In addition to hay, roughage, concentrates and supplementary feed, you may want to treat your horse to some healthy variety. Or you would like some highlights to better reward and motivate your horse. You will find a lot of inspiration and suggestions here. Also useful information about what you should consider when choosing extras for your horse.
There are many opportunities for this. As constant eaters, horses prefer to chew and eat all day long. On the one hand, they have a relatively small stomach. On the other hand, horses urgently need the saliva produced when chewing for their sensitive stomachs. If horses produce insufficient saliva, stomach acid attacks the stomach lining and the risk of stomach ulcers increases.
The basis should always be roughage and concentrated feed. But for rewards and motivational incentives in between, you’ll find lots of suggestions for handy snacks here.
Horses are allowed to eat these types of fruit
Fruit brings variety and important vitamins to your horse’s diet. It is also suitable as a very special treat as a reward. Two points are fundamentally important when it comes to fruit for horses:
- Only small amounts: Fruit contains fructose. This is generally not well tolerated by horses. This is especially true for fruits with a very high fructose content, such as bananas.
- Fruits should be ripe, but not too ripe. If the fruit is overripe, there is a risk that it will ferment. This can lead to flatulence or colic.
Let’s start with the list of types of fruit suitable for horses:
- Pears (cut once or twice, do not feed fruits that are too small, risk of throat blockage)
- Rose hips (dried, very healthy, can also be bought commercially)
- Apples (cut once or twice, do not feed fruits that are too small, risk of throat blockage)
- Bananas (without peel)
- Watermelons (without the peel and also remove the seeds)
These types of fruit should only be fed in small quantities as an exception:
- Tangerines (only in small quantities, not suitable for horses with stomach problems)
- Kiwi (also chop)
- Figs (fresh figs that are not too ripe)
- Cherries (danger of colic, fed with stone there is a risk of blockage of the throat)
- Raspberries
- Blueberries (only in small quantities, lots of fructose)
- Cranberries
As you can see, great caution is required when it comes to types of fruit. You should especially consider fructose, stones or seeds and the size of the fruit.
And what about vegetables? Here, too, there are a wealth of options and a few points to consider.
Horses are allowed to eat these vegetables
Similar to fruit, the following applies here: only in moderation. First, try small amounts to see how your horse reacts to feeding each vegetable.
- Carrots (without greens because they contain hydrogen cyanide)
- Beetroot
- Turnips, turnips
- Saddlery
- Spirulina Algae
- Fennel (in moderation can relieve digestion because it can have a flatulent effect)
- Salat
- Zucchini
- Sweet potatoes (only in small quantities because they are rich in starch and carbohydrates)
- Garlic (only small amounts)
- Cucumbers (very high in water. Therefore only feed in small quantities due to the risk of diarrhea.)
- Broccoli (only in small quantities and only in horses without stomach problems, has a flatulent effect,Danger of colic)
- Cabbage leaves (not suitable because they cause flatulence and can cause colic)
Can horses eat leaves?
Yes, you can give your horse foliage to eat, but be careful about what types of foliage you choose. Some leaves are safe and are readily eaten by horses, while others may contain toxic substances.
Safe foliage for horses:
- Apple leaves are generally safe and are often enjoyed as a treat.
- Birch leaves are also safe for horses and can be fed.
- Willow leaves are safe and often eaten by horses.
However, you should avoid:
- Oak leaves as they contain tannin which can be toxic to horses.
- Maple leaves should also be avoided as some types of maple leaves can contain toxins and are therefore not safe for horses.
- Cherry laurel is poisonous to horses and should never be fed.
Also make sure that the foliage does not come from trees that have been treated with pesticides or other harmful substances. In addition, it is important to consider possible mold growth in the foliage. Mold can form particularly in damp autumn leaves and is harmful to horses. If the leaves are moldy, you should definitely not feed them.
If you are unsure whether certain plants or foliage are safe for your horse, it is best to consult a veterinarian or equine expert to make sure you are not feeding your horse harmful substances.
Meat/proteins
Horses are herbivores. However, your horse may be happy if you offer him something containing meat. However, it is by no means necessary and unhealthy if you give your horse meat. Because the Gastric and intestinal tract of the horse is designed for plant-based food.
Meat contains a lot of proteins and vitamin B. But plant sources are better for your horse. They are available in the form of roughage, concentrated feed or additional feed. This is well tolerated by your horse in the right dosage and also helpsMuscle building.
Horses are allowed to eat these types of nuts
Nuts are ideal to take with you as a treat alternative and are a good source of manganese. However, you should remove the peels. They are difficult to digest and sometimes unfortunately harmful to your horse.
- hazelnuts
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Peanuts (caution: they often have an allergenic effect)
- Cashewnüsse
Grain
Grains include wheat, rye, oats, barley, spelt, buckwheat, millet and corn.
Many types of grain are difficult for the horse to digest unprocessed in the small intestine. It is therefore important to use processed shapes. These are available in different versions, for example as muesli made from ground grain or cereal flakes. Only oats can be easily digested, even unprocessed.
Wheat and rye are generally not recommended. Because of the high gluten content, both types of grain are difficult for horses to process. The same applies to spelled. Here too, oats, corn or barley are a much better alternative.
sugar and honey
Opinions differ among horse owners when it comes to the question of sugar cubes made from industrial sugar or honey. A little refined sugar or honey every now and then will not harm healthy horses. However, it is not suitable for long-term use and for sick or overweight horses and it is better to use a healthy alternative.
Bakery products
Stale, dried bread is often fed to horses. In most cases it goes well and the horse copes well with it. Bread and rolls are actually unsuitable for horses. They usually contain wheat or rye. These have a high gluten content. This often causes indigestion. Baked goods also contain a lot of starch. This enters the blood via the small intestine as blood sugar and must now be broken down through physical exercise. If this is not done, illness may occur.
Purchased treats
Purchased treats come in a wide variety of compositions. Treats are primarily used as a reward during training. They should be used in doses. Treats with a lot of added sugar can be harmful in large quantities. Therefore, decide consciously what you want to feed your horse and in what quantities.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
Can horses eat strawberries?
Strawberries can be eaten by horses. As with all types of fruit, they should be ripe, but not too ripe.
What do horses like best?
Horses are individuals. Horses therefore have very different preferences. For many horses, carrots or apples are a highlight. Most people like sweet treats. In general, however, the following applies: Find out what your horse likes most and then make sure that you prepare and present his food in a way that is good for him and makes him feel comfortable.
Can horses eat cucumbers?
Basically there is nothing wrong with horses eating cucumber. However, cucumbers are among the vegetables that contain a lot of water. If a horse eats a lot of cucumber, it can cause diarrhea.
Therefore, be careful when giving cucumber to its feed and try it out in small quantities to see whether your horse likes it and how it tolerates cucumber. Not sure if it’s diarrhea or fecal water?