You and I might not find the thought of eating whole lemons appealing because they taste pretty bitter. But that’s a shame because overall, they’re a very healthy fruit. And as a horse owner, it’s natural if you want to improve your horse's diet with healthy treats. So you might find yourself wondering, can horses eat lemons?
Can Horses Eat Lemons?
Horses can safely eat lemons. And most horses will enjoy eating them. This is because they have different taste buds from us, so apparently, they don’t get that sharp bitter taste.
Horses love lemons so much, they’d eat a whole crate load if you let them. But just like with all fruit and vegetable treats, you should feed your horse lemons in moderation.
Are Lemons Healthy or Harmful for Horses?
Overall, lemons, along with other citrus fruits are very healthy for your horse. They contain lots of fiber which aids your horse's digestive system. And they’re high in antioxidants too.
On top of this, lemons contain lots of vitamin C, which is great for your horse's immune system and general well-being. They also contain a high level of vitamin B6. which is good for your horse's brain and nervous system.
Lemons are high in potassium, and this is a great mineral for your horse's muscles, including the heart. And they’re packed with citric acid too, which helps to prevent horses and humans from getting kidney stones because it breaks down minerals in the body.
Overall, lemons are good for your horse's digestion, kidney and muscle function, and heart health.
Even though lemons are pretty healthy, they’re high in sugar and this is one of the main reasons why you should feed them to your horse in moderation. The high sugar levels also mean you shouldn’t feed them to horses with any kind of metabolic issues such as laminitis, Cushing's or insulin resistance.
Warnings About Feeding Horses Lemons
Lemons aren’t toxic to horses. So they won’t poison your horse. But if your horse eats too many lemons, it may be bad for its health. Lemons are a concentrated food. So this means they should only make up a tiny part of your horses daily food rations. Because if your horse eats too much concentrated food all at once, this could lead to colic.
Lemons are high in sugar, so you shouldn’t give them to horses with metabolic issues under any circumstances. They’re high in potassium too. So this means that you should also avoid feeding them to horses with HYPP.
It’s also worth noting that lemon and other citrus peels contain very concentrated oils. You can smell these when you peel the fruit. In most cases, these oils won't bother your horse. But sometimes, they can irritate the skin on the muzzle of sensitive skinned horses.
If you have lemon trees in your pasture, you shouldn’t let your horse have free access to them when they full of fruit. Like we mentioned earlier, it’s not good for your horse to eat too many lemons all at once.
Also, if your horse eats the leaves from a lemon tree, it could cause colic. But luckily, horses generally won't eat the leaves because they don’t like the taste of them.
How to Prepare Lemons for Horses
Before you give your horse lemons, make sure that you wash them first to get rid of any dirt or pesticides. If you notice any moldy parts, remove these because they could make your horse ill.
Next, you need to cut the lemon up into bite-sized pieces for your horse. Make sure that they're small enough so they don't pose a choking hazard. Even though lemons are pretty soft, they can still get caught in your horse's windpipe if they don’t chew them properly.
And horses will have a hard time chewing through the lemon peel. So if you feed your horse lemons with the peel still on, make the pieces extra small.
Conclusion
So, can horses eat lemons? It looks like the answer is a clear yes. Horses can eat lemons as well as other citrus fruit such as oranges and mandarins. But because lemons are high in sugar, you shouldn’t feed them to horses with health issues, particularly metabolic ones. And always feed your horse lemons in moderation as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
