Is it dangerous for a horse to eat raw corn on the cob from the plant, including the leaves?

Question

My horse has access to some which have grown really high, and I'm worried he'll eat it. Is it in anyway poisonous to horses?

Thanks

Answer 1

dont let him eat a bunch of it

Answer 2

Unlimited amounts of raw/green corn is a good way to kill your horse with colic.

Supervised, one or two shouldn't hurt him.(stress supervised)

The danger would be whether or not the corn was sprayed with insecticide.

Corn green or dried is not toxic to horses or other livestock.

Answer 3

No - corn plants are not harmful to horses, but as in all things, should be taken in moderation.  A horse unaccustomed to them shouldn't be allowed to eat them in large amounts, they could get colic.

When our garden is done and I've picked the corn, the horses each get a few stalks each day for a few weeks until it's all done and gone.  they love it, but I don't allow them to over do it.

Answer 4

We had a guy who fed his horse whole ears of corn. The horse seemed to like it. BUT, corn can make your horse really hot, and it's really not good for them. It's ok in moderation, but feeding too much could EASILY cause founder, so be very careful.

Answer 5

Anything in excess is dangerous. But I had a Welsh pony who absolutely loved corn on the cob - he'd down the husk and everything - and it never hurt him.

Answer 6

No, the corn is not poisonous for your horse.  High performance horses often get ears of dried corn with their feed.  However, corn is called "heat" food because of the very high carbohydrate levels, providing a lot of energy.  It is considfered a very "rich" food containing lots starch and sugar.  Unless a horse is using enough energy to compensate, it can cause founder.  Founder is the same as laminitis.  The laminae becomes inflammed and trys to seperate from the hoof wall causing great pain.

Basically, it won't hurt him, but he can't sit there and eat it whenever he likes.  But chemical pesticides and fertilizers are poisonous.

Answer 7

Corn is in no way poisonous to a horse.

In fact, i know a top trainer who feeds her horses full kernels of corn with their grain.

It is dangerous for a horse to eat anything in ridiculously huge amounts, but as long as he hasn't eaten half the field, he should be okay.

Though corn can make horses a tad hotter, if eaten in excess.

That's your call.

Answer 8

No, it is not poison to your horse. But beware, if he eats too much of it, he could founder, and trust me on this, you don't want him to founder

Answer 9

The horse shouldn't have free access to it.  as other posters have stated, excess ingestion of corn can produce both colic and laminitis, or founder.  The other concern is that the horse may experience choke if a cob gets stuck in the esophagus.

So, it is dangerous and you need to prevent access to it.

Answer 10

corn is fine for horse, just not in large amounts.. check that you dont see any red in his white line [located near the hoof] if there is red in it that means he is getting too much corn..

its because corn is more for cows than horses.. but it does give them alot of energy and fattens them up as well as making their coats really healthy and shiny.. just not in large amounts lol..

some people actually feed corn oil to their horses to get the same effects.. but we get ground corn and wheat and oats free from my grandparents so ive sort of picked up on some of that.. but my dad also takes anything from the garden he doesnt want and puts it in her pasture.. he cuts down corn stalks and feeds them to her all the time... i just have to check when he does that and just not put grains like that in her feed until its gone..