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Horses are amazing creatures, and they can form beautiful bonds with us as humans. Time spent riding, grooming, and bathing creates limitless hours of pleasure for both you and your horse.
And so it’s understandable that you want to keep your best friend happy and healthy. You may have wondered whether or not your horse can eat things other than his diet. Yes! Horses love fruits and veggies, especially grapes.
Can Horses Eat Grapes?
Yes! You can feed grapes to your horse without much worry! Grapes when fed in moderation are good for horses as they are full of amazing nutrients, and horses love the sweet taste they provide. In addition to the other snacks horses eat, feeding grapes to your horses will delight them.
Health Benefits Of Grapes
1. Sugar Regulation
Because grapes contain a perfect amount of natural sugar, if you feed your horse grapes, know that you help him regulate his sugar level. Like us, horses need the proper amount of sugar to function.
2. They Are Full Of Water
Grapes contain over 80 percent water. This makes grapes very safe to feed to horses, and they are a great option for humans as well. A wonderful treat for your horse would be grapes during the summer because they contain extra water that our horse needs to stay cool.
3. Loaded With Fiber
And just like our digestion system, horses need plenty of fiber in theirs. Grapes contain the kind of soluble fiber that is important to a horse’s balanced diet.
How Much Can I Feed?
There are advantages and disadvantages to feeding grapes to your horse. It’s important to understand that your horse needs to stick to a good diet.
Feeding grapes or any snack should always be done in moderation. The suggested amount is only ten to twenty grapes over a span of two weeks.
Be mindful of feeding large quantities as your horse can become used to getting them and develop too much of a liking. Most importantly, if horses are fed too quickly or too much, this can lead to colic which can be deadly.
But it is very crucial to remember that your horse must maintain a balanced eating routine and diet. That means you should moderately be giving your horses grapes as their treats.
Remember that grapes do contain sugar, so you will need to be careful to avoid things like insulin resistance which can be very serious.
How Should I Feed Grapes?
Grapes make excellent treats as they are small and won’t pose a choking hazard. In turn, grapes can be fed whole or sliced into pieces. They can be given at room temperature or cold.
During the hot summer months, frozen grapes can be a delightful treat for your horse! They will be sure to respond quite favorably to this refreshing snack.
Things to Look Out For
1. Excessive Sugar Consumption
Grapes do contain a perfect balance of natural sugar, but they still come in a level that can be high. Horse owners should have caution and understand that grapes can cause weight gain, so it’s important not to overindulge.
2. Preferring Sweets
Grapes are loaded with sweetness, and horses love sweets. Be careful in that your horse’s diet doesn’t become so consumed with sweets that he, in turn, ignores regular food. If your horse knows he can look forward to a sweet snack, he may become stubborn. So avoid feeding him too many grapes, or any sweets for that matter.
3. Grape Seeds
Thankfully, unlike apple seeds or cherry pits, grape seeds offer no danger to your horse. They are non-toxic and easily swallowed along with the grape.
But while grape seeds may be tiny and while your horse can safely consume the seeds in many variations of grapes, some horses may flat out refuse any fruit with seeds.
Take care of digestion as well, because horses can experience problems in the gut from grape seeds. If you are concerned about that, you can simply remove the seeds. Although it may be much easier to just purchase seedless grapes.
4. Be Careful Of Pesticides
An array of fruits and veggies can be excellent for horses and add important nutrients to their diets. But unfortunately, the way they are grown can be dangerous to horses.
Any fruit or veggie with skin, like peaches, apples, and yes grapes, can contain harmful pesticides. These need to be washed thoroughly before feeding them to your horse.
If it’s easier for you, you can purchase organic fruits as they are less likely to contain pesticides. Organic can be more expensive but in the long run, it may be more beneficial for your horse.
Related Posts
For more information on what fruit and vegetables horses can eat check out some of the links below:
