You may think that bread would be a healthy treat for your horse to snack on. It doesn’t contain any toxic ingredients, right? But before you give your horse bread, you should look at its nutritional value and find out whether or not it’s safe for them to eat. So, can horses eat bread? Read our helpful guide to find out.
Can Horses Eat Bread?
The ingredients of bread generally aren't toxic to horses. This means that yes, technically horses can eat bread in a limited capacity, however, it's not the healthiest treat to give them. One of the reasons for this is that bread is usually heavily processed and horses can have a hard time digesting processed foods.
Is it Healthy to Feed your Horse Bread?
When it comes to feeding a horse treats then bread isn’t the most healthy choice and this is why many horse owners won't give their horses bread.
It's appealing because it's quite cheap and readily available in any home or supermarket. Though it's technically not toxic, it doesn't contain essential vitamins and minerals or nutrients.
When you're choosing a treat for your horse then it's best to choose a treat with more nutrients than bread. Below, we'll take at the different effects bread can have on your horse's health.
High Starch Content of Bread
Because bread is usually made from wheat and grain then it has a high starch content. The starch content of bread isn't good for horses' health because horses cannot digest gluten, starch or whole grains well in the small intestine.
The starch passes through the small intestine into the large intestinal tract undigested and can create a lactic acid build up in the horses hindgut. The overall effect of lactic acid accumulation is bad for your horses intestinal tract. It can create many problems with digestion and prevent your horse from absorbing nutrients.
Horses who eat foods with a high gluten/starch content may find it hard to gain weight. This can lead to weight loss and problems associated with mineral deficiencies.
High in Calories and Sugar
Bread is high in calories so it should only be fed in a limited capacity. You should be particularly cautious about feeding food high in calories to your horse if it's over weight.
Bread contains a lot of carbohydrates too which are converted into glucose (sugar). Excessive carbohydrates aren't good for your horse's diet or health, especially if it has metabolic issues.
Do Horses Like Bread?
Horses love eating many types of human food and bread is no exception. Most horses will love the taste of bread and this is one of the reasons why horse owners like to feed bread as a treat occasionally.
But just because your horse enjoys something, it doesn't mean that it's good for them. This is why as a responsible horse owner, you should limit your horse's intake of unhealthy snacks and give them ones that contain less wheat and more nutrients.
How Much Bread Should you Give your Horse?
When it comes to feeding bread to horses, just like with any treats, it shouldn't make up a large part of your horses diet. Bread, in particular, should be fed in even smaller amounts because it doesn’t have many nutrients.
If your horse really loves bread and you want to provide it as a treat occasionally then it's best to feed it a small amount of bread at a time. You shouldn't ever give it more than two slices at once and this should only be given every now and then. It’s not advisable to make bread a regular part of your horse's diet or to feed large amounts all at once.
If your horse hasn't eaten bread before then be sure to introduce it slowly into your horse's diet. You can do this by giving your horse just a small portion of bread a first, no more than a quarter of a slice. If your horse doesn’t show any signs of digestive discomfort then you can gradually increase the portion size.
You must introduce all new foods to your horse's diet slowly because horses have a very sensitive digestive system. Introducing large amounts of a new food too quickly can potentially lead to colic.
Warnings and Potential Problems About Feeding Bread to Horses
Just like all horse food that isn't hay or grass, bread has the potential to cause problems and be dangerous for horses if it’s fed in large amounts. Below we’ll take a look at the risks associated with feeding your horse bread.
Laminitis and Equine Metabolic Syndrome
Because of the high starch content and high sugar content in bread then you shouldn't feed it to horses with laminitis. Too much bread can bring on a case of laminitis or make the condition much worse in horses that are already suffering from it.
You shouldn't feed bread to horses with Equine Metabolic Syndrome also known as insulin resistance. The high sugar content in bread can make their condition worse and also lead to laminitis.
Colic
Horses don’t digest bread easily because it's usually made from wheat flour. This means that bread can potentially lead to colic. The yeast and the heat of baking usually make the wheat flour less glutenous, however, it can still cause digestive problems, even with the yeast and the heat of baking.
Equine Rhabdomyolysis (ER)
This is a painful condition that causes the horse's muscles to degenerate. Symptoms can be very uncomfortable and include stiffness, sweating, swelling and it can even cause them to become immobile.
Recently there have been links to starchy food and Equine Rhabdomyolysis. This is why horses cannot eat bread if they have this condition.
Can you Feed Moldy Bread to Horses?
You shouldn't ever feed horses any type of moldy hay or food and this includes bread. Just like with humans, the bacteria found in moldy food can be harmful to horses. It can lead to colic and even poisoning in some cases.
Always make sure that any food that you feed your horse is clean and mold free.
Can you Give Bread to Young Horses?
Young horses must have a well-balanced diet to support their growth and development and calcium is particularly important for them.
Wheat grain contains phosphorous and if there is more phosphorus in the diet than calcium then horses can easily become calcium deficient. This is because phosphorus can interfere with calcium absorption.
If a young horse can't absorb calcium then this could cause all kinds of development issues. This is why you should never feed bread or wheat grain to young horses.
Can you Feed Raisin Bread to Horses?
Raisins are considered safe for horses to eat so raisin bread, as long as it’s fed in limited quantities, is ok for your horse to eat. Sometimes, you'll find bread containing other ingredients too such as chocolate which isn't safe for horses.
It's best to always check the ingredients of bread before you give it to your horse.
Better Alternatives to Feed Horses
When it comes to feeding horses bread then it's better to keep it to a minimum. There are plenty of easily available, alternative snacks that you can safely feed to your horse on a regular basis. Take a look at our suggestions below to get some ideas.
Pre-Made Horse Treats
There are plenty of nutritionally balanced, healthy, pre-made horse treats available on the market. You can also find plenty of recipes online for making your own healthy horse snacks at home. Horses generally find pre-made snacks more appealing because they usually contain tasty ingredients such as molasses.
Fruits and Vegetables
You might be surprised to know that apples aren’t the only fruit that is good for a horse to eat. Other fruits that are safe for horses to eat include strawberries, bananas, oranges, plums, pears and grapes.
Always do your research about the safety of fruits and vegetables before feeding them to your horse. And always prepare them in the correct way for your horse to eat by removing stones or pits for example.
There’s a huge list of vegetables that are good for your horse to eat too. This includes pumpkin, beetroot, swede and celery.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are some of the most healthy and nutritious snacks you can give to horses. But remember to always feed them in small quantities, snacks should only make up a tiny part of your horses diet.
Treats to Avoid and Harmful Ingredients
You should avoid giving your horse foods that are highly processed or ones that contain lots of chemicals and preservatives. This is because horses have a hard time digesting processed foods. You should also avoid giving your horse grass cuttings, avocados, persimmons, tomatoes and potatoes.
You shouldn't feed your horse bread that contains any ingredients that could be toxic to horses. This includes chocolate, dairy products or nuts and seeds.
And for a balanced feeding regime, hay should make up the bulk of your horses diet followed by grain and then only a tiny portion of extra snacks.
Conclusion
So let's look back on the question “can horses eat bread?”. Although bread is technically ok for horses to eat, it’s not the most healthy treat for them. If you do give your horse bread then it should only be fed in small portions and never on a regular basis. Always monitor your horse for digestive discomfort when it’s eaten bread. And avoid feeding bread to young horses, ones that are over weight or those who are prone to laminitis. As part of a healthy diet, it might be better to feed your horse a more nutritionally balanced treat.
