Maybe it’s the crunchy texture or the sweet juicy taste, but one thing's for sure, horses certainly love to eat apples. The good news is that apples are one of the most healthy treats you can give to your horse. But like with all treats, it’s important to know how many you can safely give to a horse. Below we’ve outlined everything you need to know in answer to the question “Can horses eat apples?”.
Can Horses Safely Eat Apples?
Horses have made it very clear to us that, aside from carrots, apples are one of their most preferred treats. This is a good choice of treat on their part because feeding a horse an apple can be very good for its diet.
As well as being full of antioxidants which helps with recovery and inflammation, they contain fiber too. Fiber is essential for keeping the digestive system healthy and running smoothly.
They also contain lots of essential vitamins, mainly A and C, as well as vital minerals such as potassium. Not only are apples safe to feed to a horse as a treat but they also have lots of health benefits.
How Many Apples Can a Horse Eat a Day?
When it comes to feeding horses apples as a treat, although they are safe for horses to eat this doesn’t mean that you should give them too many.
Remember that treats should only make up a tiny part of your horses' diet.
Equine nutritionists and veterinarians recommend giving your horse a maximum of two apples a day. You can feed them to your horse all at once or treat them with cut pieces of apple throughout the day.
What Happens if you Feed a Horse Too Many Apples?
Just like all other equine treats, if you give your horse too many apples, this could have negative repercussions on its health. If a horse eats too many apples all at once then this could lead to severe colic.
Feeding a horse too many apples over a long period could cause long term health problems such as laminitis.
Can a Horse Die from Eating Apples?
Any type of food that's not grass can potentially cause harm to a horse and apples are no exception. As long as you follow recommended feeding guidelines and the apple is cut up correctly, then the chances of your horse being killed by an apple are pretty slim.
It's a good idea to supervise any horse when it's eating a treat.
Do Horses Like Apples?
Horses don't just like apples, they love them!
And just like humans, horses will all have personal preferences for different flavors and textures. Some horses may prefer pieces of soft sweet apples while others may like tart, crunchy ones.
All horses agree that apples make an excellent treat!
Can Horses Eat Green Apples?
Horses can safely consume pretty much any types of apples, in moderation. Let them try different types of apples red, yellow and green ones. This way you can let your horse choose it’s favorite.
The only types of apples that you shouldn’t feed your horse are spoilt or moldy ones.
Are Apple Seeds Bad for Horses?
You may have heard that apple seeds contain hydrogen cyanide, which is poisonous. So asking if horses can eat apple seeds, is a reasonable question to ask when it comes to giving horses apples.
Even though the seeds of apples do contain hydrogen cyanide, they are still safe for horses to eat. The concentration of hydrogen cyanide is so low that they would have to eat hundreds of apple seeds before they reached a toxic level in the body.
It’s almost impossible for a horse to die from the poisoning from apple seeds.
What About Other Types of Seeds?
This isn’t to say that all kinds of seeds are safe for equines to consume. You should always check before giving a horse any kind of seed.
And never feed horses pits or stones from fruits. Not only is there a chance that they could be poisonous, but they can also pose a choking hazard.
Cautions About Horses Eating Apples
Just like with all treats, when it comes to giving horses apples even though apples are safe there are still a few points of caution you should observe when feeding them as a treat.
Follow the points below so that you can feed apples safely to horses.
Introduce Them Slowly
Horses have very sensitive digestive systems meaning that they can respond very badly to any sudden changes in their diets.
When you're giving a horse apples for the first time make sure that you introduce them slowly. At first, offer your horse just a quarter of an apple. If there are no adverse reactions then gradually increase the portion size over the space of a week.
Don’t Overdo It
Even though apples are considered to be a healthy treat, you mustn’t feed your horse a large amount of apples at once. If you feed your horse too many apples, this could lead to colic, an expensive vet bill or in the worst cases even death.
Don't feed more than the recommended two apples per day to horses.
Medical Cautions
You should never feed horses treats without the owner's permission.
One of the reasons for this is that the horse could be on a special diet due to medical reasons. Horse with Cushing's disease, laminitis, insulin resistance or HYPP, shouldn’t be fed apples as a treat. This is because apples contain sugar and potassium which can have a detrimental effect on these conditions.
Tips on How to Prepare Apples for Horses
Because horses digestive systems only travel in one direction, it can be hard for them to dislodge an obstruction from their throats. And because horses are so enthusiastic about eating, obstructions can happen easily.
Apples are hard and round, the perfect shape for becoming lodged, so you must cut them into pieces that minimize the risk of choking. The best way to do this is to cut an apple into eighths before feeding it to your horse.
Before you cut the apple into pieces, take off any stickers and make sure that the peel is clean and free from any pesticides. One way to avoid giving your horse harmful pesticides is by buying organic apples. The apple peel is safe for your horse to consume and is the most nutritious part so you can leave that on.
For Senior Horses
Older horses may struggle to chew an apple if they’re lacking in the tooth department, but that doesn’t mean that they have to miss out.
You can use a blender to puree apples for older horses. You could also mash or grate them to make them easier for older horses to consume. The seniors in particular will benefit from the extra nutrition that can be found in apples.
Homemade Apple Treats
It’s easy to make delicious homemade apple treats for your horse and you can find a range of recipes online.
When you’re making homemade apple treats, always make sure that you use horse-friendly ingredients, avoid using chocolate or refined sugar for example.
You can use apples to make a bran mash more appealing or freeze chunks of apple in water as a delicious summer treat for your horse.
What Foods Shouldn’t You Give to a Horse?
Feeding a horse something that it shouldn’t eat will not only cause colic, but it could potentially poison it too. This is why you should always check to see if certain foods are safe before feeding them to your horse. Below, we've listed some things that you should never feed a horse.
General Food
You should never give your horse processed foods and foods that are high in sugar and additives. You should also never give them chocolate, meat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine and bread.
It's also important that you don't give them food that's intended for other species, such as cow, sheep, cat or dog food.
Fruit and Vegetables
When it comes to feeding fresh fruits and vegetables to your horse then make sure you never give them any spoilt or rotten produce. You should never feed them potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli. These can all be highly toxic and potentially life-threatening when ingested by horses.
When you’re feeding your horse pitted fruits such as plums, always remove the stone.
Lawn Clippings
Although horses love eating grass, you should never feed them lawn clippings.
Lawn clippings are bad for horses because horses can gorge themselves on them. They also contain harmful bacteria due to the fermentation that occurs in the grass directly after clipping. Potentially, lawn clippings may contain poisonous plants too and this is why you should never feed them to horses.
Conclusion
Can horses eat apples? It’s safe to say that if they’re prepared correctly and fed in moderation, then yes, horses can eat apples. Apples not only provide a delicious healthy treat, but they also make a positive nutritional addition to any horses diet. When you're choosing treats for your equine friend then apples are defiantly a good choice.
