Peaches are a soft and delicious fruit treat for humans. So it's natural that many horse owners may wonder if horses can eat them too. And as a responsible owner, it’s good that you’ve asked the question “can horses eat peaches?” Because feeding your horse fruits that aren't good for them can make them very ill.
So in this guide, we’re going to take a look at peaches. And we’ll discover if this fruit is safe for horses to eat.
Can Horses Eat Peaches?
It’s a common misconception among horse owners that peaches aren’t a safe food for a horse to eat. And it’s easy to see where this rumor comes from.
Horses can’t eat peach leaves or peach pits because these are poisonous to horses. And we’ll explore the dangers of horses eating peach leaves and pits later on in the guide.
But the soft fruit of a peach is non-toxic and therefore peaches are safe for your horse to eat.
So, as long as you remove the leaves and pit, horses can eat peaches.
Are Peaches Healthy for Horses?
Just like most fresh fruits or vegetables, peaches make a very healthy treat for your horse. As well as containing a good range of nutrients, they’re sodium, fat and cholesterol-free.
And even though peaches taste incredibly sweet, they’re actually considered a low sugar fruit.
Below, we'll take a closer look at the nutritional content of peaches and how they can be beneficial for a horses diet
Fiber
Peaches contain lots of soluble and insoluble fiber which are fantastic for your horse's digestive tract.
The soluble fiber in peaches contains prebiotics which helps to keep your horses gut balanced and healthy.
Whereas the insoluble fiber keeps everything moving along smoothly. So overall, when horses eat peaches, they will help to maintain gut health.
Antioxidants
As well as this, peaches are a great source of antioxidants. And your horse needs these to remove harmful toxins that build up in the body, especially after exercise.
Without antioxidants, toxins will accumulate over time and can affect your horse's health and performance.
Vitamins and Minerals
As far as vitamins and minerals go, peaches are a natural source of vitamin C and A. Vitamin C and A are beneficial for your horse's immunity and they are also a natural mood booster.
Peaches also contain a lot of potassium, copper and manganese. And all of these minerals are good for your horse's nervous system and muscle function.
What Kind of Horses Can Eat Peaches?
Most horses can benefit from eating a bit of peach now and then. That said, each horse has unique dietary requirements. So below, we'll take a look at what kind of horses you should be cautious about giving a peach to.
Can Older and Younger Horses Eat Peaches?
Young and senior horses usually have very special dietary requirements. This means that you should be particularly careful about feeding old or young horses peaches and other fruit treats.
However, as long as they have a balanced diet then younger and older horses should be able to eat peaches.
If you have any doubts about feeding young or old horse peaches or other fruits then always speak to your vet first.
Can Horses With Health Conditions Eat Peaches?
If your horse has any metabolic conditions such as laminitis, insulin resistance or Cushing's disease, you should be wary about feeding them peaches and other fruits.
Even though peaches are quite low in sugar, you should still check with your vet first before feeding them to horses with metabolic conditions.
As well as this, you should avoid giving peaches to horses with Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP).
This is because peaches are high in potassium. And if horses with this condition eat foods with excessive potassium then it could make their condition worse.
How Much Peaches Can Horses Eat?
When it comes to feeding horses peaches, then just like all concentrated foods and treats, you should feed them in small quantities.
Even though horses love peaches, you shouldn’t feed your horse lots of peaches all at once. As this could upset its stomach and cause colic.
On top of this, you shouldn’t feed your horse more than one peach a day. And never feed them more than two peaches a week.
Introduce Peaches Slowly
Before you start feeding your horse new treats, including fruits, you must introduce them slowly. This way you won't overwhelm your horse's sensitive digestive system with the new food.
And it also gives you the chance to make sure that your horse isn’t allergic to them.
You can do this by just feeding your horse one small slice of peach at first and closely monitor it for the next 24 hours.
If your horse doesn’t have any kind of bad reaction to the peach, such as bloating or diarrhea then you can gradually increase the portion size over a week or two.
However, if horses eat peaches and they have any kind of digestive discomfort then you shouldn’t feed them anymore peach. Try feeding your horses other safe fruits and vegetables instead.
Safe fruits and vegetables for horses include apples, carrots, strawberries, watermelon and bananas, to name a small few.
Warnings About Feeding Peaches to Horses
The main warning about giving horses peaches is that you must remove the pits first. The hard pits found in peaches can be extremely dangerous if it's fed to horses. They can easily cause choking.
The peach pit is the perfect size for getting stuck in a horses windpipe and it also contains a poisonous substance called cyanide.
Next, you shouldn’t feed horses processed, dried or canned peaches. These often contain lots of sugar and additives that aren’t very good for a horses health.
On top of this, any kind of processed or canned peach will contain fewer nutrients than fresh ones.
Warning About a Peach Tree in the Pasture
Horses mustn’t have access to a peach tree in their pasture. As we’ve discovered the pit is extremely dangerous for horses. And if horses eat too many peaches all at once from a tree or off the ground then it can make them very ill.
On top of this, the leaves of a peach tree also contain cyanide. So if your horse has free access to a peach tree they can get poisoned from the tree leaves too and this can be fatal.
What is Cyanide Poisoning?
This kind of poisoning is extremely dangerous and it occurs when your horse has eaten toxic amounts of cyanide. Your horse will develop symptoms quickly, within fifteen minutes to two hours after ingestion.
This is a deadly condition because it stops your horse's blood from delivering blood cells around the body. And unfortunately, if your horse has this condition then it’s not a good prognosis.
Symptoms of Cyanide Poisoning
Cyanide poisoning is a terrible illness so it's good for horse owners to know the symptoms. And we'll take a look at these below.
The first sign of this illness is that horses may look overexcited with rapid breathing and an increased heart rate.
The horse will then start drooling and there will usually be a smell of bitter almonds around the mouth.
Horses with cyanide poisoning will empty their gut and bladder. And eventually, they’ll start to lose control of their body, leading to seizures.
If you suspect that your horse has eaten peach leaves or pits and it has symptoms of cyanide poisoning then you must get in touch with your vet immediately.
Tips on How to Prepare Peaches for Horse
Horse owners must know that the most important thing when it comes to a horse eating peaches is to remove the pits and leaves first. If you don’t remove the pit then it can choke your horse.
As well as this, the stone and leaves contain large amounts of cyanide which can be fatal for horses.
Next, make sure that you wash a peach before feeding it to a horse. This is to remove any pesticides from its skin.
While you're washing it, check the peach for any moldy parts. Make sure that you remove any rotten parts from the peach. Because if horses eat the bacteria on moldy fruits then it can make them very ill.
Slice Them Up
Peaches are a soft fruit, so once the pits have been removed then they don’t pose much of a choking hazard.
That said, when a horse eats peaches it’s always a good idea to slice the fruit up into small pieces first. So if the horse doesn’t chew properly then this will prevent it from choking.
Conclusion
If you do start giving your horse peaches as a fruit treat then only feed it in small amounts. And make sure you don’t give your horse more than two peaches per week. And the most important thing to remember is that you must remove the pit and leaves first because these are very dangerous for horses.
Now you know the answer to your question “can horses eat peaches?”, you can make an informed decision about adding them to your horse's diet.
