What common human foods are bad for horses?

Question

I have heard that chocolate is not good for horses, but I was never sure. Are there any other human foods you should watch out for when it comes to horses? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Well obviously, since horses are herbivores, then they cannot tolerate meat or meat products, dairy or dairy products ( horses lose the ability to digest milk or milk protein shortly after they are weaned from their mothers as foals) as well as many types of vegetables and fruits. Most people I know only feed their horses an occasional apple or carrot, or sometimes, a piece of bread ( I have done this with my horses from time to time, and it's harmless) or something like a pear when they are in season and ripe. Otherwise, horses should be fed horse feed, or feed containing all the components of horse feed, and hay or another type of roughage.

Horses which get too many hand fed treats can become very spoiled and demanding- and this can quickly lead to biting, which is very dangerous. That's why most places have rules prohibiting horses from being fed large amounts of treats by hand. It's not good for them, and it can cause major problems.

Answer 2

I feed apples, carrots, bananas, pears (sometimes) and watermelon - all in moderation.  We live in a walnut orchard and the horses love the leaves from the English walnuts. Black walnuts are toxic to horses and even shavings can cause them to founder.

Answer 3

Most foods that are we eat arn't suitable for horses. Horses would naturally eat really rough forage so horses definitely wouldn't eat chocolate. :)   Em ***

Answer 4

Other than an occasional apple or carrot, horses should not be given any type of human food.

Answer 5

Green apples due to there acid levels.

Answer 6

Many things, probably to many to name. A shorter list would be you can feed horses carrots, apples (red's better), and many love watermelon.

Answer 7

buck wheat - toxic

Answer 8

horses have a really sensitive digestive system and it's not a good idea to feed them any human food in general. peanuts and other nuts and acorns are BAD (peanut butter is ok but whole peanuts are not. acorns are poison). walnuts are also poison. onions are also BAD news (not that i know many horses that would eat onions). green apples are ok in small quantities. garlic is also bad for pets. fruit pits (like peachs, plums, and yes apple seeds) can cause cyanide poisoning in large amounts. potatoes are not good for horses, tomatoes, raisins and grapes, broccoli, avocado, mushrooms, and anything with caffeine are bad too

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/protec...

http://www.thehorse.com/viewarticle.aspx...

Answer 9

Most "people food" is actually bad for people with all the junk that gets put in it.

Stick to feeding your horse horse food.

There is something in chocolate that tests positive on a drugs test. Don't know what it is though.

Answer 10

No human food is good for horses.  However a little here and there for a treat now and then will not hurt.  Just don't get into the habit of giving them treats all the time.

Answer 11

Human food is for humans, horse feed is made for horses.  Other then carrots, I NEVER give my horses anything that hasnt been approved for horses.  That goes for home made treats, fly spray, wound care e.t.c.  These horse product companines dont spends tons of money every year with the e.p.a. and ag. dept for nothing!