Who doesn’t love the tropical taste of pineapple on a hot summers day? This fruit is juicy, delicious and super sweet. And no one likes sweet more than our equine friends. So, can horses eat pineapple? Read on to find out.
Can Horses Eat Pineapple?
The good news is that pineapple is non-toxic to horses. Which means that it makes a safe and healthy treat for them. However, you should always remove the skin, leaves and core from the pineapple before giving it to horses. Because these can easily become a choking hazard.
Is Pineapple Healthy for Horses?
As far as treats go then pineapple is a pretty healthy choice for horses. Even though pineapple is super sweet, it’s low fat and low calorie and isn’t too high in sugar.
Pineapple contains a huge range of vitamins and minerals that can benefit your horse's health. They’re a fantastic source of vitamin C, which is good for your horse's immune system. And they also contain vitamin B6 which can help to energize your horse both physically and mentally.
As well as this, they contain lots of calcium, iron, manganese and potassium which are great for your horse's muscles, blood and bones.
And just like all fruit and vegetables, pineapples are a good source of fiber and antioxidants. Fiber helps to support your horse's digestive system. And antioxidants help to remove harmful toxins from your horse's body.
Warnings About Feeding Pineapple to Horses
The main warning when it comes to feeding your horse pineapple is that you shouldn’t feed too much all at once. Ideally, you shouldn’t feed your horse more than a few chunks of pineapple at a time. And as part of a healthy, balanced diet, you shouldn’t feed your horse pineapple more than twice a week.
If your horse eats too much pineapple then it might be too full to eat its regular food. And this can lead to nutritional deficiencies and health problems as well as colic.
Another important thing to remember about feeding pineapple to horses is that you should introduce all new treats into your horse's diet slowly. This is because horses have a very sensitive digestive system and they can't vomit. So a mild stomach upset can easily turn into a more severe problem.
When you introduce new foods slowly, this gives your horses digestive system time to adjust to the new food. And it also lets you check to see if your horse is allergic to it.
To introduce pineapple slowly into your horse's diet then start by giving your horse just a small piece at first. If your horse seems ok after 24 hours then you can gradually start increasing the portion size. However, if your horse shows any signs of bloating, diarrhea or digestive discomfort then you shouldn’t feed it anymore pineapple.
Another warning about pineapples is that they contain lots of potassium. So this means that you shouldn’t feed them to horses with HYPP. If horses with this condition eat too much potassium then it can aggravate their symptoms.
And lastly, you should also be cautious about feeding pineapple to horses with metabolic issues such as insulin resistance, Cushing’s disease or laminitis. Pineapples contain a fair amount of sugar, which is bad for horses with metabolic issues. You should always seek advice from your vet before feeding pineapple to horses with any of these conditions.
Can Horses Eat Canned Pineapple?
Fresh fruit is always more nutritious than cooked or preserved fruit. So if you want your horse to get the full nutritional benefits of pineapple then you should feed it fresh fruit.
But this doesn’t mean that horses can't eat canned pineapple. In some cases, canned pineapple is safe for horses to eat. However, it often comes in syrup, which isn’t good for horses. So this means that you should only feed your horse canned pineapple if it’s not preserved in syrup.
You should also avoid feeding your horse canned pineapple that has additives or preservatives. And you shouldn’t feed them canned pineapple that’s been processed in any way. This is because processed foods and additives are very bad for horses.
How to Prepare Pineapple for Horses
You should never feed your horse a whole pineapple. This is dangerous because your horse can’t chew it properly and it will become a choking hazard. So before you feed a pineapple to horses you must carefully prepare it first to make it safe for them to eat.
And when it comes to preparing a pineapple for horses, first, you should remove the leaves. These are stiff and hard and aren’t good for your horse to eat. Next, you need to remove the rough outer skin. Sometimes this is prickly and can hurt your horse's mouth. And as well as this, your horse won't be able to chew the tough skin.
Once you’ve removed the skin and leaves, you also have to remove the hard core from inside the pineapple. This is too tough for your horse to chew. And if you don’t remove it then it will become a choking hazard.
So now you’re left with the soft flesh of the pineapple. This is the only part of a pineapple that you should feed to your horse. And before serving this, you should chop it into small chunks to prevent your horse from choking.
Finally, if you find any rotten or moldy parts on the pineapple when you’re preparing it, then you must remove these. This is because the bacteria found on rotten food can be very harmful to your horse.
Conclusion
So, can horses eat pineapple? I think it’s safe to say that they can. Pineapple is a very healthy treat for horses so long as it’s fed in moderation. You should never feed a whole pineapple to a horse because the leaves, peel and core are a choking hazard. And it's a good idea to supervise your horse when it’s eating pineapple or any other kind of fruit and vegetable treats.
