidants
Tastes Great
Wonderful Aroma

So why is there concern about feeding to horses sometimes?

This goes directly to what the horse is being trained for.

Because Molasses is high in energy, a horse that is in training for a high energy sport, such as racing, and on a highly formulated performance diet, then one would need to be very careful in feeding molasses and thus, increasing it's energy intake!

However, if the horse is more for a hobby, then it is highly likely the diet being given is less performance formulated, and as such, adding a bit of molasses will provide the extra energy your horse needs.

Further to this, because Molasses is quite high in potassium, which helps regulate water absorption by organs in the body, it will ensure that your horses utilisation of water is optimised.

Digging a little deeper will also show that some processed horse feeds may not always be highly palatable. If you add some molasses to the feed, your pony is more likely to enjoy it’s food and as such, get the benefits of the feed mix it is being fed…….

A little like tempting a 6 year old child to eat his dinner so he can get desert really!!!!

But also, on a more serious note, because of the sticky, gooey consistency of Molasses, it is also a good way to prevent a feed mix from separating or de-mixing.

So I hope this gives you a clearer picture of what Molasses is, why it is used, and what it’s benefits are.

Just remember, our Huds and Toke Horse Treats are made with all natural ingredients. Molasses is one such ingredient which is used in small quantities and gives those Treats a wonderful flavour and aroma.