If one thing is certain, it’s that horses like to eat, especially when it comes to sweet, sugary treats. Giving your horse a treat is a great way to reward good behavior, or to distract them in a stressful situation, it's even a way to sneakily administer medicine. In this guide, we're going to take a look at how healthy treats can be a positive addition to a horse's diet and answer the question, 'can horses eat bananas?'.
Can Horses Have Bananas?
The answer to this question is yes, horses can safely eat bananas. Do horses eat bananas, however, is a different question entirely. Most horses will be more than happy to gobble down a sweet-tasting piece of banana while others may not be so keen to eat it. Just like with humans, it all comes down to personal taste and some horses may not like the taste of bananas.
What Other Fruit and Vegetables Are Safe For Horses to Eat?
You'd be surprised at the range of fruit and vegetables that you can safely give your horse to eat aside from traditional apples and carrots. Citrus fruits such as pineapple and oranges can inject a bit of vitamin C into your horse's diet. Kiwi is also full of vitamin C and is a safe treat to give to your horse. Horses can safely enjoy many other fruits and vegetables such as grapes, raisins, pears, celery, cucumbers and even crunchy radishes.
Some owners find that a swede in the stable as well as making a great boredom breaker it can also provide a healthy snack. As well as being a tasty treat, feeding your horse small portions of fresh fruit and vegetables is a great way to add extra vitamins and minerals into their diet.
Some fruits and vegetables aren't safe for horses to eat. Not only can they cause a severe bout of colic but they could also cause fatal poisoning. You should never feed your horse raw potato or onion, persimmon or any members of the nightshade family, including tomato. Before feeding your horse any kind of fruit or vegetable, you should always make sure that it's safe for them.
Tips for Feeding Fruits and Vegetables to Horses
The key when it comes to feeding fruits and vegetables to your horse is to do it in moderation. Never feed them in large quantities and always try to find reliable information about recommended feeding suggestions. It's important to remove the pits from fruits such as apricots, cherries and peaches before feeding them to your horse. Often the stones from fruits can be poisonous.
Make sure that the fruit or vegetable isn't rotting and that there's no mold, this can make your horse sick. Always prepare the pieces in a way that is easy for your horse to chew so that it's not at risk of getting stuck in its throat causing choke. When giving your horse fruits and vegetables, it's best to cut it into sticks, this is the best way to prevent them from getting lodged in the throat.
Are Bananas Good for Horses?
The good news is that as long as they're fed in moderation, bananas can provide a very healthy and tasty snack for your horse to eat. Bananas are full of potassium which is great for muscle and nerve function and vitamin B6 which helps give an energy boost. They also contain high levels of magnesium, vitamins D and C and are a good source of fiber too.
Bananas are thought to be soothing on the horse's digestive system and some owners even use them to soothe and treat gastric ulcers in their horse. Though bananas are proven to help humans with gastric ulcers, there have been very few studies on horses. You should always consult your vet before feeding bananas to a horse with gastric conditions.
How Many Bananas Should You Feed to A Horse?
Nutritional experts suggest that you should give your horse a maximum of two bananas a week to eat, and it's recommended that they're given in separate portions over a few days. This means feeding them a quarter each day for example. Some horses may tolerate eating more bananas per week, however, it's always a good idea to check with your vet or equine nutritionist before feeding over the recommended allowance.
Can a Senior Horse Have Bananas?
Bananas make a very palatable and nutritious treat for senior horses, especially those who are lacking in the tooth department and struggle to chew their food. Even though it may be tempting to feed older horses lots of mushy bananas to give them extra nutrition, always check with your vet before feeding more than two bananas a week to senior horses.
Can Horses Eat Banana Peel?
Banana peel contains plenty of beneficial nutrients and is also safe for horses. Many horses like eating a banana peel, however, some horses don't enjoy the bitter, dry taste.
If your horse enjoys eating the skin of a banana then buy organic bananas that haven't been treated with chemicals or pesticides. These chemicals can make your horse ill so it's always a good idea to wash the peel before feeding it to your horse.
If your horse has problems chewing then it's better to cut the peel up first into manageable, bite-sized pieces.
When NOT to Feed Your Horse Bananas
Some horses should not be fed bananas under any circumstances as it could be detrimental to their health. If your horse has any gastric or medical conditions, you should always check with the vet before feeding it bananas. Because of their high sugar content, you mustn't feed bananas to insulin resistant or overweight horses who are on a diet.
Horses who have the condition Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP) also shouldn't be fed bananas due to their high potassium content. If you have any doubts on whether or not to feed your horse bananas then you should always check with your vet first.
Can Eating Too Many Bananas Be Bad For Your Horse?
As much as your horse may enjoy eating bananas there's a valid reason why there is a recommended feeding allowance. A horse that eats too many bananas may eventually start to suffer from digestive complaints, particularly constipation. This can be very uncomfortable and distressing for a horse and even cause it to colic.
If you give your horse too many bananas in one go, it can send it into a potentially dangerous sugar rush. The high sugar levels will make your horse twitchy and hyperactive, especially if your horse is naturally highly strung.
Are All Banana Treats Good For Horses?
Not all banana treats are good for horses and there are some that you should avoid feeding.
Dried banana chips aren't recommended for horses as their nutritional content is low and the sugar levels are high.
Any kind of banana-flavored, processed, high sugar treats such as banana cakes and puddings, should not be fed to horses. As well as being high in sugar they usually contain preservatives and chemicals.
It's always better to give your horse banana in a raw, pure form.
Tips on Feeding Bananas To Horses
If you want to feed your horse bananas, just like with any other food, they should be introduced into your horse's diet very slowly. Horses have a super sensitive digestive system and are prone to colic if they get an upset tummy.
Start by feeding your horse a small amount of banana and then monitor them for 24 hours. If there is no adverse reaction then you can increase the portion in the following days.
Just like humans, horses will have a personal preference about how they like their bananas. Some will like overripe and mushy while others will prefer firm, green bananas. If your horse doesn't like your first attempt at a banana treat then try again using a banana at a different level of ripeness.
Healthy Banana Treat Ideas
When it comes to preparing bananas for horses, there are many ways to keep it interesting. Bananas keep very well in the freezer and some horses love the cool crunch that can be found in a chunk of frozen banana, especially in the summertime.
You can make a baked banana treat for your horse by using equine friendly ingredients, there's plenty of recipe ideas available online.
To bulk out weekly banana rations, you can mash it up and mix it in with some wet bran, making a banana bran mash for your horse to eat.
Conclusion
So, can horses eat bananas? By taking all the information in this guide into account, we think that it’s safe to say that horses can eat bananas. Not only will bananas provide a rewarding and tasty treat for your equine friend, but it'll also give them a bit of a mineral fix and energy boost at the same time. As long as you're conservative and feed bananas within the recommended allowance, horses can enjoy many health benefits from eating bananas. Remember to check with your vet first before feeding bananas to horses with health conditions.
