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Do you know what is considered healthy and unhealthy treats for your horse? Of course, as the loving horse mothers and fathers we are, we cannot help but give our horses a treat every now and then. Or two. Or a whole handful. Every day. As such, there is nothing wrong with that as long as you think about what you give it. And as long as your horse is not overweight.
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Knowing what is actually healthy and unhealthy treats can be difficult. Some may only give their horses carrots and horse sweets. While others diligently store end slices from the bread, overripe pears and crushed apples for their four legges friend. You have probably also heard of horses that love bananas or sugar lumps. The problem is that not all treats are equally healthy for the horse. Do you know which ones? Here you get a description of how healthy or unhealthy the most common treats are. At the end of this article you can find an overview of the calorie and sugar content in some of the treats.
… are by far the most harmless of the treats we give our horses. They contain very little sugar and only a few calories - and then the horses think they taste great. As with all other horse treats, of course you should not give carrots in infinite amounts. However, there is no doubt that if you want to pamper your horse with more than just one treat, then the carrots are the best. When you think about healthy and unhealthy goodies. Alternatively, you can cut a carrot into smaller pieces so you get more treats out of it. The only downside is that the hard consistency of the carrots makes them difficult to chew for horses with bad teeth.
… are somewhat more caloric and filled with sugary. So do not give more than a few pieces a day. Apples can easily get stuck in the esophagus - especially if they are small and the horse is greedy. So, remember to check if your horse bites the apple over in half and chews on it properly.
… are pretty much comparable to apples, though not all horses like them. Fruit generally contains more sugar and more acid than vegetables. Too much acid can destroy the horse's tooth enamel, and the sugar can give it cavities in the teeth.
… are not all horses favorite, but some horses are actually quite happy with them. Many people think that bananas contain a lot of sugar, but in fact they are not that much different from a lot of other fruit. So, if your horse likes bananas, it is okay to give one every now and then - but keep it to a minimum. On the other hand, bananas can be great for horses with bad teeth due to their soft consistency. They can be mashed in the feed if a horse does not want to eat for example his medicine.
... is in many horses' top five over favorite treats when it comes to healthy and unhealthy treats. It is also no problem to give the horse a slice or two as long as the horse is no overweight. Rye bread can contain a lot of sugar and its calorie content five times as higher than carrots - and about four times as more than apples and pears. Rye bread is fine as a single energy-giving treat for horses that are not overweight. Remember, however, that the bread must be dry, as it is best for the horse's gastrointestinal system.
… is not horse food - and not at all if it is fresh. In addition to being high in sugar, it can cause esophageal constipation and colic because the horse has difficulty digesting it. Horse stomachs are simply not made for white bread, or anything like that. Remember this when trying to figure out the jungle of healthy and unhealthy treats.
… we hardly need to mention, but it is still necessary. When you stand with a cup of coffee and a piece of cake in the stable, it is really tempting to give Cutie or Honey a taste - but for God's sake don not. Maybe you think that a small piece of sugary cake cannot do any harm to the horse's energy level. Maybe you are right. On the other hand, the sugar settles in the horse's teeth and can cause havoc there. Horses, like us humans, cannot brush the sugar away with a toothbrush to avoid cavities. So, it is most of all for the sake of the teeth that sugar even in small amounts should not be put into a horse's mouth.
… are an absolute no go. They may have been “okay” in the past and many horses love them. But they go straight to the teeth and give inappropriate fluctuations in the horse’s blood sugar. The sugar lumps must remain on the coffee table and not be taken into the stable.
… is also not horse-food. In addition to being very sugary, it also contains the substance theobromine, which is toxic to horses (and dogs in general). In addition, the chocolate may be to blame for your horse testing positive for doping. So, you better eat the chocolate yourself and beware of it when thinking about healthy and unhealthy treats.
… are not as banned for horses as one might think. However, one should only give them in small amounts as they are filles with calories. If you insist, just give your horse a few.
…bought in feed and riding equipment stores have very different sugar and calorie content (and is therefore not included in the table). You can get everything from the all-natural, low-calorie sweets without sugar to some real sugar bombs. These are pretty much comparable to a few sugar lumps. In addition, they may contain substances that your horse is allergic to. And not all of them are free dopants. Therefore, remember to look at the product declaration before you buy them.
… should not be compared to ordinary horse sweets, because they must be included as part of the horse's daily feed. They are most often given to horses that graze around the clock, or to horses that for other reasons do not receive core feed. Vitamin sweets should, as the name suggests, be used to cover the horse's vitamin and mineral needs. So, they do not really have a place on the list of healthy and unhealthy treats.
… may only be given as long as it is hand-picked or beaten with a hoe. Machine-cut grass can contain traces of petrol or diesel as well as oil, which is of course harmful to the horse. Also, always remember to avoid the plants that are toxic to the horse when you go out to pick a handful of grass.
Of course, there are many other things that horses do not tolerate - and also that they can tolerate well. For example, many horses love rose hips and many different types of fruit. Still, we would encourage you to take care and give your horse exclusively what is natural for it to eat.
Below you will find a list of the foods that we have concluded here that horses can tolerate well. They should however be given in smaller amounts because of their calorie and sugar content.
| Goodies | Sugar per 100 g. | Calories per 100 g. |
| Carrots | 4,5 g | 41 kcal |
| Apples | 10 g | 52 kcal |
| Pears | 10 g | 57 kcal |
| Bananas | 12 g | 89 kcal |
| Rye bread | 5 g | 214 kcal |
| Nuts | 4,2 g | 607 kcal |
