Can Horses Eat Biscuits? (A Complete Guide)

Can Horses Eat Biscuits

Many people love to give their horse treats, and if you’re looking for things that horses love, human food is often a tempting option. However, you should always check before giving your horse anything, as some foods are dangerous, both in small amounts and large amounts.

Can Horses Eat Biscuits?

Whether horses can eat biscuits or not depends upon the kind of biscuit. You should never be feeding your horse large quantities of biscuits, but even a few may be a problem if they contain a lot of sugar or other unhealthy ingredients. On the whole, horses should not eat biscuits.

Most biscuits contain processed sugar, which can cause the horse’s blood sugar to spike suddenly, and is not good for them. Horse owners should steer clear of allowing their horse to eat much (if any) processed sugar.

That might surprise you because sugar cubes were traditionally used as treats for horses, but they are not good for them, and you should avoid giving your horse refined sugar in any form. Baked goods, in general, are not suitable for horses.

If you want to give your horse a treat, fruit or vegetable matter is the safest option, although even these must be fed in moderation.

Stone fruits need the stones removing, and you should be careful when feeding your horse even things like apples and carrots. According to EquiNeigh, consuming too many leads to colic, and could cause long-term health issues like laminitis.

It’s important not to feed your horse things like lawn clippings, which can cause major issues in their digestive tract and could get other plants – such as those from the nightshade family – mixed in.

You should also avoid giving your horse foods things that contain milk, as some baked goods might, because horses cannot digest lactose.

So, let’s find out whether horses can eat certain kinds of biscuits or not!

Can Horses Eat Ginger Biscuits?

Ginger is thought to be good for horses, and many people do offer their horses ginger biscuits on occasion. NeeNess suggests that horses can be given some ginger supplement in their feed every day, and they will benefit from this. Their digestive system is often made healthier by the addition of ginger.

However, you might be better feeding your horse ginger directly, rather than in the form of a biscuit, because this will help you avoid issues from the biscuit’s other ingredients, such as sugar.

Can Horses Eat Ginger Nut Biscuits?

Again, horses can eat ginger nut biscuits in moderation, and they may benefit from the ginger, but they would be better off not consuming the sugar. If you want to feed your horse ginger nut biscuits, it may be best to make your own so you can reduce the sugar content as much as possible.

Can Horses Eat Digestive Biscuits?

Digestive Biscuits

Digestive biscuits mostly contain grain and sugar. While the grain shouldn’t be problematic for a horse, remember that the sugar needs to be kept to a minimum, and don’t feed your horse too many of these.

Small pieces on rare occasions should be fine, but it really is important to limit the sugar intake.

Can Horses Eat Rich Tea Biscuits?

Rich tea biscuits are very similar to digestive biscuits and can be eaten by horses. They contain around 18.5 grams of sugar per hundred grams, while a digestive biscuit contains only 16.6 grams.

Overall, therefore, a digestive biscuit tends to be a better choice than a rich tea biscuit, because your horse won’t be eating as much sugar per weight of biscuit. Given the choice, you should always opt for the biscuit with less sugar.

You can smear a little peanut butter on them for maximum effect, as horses are known to love peanut butter. However, keep this to a minimum!

Can Horses Eat Chocolate Biscuits?

EquiSupermarket lists chocolate as one of the foods that you should never feed to your horse under any circumstances. It contains theobromine, and it can be very damaging to a horse, even in reasonably small quantities.

Many people do feed their horses chocolate biscuits, but it is best not to do this because you could make your horse very ill. If you want to give your horse biscuits, choose non-chocolate options. Even with sugar in, these are safer than a chocolate biscuit would be.

This goes for all chocolate biscuits, including chocolate digestives and chocolate fingers. Do not give a horse chocolate, even in small quantities.

Can Horses Eat Anzac Biscuits?

Anzac biscuits are one of the least common kinds of treats, and many people are unaware that they exist. They are usually made of oats, which is a common food for horses, although they do also contain butter and sugar, as well as golden syrup and baking soda.

They can be fed to horses, but it’s important to be aware of the butter. While a small amount probably will not hurt your horse, remember that horses cannot digest lactose and they may struggle with this ingredient.

However, if you make your own Anzac biscuits, you can find a substitute or at least minimize the quantities, and because of the oats, these are a somewhat more nutritious snack for horses. Overall, though, you still need to avoid feeding them in large quantities, or your horse will get sick.

Can Horses Eat Dog Biscuits?

According to NeeNess, it isn’t a good idea to feed your horse dog biscuits. These have been formulated to be good for carnivores, not herbivores, and they may contain ingredients that your horse cannot digest. While it will depend on the biscuit to a degree, you should avoid giving your horse dog biscuits as a rule.

Conclusion

In general, although many people feed their horses biscuits without a problem, they are not a good food for horses. The high sugar quantities can lead to colic and other digestion problems and may contribute to obesity and bad dental health.

If you feed your horse very small amounts of biscuit on an infrequent basis, it may not do any harm, but horses should not really eat biscuits of any kind unless they have been specifically formulated for equines.

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