By asking the question “can horses eat marshmallows” you’ve done the right thing as a responsible horse owner.
Marshmallows are a squidgy, sweet treat and no camping trip would be complete without them. They’re light and mostly full of air, so they should be ok to give to horses right?
We'll take a look at marshmallows below and find out if they’re safe for horses to eat.
Can Horses Eat Marshmallows?
You'll be thankful to know that marshmallows don't contain any ingredients that are toxic to horses. This means that as long as they’re not given in large amounts, horses can eat marshmallows as a treat.
Are Marshmallows Safe and Healthy for Horses to Eat?
Even though marshmallows don't contain toxic ingredients, and they're safe for horses to eat, this doesn’t mean that they make a healthy treat. So you should always feed them in moderation
They’re mostly made up of sugar, in the form of corn or rice syrup, water, and some fluffing agent. Other ingredients include gelatine and small amounts of salt.
Marshmallows don’t have any nutritional value. And if your horse eats a lot of corn or rice syrup then it can be pretty bad for it's health.
Which Horses Should Avoid Eating Marshmallows?
Because marshmallows are full of sugar then you should never feed them to horses with any kind of metabolic issues.
So, if your horse is overweight, laminitis or insulin resistant, you shouldn’t give it marshmallows as a treat. Excessive sugar can cause severe problems for horses with these conditions.
Horses Can Eat Cooked Marshmallows
There’s nothing more delicious than gooey cooked marshmallow. And horses can safely eat marshmallow when it’s been cooked, within in moderation.
But you must make sure that it’s completely cool first before it's consumed by your horse. You don’t want to burn your horse's mouth!
Is it Safe to Feed your Horse Colored Marshmallows?
It's good to know that the only difference between plain and colored marshmallows is a tiny bit of coloring.
This coloring isn't known to be toxic to horses which means that they can safely consume colored marshmallows
Can Horses Eat Marshmallow Root?
Marshmallows were originally made from the roots of the marshmallow plant. So the sweet gets the name from the plant.
The root of the marshmallow plant is a popular food supplement among horse owners. It’s thought to be good for the digestive process and gastric complaints such as stomach ulcers in horses.
However, the marshmallow plant that grows above the earth, is extremely toxic to horses.
If you see marshmallow plants, or any other toxic plants, growing in your horse's pasture then you should remove them immediately.
Are Marshmallows Made from Horses Hooves?
Marshmallows contain gelatine and it’s a common misconception that gelatine is made from horses hooves. This is why some people are understandably put off feeding horses marshmallows.
But it's good to know that gelatine isn't made from horses hooves, it is made from collagen. But this is derived from animals too, including horses. So even though marshmallow doesn't contain horse hooves, it does have some animal products in it.
If you're uncomfortable with this then you can always buy your horse vegan marshmallows. These don't contain any animal products.
Warnings About Feeding Marshmallows to Horses
Just like with all horse treats, marshmallows should be fed in moderation. Take a look at our tips below about safely feeding horses marshmallows.
Introduce Them Slowly
You should always introduce new treats into a horses diet slowly and marshmallows are no exception.
The reason that horse owners introduce a new treat slowly, is to make sure that their horse isn’t allergic to it. By introducing it into the diet in a limited way, you’re also allowing time for your horse's digestive system to get used to it.
If you don’t introduce new foods slowly then they will usually cause colic.
To introduce your horse to marshmallows, just give it half a piece to eat at first. If your horse seems fine in the following 24 hours then you can slowly increase the portion size.
Don't Overfeed Them
It's important to know that you should never give horses too many marshmallow treats to eat all at once.
Marshmallows are a highly processed, sugary treat and will almost certainly cause colic if you feed them in large amounts.
A horse's diet should be mostly made up of roughage with grain and treats only being fed in tiny amounts.
If you overfeed your horse marshmallows or other treats, then it may feel too full to eat it its regular, healthy food.
This can interfere with your horses digestion process and lead to malnutrition and a whole load of equine medical issues.
You should only give horses one or two small marshmallows as a treat per day and this should only be once or twice a week.
Horses With Metabolic Issues
Lastly, because they contain lots of sugar, as we mentioned earlier, you should never feed marshmallows to horse with health problems, especially ones with metabolic issues such as insulin resistance.
Tips on Preparing Marshmallows for Horses
When it comes to feeding your equine friend marshmallows as treats, then there isn't a lot of preparation involved.
However, you should feed your horse small marshmallows rather than the larger, camping ones as treats. These are easier for your horse to chew.
You could try making homemade equine treats using marshmallows. There are plenty of recipes online for making baked horse treats.
You can make these treats more appealing by adding marshmallows as ingredients.
Conclusion
So, can horses eat marshmallows? Looking back on what we've written, we can see that as long as they don’t have metabolic issues then yes, horses can eat marshmallows as a treat.
But only give them in small amounts, no more than a few small pieces each week. Even though horses can safely eat marshmallows as a treat, they’re not very healthy because they're high in sugar.
This means that it’s best just to save them for special occasions. There are lots of healthier treats, with less sugar, that you can give to give your horse. Such as fruits like apples, grapes or bananas.
