The Last Ride

Large Animal Removal and Disposal

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Dos and Don’ts of Fruit and Vegetable Treats for Your Horse: Part 1

Everyone knows that horses love to eat apples and carrots, but have you ever wondered about other fruits and vegetables that are safe for your horse to eat? In this first of a three-part series, we will explore some of the other produce items that are and are not safe to give to your horse as a special treat.

Celery

Most horses enjoy eating celery, which is also a good source of vitamins A, B2, B6, C and K as well as manganese and potassium. Since it is a hard vegetable, it should be cut into small pieces when feeding it to your horse, as giving a full piece to your horse can be a choking hazard. It is safe for your horse to eat both the celery stalk and its leaves.

Cucumbers

You may be surprised to learn that it is also safe for your horse to eat cucumbers. In fact, cucumbers are considered to be one of the best treats to give to a horse that is insulin resistant. This is because they have a high water content in addition to a high nutritional value without all of the sugars that are found in fruit. When feeding cucumbers to your horse, it is best to cut them up into smaller pieces in order to avoid choking. It should also be noted that cucumbers may cause gas in some horses. Therefore, you may want to limit your horse’s cucumber intake to just one or two cucumbers per week.