My friend has told me I should not give my horse brassiac veg. Is this right?

Question

I have always supplemented my horses feed with veg - carrots, swede, turnip, broccoli etc. My friend said as they are part of the brassiac family and they may be harmful. I've never heard of this - can anyone give me more info please.

Answer 1

its true the brassica line of vegetables do give horses severe bloating,diarrhoea and heavy flatulence.

carrots are not brassica so they are fine but stuff like cabbage broccoli and cauliflower are a no no

Answer 2

I would think brassicas would create a lot of gas when digested (they do for humans) so maybe the carrots would be fine as a treat but not green leafy vegetables.  

Answer 3

Carrots, swede and turnips are all fine to feed your horse, I (and everyone with horses I have ever meet) feed them (although some horses don't like turnips or swede). I've never met anyone who fed broccoli, it could cause loose droppings & some upset in digestion. I wouldn't say it's actually harmful, but brassicas (green, leafy veg, incl. broccoli) are not recommended. If your horse really likes them, you could give an occasional one as a treat, otherwise I'd cut them out; but keep on with the root veg. especially carrots!