It’s time to hold your horses – literally – as the biggest vegetable-related day of the year is fast approaching.
The British Carrot Growers’ Association (BCGA) is celebrating the reason for its existence on British Carrot Day, Friday, 3 October, in praise of “this often-overlooked hero of the veg rack”.
The root of the day is a “celebration of all things carrot”, encouraging people to “buy, get creative and cook” with them – and of course, eat them, something horses will need no persuasion to get involved in.
Will Hunter is one of six farms, all BCGA members, who are funding the day.
“It’s such a specialised sector there aren’t many of us,” Will said. “So we try to meet up a few times a year and talk about everything and anything to do with carrots, such as new machinery, varieties and subjects such as disease resistance. To say we are passionate about carrots is an understatement. We have all realised that it’s important for the future of the carrot for us to try to educate the public into not taking it for granted.
“If everybody just ate a few more – maybe by looking at some of our recipe suggestions – it could make a big difference and keep British-grown carrots on our shelves.”
Embracing the concept
Eating more carrots is a concept most horses will embrace to the utmost, and independent equine nutritionist Clare MacLeod is in full support.
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“Many people incorrectly think fresh carrots are high in sugar; I’ve been trying to dispel this myth for 20 years,” Clare told H&H. “Carrots can be an excellent addition to horses’ diets.”
Clare advises feeding carrots as part of a balanced diet if large quantities are fed, rather than one or two as a treat.
“Carrots will not provide significant amounts of nutrients to horses if fed as a treat; one medium 60g carrot supplies 48g water and 12 g actual carrot,” she said. “So, if a horse is fed two medium carrots, this is only 24g of actual carrot! This delivers 1.2g sugar, 0.7g protein, 0.4g fibre and 2mg betacarotene.
“I feed carrots to my horses as treats, to help with stretches, and, if necessary, to help with palatability of supplements. Some owners grate carrots, which can be very useful to mix with powdered supplements. You’ll find carrots in my feed room all year round.”
Clare pointed out that fresh carrots are only about 5% sugar, compared to the typical 8% sugar content of hay. So a portion of carrot, one medium, delivers 3g sugar, compared to the 81g in a portion, a 1kg slice, of typical meadow hay.
Often overlooked
BCGA chairman Rodger Hobson told H&H people often overlook the nutritional value of carrots for horses and livestock.
“I grow 35 tonnes per acre of my own carrots and regularly feed them to my own horses, as part of their balanced diet and as a handy tool for neck stretches to help loosen muscles after endurance rides,” he said, adding that an average 700,000 tonnes of carrots are grown in the UK every year, the weight of about 772,000 round hay bales.
“As we celebrate British Carrot Day this year, we’re encouraging everyone from equestrians to farmers, pet owners to chefs, to embrace the benefits of eating British-grown carrots,” he said. “Boosting consumption of these low-food-mileage, nutrient-rich vegetables improves not only healthy diets, but also support our UK growers – who are galloping towards uncertainty as we head into the autumn and winter months, mainly because of the incredibly dry spring and summer in the UK.
“Growers face mounting challenges such as irrigation costs having jumped up 50% compared to a typical year, and the price of straw for covering carrots over winter has also increased due to poor cereal crop yields. Many farmers are facing uncertainty heading into the autumn and winter.
“Increasing carrot consumption is a simple way to show support. By choosing British carrots, consumers can help improve grower returns and support sustainability in this sector.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
