More and more frequently, horse owners are becoming more health-conscious about their horses' diets. With the majority now opting for natural and organic foods and treats. Did you know that one of the most natural treats you can give to horses is tasty fresh fruit and vegetables? But before you start giving horses new fruits as treats, you have to make sure that they're safe for them to eat. One thing you might find yourself asking as a horse owner is “can horses eat pears?”. So let's take a look at pears below and find out whether they're safe for horses.
Can Horses Eat a Pear?
Pears are cheap and easily available so the good news is that yes, horses can eat pears as a treat. Not only are pears safe to eat but they’re also a healthy addition to the diet and your horse will love them.
Are Pears Healthy for Horses?
As long as you don't feed them in excess, then pears are very healthy treats for horses and make a great alternative to apples. Below, we'll explore the health benefits to be gained when you give your horse pears as treats.
Fiber
Just like with most fruit and vegetable treats, pears are full of fiber. Fiber needs to be fed as an essential part of any healthy diet because it helps the digestive system to function properly. Pears also contain pectin which is a soluble fiber. Not only does pectin help the horse's digestive system, but it’s also thought to strengthen the horses GI tract.
Fiber also helps a horse to feel full which means that pears are a very satisfying treat.
Antioxidants
Your horse needs antioxidants to rid its body of unwanted toxins. Toxins can build up in your horses system, especially after exercise. Antioxidants can reduce the stress caused by exercise as well as helping to increase overall health and vitality.
Vitamins and Minerals
Pears are a great source of vitamins and minerals which are a beneficial addition to any diet. As well as B vitamins, pears also contain lots of vitamin C, K and E. They’re also high in potassium, magnesium and copper.
Sugar
Although pears are very healthy, did you know they are quite high in sugar? This means that you should be cautious about feeding them to horses with metabolic issues.
Can Horses Eat Raw Pears?
Yes, horses can be fed raw pears and this is the best way to feed them as a treat to your horse. Raw pears have a lot more texture and flavor than cooked ones.
What About Cooked and Canned Pears?
Horses can eat cooked and canned pears as a treat but they’ll usually prefer the crunchy taste of fresh pears. If you're feeding your horse cooked pears, make sure that they’re completely cool before serving them.
As long as they’re unprocessed then canned pears are usually a safe treat for a horse to eat. Canned pears and other fruit are usually preserved in syrup and contain other preservatives so you must wash them before giving them to your horse. It’s always better to feed a horse fresh fruits when they’re available.
Can Horses Eat Pear Seeds and Core?
The core and seeds of pears are safe for horses to eat, however, lots of owners choose to remove them before serving them to their horse. The core of a pear is tough and strong so it has the potential to become a choking hazard.
Did you know that just like the seeds of apples, the seeds of pears contain small amounts of cyanide? This can potentially build up in your horse's system and may cause poisoning. It’s worth noting that a horse would have to be fed a huge amount of pear seeds before they become poisonous.
Are Pear Trees and Leaves Safe For Horses to Eat?
Potentially, pear trees aren't safe for horses to eat and they shouldn’t eat parts of the tree in large quantities because it could be toxic. A horse also shouldn’t have free access to the fruits of a pear tree. Eating too many pears that are rotten from the ground will inevitably cause colic.
They will also have unlimited access to the seeds too which can be dangerous. This is why horses shouldn’t be pastured with or have access to pear trees.
Warnings About Eating Pears
Even though horses enjoy eating pears, any type of food that’s not hay or grass has the potential to harm your horse. To keep any risks associated with eating pears or other fruit and vegetables to a minimum then you should follow the guidelines below.
Introduce Them Slowly
Horses are renowned for having sensitive digestive systems and are prone to colic so this is why, just like with any other fruit, you should introduce pears to your horse's diet slowly.
Start by giving your horse just a small piece of pear at first. Then you should keep a close eye on it for twenty-four hours, looking out for any discomfort in the digestive system. If your horse seems fine then you can start to increase the portion size by a few small pieces gradually over the space of a week.
If you feed your horse too much pear or any other fruit all at once then it may cause a stomach upset.
Prepare Them Correctly
Sometimes food or treats can become lodged in the horses' air pipe and causes what is known as a choke. This is especially a risk with greedy horses who don’t chew their food properly!
To keep the risk of choke to a minimum then you should cut the pear up in a way that won't cause an obstruction. The best way to do this is to cut the pear into small pieces. As an extra precaution, lots of owners also like to remove the core and seeds.
Caution with Metabolic Conditions
Because pears contain a lot of sugar and potassium, just like with bananas, you should be cautious about giving them to your horse if it suffers from any kind of metabolic condition such as HYPP, Cushing's disease, laminitis or insulin resistance.
If your horse has any of these conditions then you should talk to your veterinarian first before giving it pears or any other kind of fruit.
Don’t Feed Them if They’re Moldy
Always make sure that pears aren’t rotten or moldy before giving them to your horse. Rotten fruit may cause a stomach upset or in worse cases, poisoning.
How Many Pears Should you Feed a Horse?
Once you’ve introduced pears into your horse's diet safely, in small quantities, then just like with other fruit, you shouldn't feed them too many at once. Even though horses love pears, you shouldn't feed your horse more than 2 pounds of pears each week. It’s better to feed them in small quantities, spread out over a few days, rather than all together in a large serving.
When you’re feeding pears or any other fruit treat to your horse, remember that treats should only make up a small part of your horses' diet.
How to Prepare Pears for Horses
Before feeding pears or any other kind of fruit to your horse you should clean and wash them first. This removes any pesticides that could potentially be harmful to your horse. To completely avoid the risk of feeding your horse foods that contain pesticides then you should buy organic products for your horse.
There are lots of ways that you can turn pears into an exciting treat for your horse. We’ll take a look at some interesting serving suggestions below:
For Older Horses
For older horses, or horses with dental problems then chewing on a hard fruit might be impossible. But there’s no reason why they should miss out on this tasty, healthy treat. If anything, older horses will benefit most from the vital nutrients that are found in pears.
To serve pears to older horses, you can try shredding them or putting them in a food processor. You can then add the pear pulp to the horse's regular food and they can eat it without a problem.
Baked Pear and Oat Treat
You could try making some delicious and healthy homemade, pear treats for your horses. There’s plenty of pear treat recipes available online that horses will love. Some of them contain just three simple ingredients, pear, oats and molasses.
When you’re making homemade treats for your horse, always avoid using ingredients that are unsafe for horses such as chocolate, bread and dairy products.
Pear Mash
A great way to brighten up a bran mash is by mixing in some mashed up pears. This will make a bran mash much more appealing.
Pear Popsicles
Pear popsicles are a great treat and will help to keep your horse cool in the summer. To make them, simply chop up a pair into cubes then freeze them in some water. You could use a large mixing bowl to do this for example.
After exercise or turnout, you can offer the frozen treat to your horse. Your horse will love this treat and it'll feel fresh and rewarded as it licks its way through to the pear pieces.
Conclusion
Looking back on the question “can horses eat pears?”, the answer is a very definite yes. As long as they’re prepared safely and fed in moderation, pears make a delicious, well balanced treat for horses. Always take the time to introduce pears slowly into your horse's diet and take caution when feeding pears to horses with metabolic issues.
