Safe Fruits and Veggies for Horses
In an effort to provide a more natural diet with REAL food, I’ve been giving my horses more fruits and veggies lately. We all know about the standard healthy treats like apples and carrots, but what about other fruits and veggies? Which ones are safe and which ones are not? I’m happy to provide an easy reference guide here.
Please remember that some IR horses do not do well with fruit–especially in large amounts. If you have concerns, ask your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist.
Safe Fruits
- apples (not for IR horses)
- pears
- grapes
- bananas
- watermelon
- raspberries
- blackberries
- mangoes
- apricots
- cherries (pit removed)
- coconut
- figs
- grapefruit
- oranges
- pineapples
- plums
- strawberries
- tangerines
- pineapple
- oranges
- dates (pitted)
Safe Veggies
- squash
- peas (consider soaking if uncooked)
- carrots (not for IR horses)
- beets
- celery
- corn
- lettuce
- pumpkin
- sweet potatoes
- sprouts (alfalfa, wheat, barley)
- turnips
Potentially toxic fruits/ veggies (DON’T FEED!):
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- cabbage
- tomatoes
- peppers
- potatoes
- onions
- spinach
- avocados
- persimmons (not toxic, but the seeds can cause colic)
Sometimes, you will find lists of other foods that are noted as ‘safe’ treats for horses. Personally, if it doesn’t come from a plant (or if it’s highly processed–like bread), I don’t feed it. Horses are herbivores, plain and simple. They don’t need dairy products, meat, or junk food.
Also, for older horses with dental issues (or just to reduce the risk of choke), chopping harder fruits/ veggies up is a good idea. I often stick my celery and carrot pieces in the blender!
Ta-ta!
Casie
Sources:
Horse Food: The Good, The Weird, and the Dangerous
Treats: Which Are Safe and Which are Not?
Hi! I'm Casie, a freelance writer specializing in horse health. I'm certified in equine acupressure and have a great interest in equine nutrition and barefoot hoof care. The Naturally Healthy Horse encompasses all of these things, and I would love to have you follow along!
Cassie I’d like to know your source re cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, etc being on the toxic list.
I’ve always fed those veg to my horses with no side effects that I can see.
During some bad drought months many years ago, my cattle & horses had to live on tomatoes from the local farms. Then cabbages were in season so they got those along with broccoli & lettuce.
No harm done.
The big strong stems are great for fixing sharp teeth problems. Horses love to chew hard stems & mine fight over who will get the broc, cauliflower & cabbage stems at my place.
I have to either use the garden pruning saw to cut one stem up into 3 so each horse has a piece to chew or I have to pull 3 plants.
Broccoli leaves are excellent food for chooks also, being packed full of calcium.
The only veg the horses won’t eat is the center rib from spinach, chard or silverbeet leaves & potatoes.
They love the whole tomato plant so when seeds germinate in the manure, those plants grow a few months then get eaten once loaded with young tomatoes.
Same happens with pumpkin, calendula & mustard greens. Whole plant disappears!
My horses only get ‘fed’ every third day so they get their mineral supplement. On the other days they get weeds & produce prunings from the garden along with fruit & veg scraps from the kitchen & a medium carrot each which I buy in 20kg bags & keep in the ‘horse feed’ fridge.
The carrots & parsnips I grow are too precious to feed to horses! lol
Hi Clissa–My source for the toxic fruits/ veggies was Dr. Getty (except for the persimmons–which I have written on before). She lists them in this article: http://gettyequinenutrition.biz/Library/TreatsWhicharesafeandwhicharenot.htm
I have a brumby that makes a beeline for the tomatoes on the bushes….I stop her but she has managed to get a few now and then. I’ll be more vigilant now, didn’t know they could be toxic.
I have the same question as Clissa – albeit not specifically the fruits/veg she mentions, but rather the information in general. I know you reference Juliet Getty Ph.D., you also reference a certain “Lord Nelson” but neither Ms Getty nor Lord Nelson seem to be provide any references themselves. When I look at the samples from Ms Getty’s book, it would appear she has some strange, and at times outdated, ideas about the equine digestive system and about nutrition – true, they are only samples and possibly taken a little out of context and some may indeed be old theories that she no longer subscribes to.
I must admit, it also seems rather farcical the idea of pulping fruit and veg for an older horse – surely those are the easier and unnecessary things to eat and it is the essentials like the grasses we need to concentrate upon.
Hi Timothy,
I reference Juliet Getty quite a bit in my posts and respect her as an equine nutritionist. The second reference comes from Rutgers University. I believe ‘Lord Byron’ was a mascot horse for the university–probably listed because the article was originally directed towards kids. As for the information being outdated, that is possible. If you are aware of more updated information, feel free to direct us toward it.
Also, I don’t feed pulped fruits/veggies as the main source of nutrients to my horses–just a treat or something to add in their feed bucket. Choke is an issue with one of my middle aged horses too, so I like to play it safe.
Casie
We feed our horses a variety of fruits and veggies on a regular basis. They go crazy over pineapple watermellon and citrus fruits . Ill never forget tho look of surprise on my geldings face the first time he bit into a lime lol i dont feed cabbage brocoli tomatoes or any vegies from the nightshade family as 8 was warned by my vet they may cause colic .
I live in Costa Rica and feed my horses mangoes as treats along with Papayas which were not mentioned. The mangoes should have the pit removed because there is a chance of it getting stuck in the throat. My horses love bananas, skins included and turn up their noses at carrots or apples.
Thanks for sharing, Cheryl. This isn’t a comprehensive list, I’m sure. Isn’t it funny what some of them will and won’t eat?
My dad started switching to all natural feeds for his horse. Right now he’s giving 50% feed and another 50% Vegetable.
What does IR horses mean? Acronym world…..
Sorry–I forget not everyone knows! Insulin Resistant
Hi I read that fried cabbage is ok for horses as it is a herbal remedy for treating stomach ulcers in horses. Confused now
Fried cabbage? Or do you mean dried? I believe the issue with cabbage is that it can cause gas (which could lead to gas colic). But cabbage is also high in L-glutamine, which is often used to treat ulcers. I’d use it with caution for sure. Diet and management changes would probably be more effective in treating ulcers though.
Don’t forget peaches. We have two old peach trees that still go crazy right around the 4th of July. I can and freeze them as fast as I can, but I also push the seed out with my thumbs and hand over lots of them to the horses. They love them and I’ve been doing it for years!
I am doing a horse project on treats, have any suggestions?