Can horse eat apples
In this article we will explain to you in details if can horse eat apples or not !
Is the apple a dangerous fruit for the horse ?
Feeding an apple to your horse can present a risk of esophageal obstruction, if the apple is given whole and if the horse is greedy. As a precaution, it is best to cut it into quarters.
Read : Can horse eat grapes ?
One can also wonder if apple seeds are dangerous for the horse, because they contain amygdalin which, during digestion, turns into hydrogen cyanide.
However, this substance can be fatal in high doses ... but fortunately, it takes a lot!
For humans, it is estimated that the lethal amount is 1.5 mg / per kg of person. Thus, a 70 kg person would have to ingest 105 mg of hydrogen cyanide to die of it, or more than 500 g of seeds.
So your horse would have to eat several hundred apples in one take for the treat to pose a risk to his life.
The biggest danger that an apple can represent for the health of the horse is the esophageal obstruction: the fruit, swallowed whole, would then remain stuck in the esophagus. The risk of hydrogen cyanide poisoning is almost nonexistent given the large doses that would have to be ingested to get sick.
What does not have to eat at a horse!
After a good working session, or simply because his bouille makes us crack, a horse deserves ample to receive treats! However, we must pay attention to what to do to eat because if we think it pleases with it, we can also give it poison without knowing it. We do not realize enough but the horses, despite their imposing body are, however, fragile animals. So, so that you can reward your loulou without having any surprises later, you have been prepared for a list of foods that should not be given. Get ready to change some habits after reading the following ... the list of dangerous foods for the horse !! Dairy products
Why do not give dairy products to your horse ?
Because horses are lactose intolerant. Then certainly they drink the milk of their mother when they are foals but once adult, the milk gives them diarrhea ... The chocolate give in large quantities, the chocolate is toxic for the horse! Giving at a small dose, it can bring out a positive horse to an anti-doping test. All that is because of theobromine, a bitter compound found in cocoa. The lawyer even given in small quantities, the lawyer is strictly toxic for the horse. It can cause heart rate disorders and breathing, colic and even death ... do not test! Tomato The tomato contains atropine, a compound that is used in "human" medicine to treat heart disorders among others. If this compound turns out to be good for the human it is not at all for the horse because it can cause colic crises, heart problems and digestion. Cruciferous vegetables are among the cruciferous vegetables cabbages, cabbages, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. They are harmful for horses because they cause gases ... garlic is used to giving garlic to horses during the summer to keep mosquitoes away. Given in small dose, garlic is not bad for the horse. On the other hand, give in large quantities it can cause anemia (a deficiency of red blood cell in the blood). So garlic is to give in moderation! The potato we already have at least eating once McDo to the stables ... and we all have at least once made a fried on his horse ... Well it was a bad idea because you can imagine now, the potato is not good for horses (and Indeed, it can cause choking.
stop immediately to give bread to your horse! Wheat is bad for horses. It can cause mineral imbalance, disorders and blockages of digestion, bowel problems and diarrhea. You will tell us that the hard bread has never hurt your horse and yet, we strongly advise you to stop giving in summary, of course that still some small pleasures you can give to your horse like apples, carrots, fruits and vegetables that Everything is not to give all this in too much quantity so as not to create imbalances in its diet.
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE NUTRITIONAL NEEDS OF THE HORSE
The horse is a herbivore which, in its natural state, spends most of its time grazing. Like all animals, the horse needs a diversified, balanced diet, adapted to its activity, its age and its size. The daily ration must cover the needs necessary for maintenance and work. In addition, regardless of any nutritional value, the ration must have a sufficient volume for the intestinal transit to take place in good conditions. This volume is provided largely by hay, straw or grass.
WHY IT MATTERS
Unlike cattle, the horse does not ruminate. Her stomach is relatively small and fragile. The horse cannot vomit either, some muscles located at the entrance to its stomach preventing it from doing so. It is therefore necessary to divide the daily ration of the domesticated horse into 3, 4 or 5 meals.
WHAT THERE IS TO KNOW
Choose a varied diet
Your horse eats both grass (if he is lucky enough to have a meadow), fodder (hay, straw, etc.), concentrated feed (cereal grains in the state or processed feed containing cereals, cakes, co-products, minerals, vitamins, etc.) and certain fruits and vegetables of which he is often very fond (apples, carrots, etc.)
Put your horse in the meadow, but not just any old way
When he is in the meadow, your horse eats a lot of grass: we know that he can swallow up to 100 kg per day. However, calculating the amount absorbed is of little use: what matters above all is the general condition of the grass. It only needs to be of medium quality to contain everything necessary for the development of the horse. However, you must be very vigilant about the maintenance of a meadow in which there are horses. Nomads at heart, they are used to being very selective in the choice of grass. After a while, they will have eaten part of the grass up to the roots and left another part untouched. The area actually usable will quickly be halved. For the long-term management of a pasture, it is essential to divide it into plots. When possible, it is also strongly advised to put cows in the meadows. Having two species on the same land will enrich it and prevent its degeneration.
Never neglect forage
Always take care to give enough fodder (grass, hay, straw) to your horse… During the winter, the grass does not grow any more, but fortunately the surplus of the grass resulting from the spring push can be preserved and stored under hay shape. When stored in a dry place, it can be kept for several years. Good hay is not dusty and smells good. Please note: the wilt that is found in large wrapped bales is not hay… It has all the substances present in the hay but there are no more vitamins, following acidification, a guarantee of conservation. You can also supplement its diet with supplementation, especially for growing horses with food supplements , which support their bone metabolism.
Let him take his time
You must give your horse time to eat, to chew well. The basis of the ration should consist of coarse foods rich in cellulose and poor in directly assimilable energy (grass, hay, straw). The horse is thus obliged to chew for a long time and to impregnate the food bowl well with saliva. It takes him about 45 minutes to eat a kilo of hay and 20 minutes for a kilo of grain.
Know some tips
Remember not to feed your horse directly on the sand or on the ground in order to avoid "sand colic". If he is a little "gluttonous", put pieces of salt stone in the feeder to curb his appetite. And, in order not to disturb the start of its digestion, avoid making it work within the hour following the distribution of food.Gnaw him
We tend to forget it, but the horse is also a "rodent". It especially loves to gnaw wood and branches at certain times of the year, especially in the fall. Previously, the meadows were always lined with hedges and animals could therefore easily supplement their ration by eating in the hedges. It is very interesting to give branches and tree sizes to horses who love them. Be careful, because not all trees are suitable. Everything that is exotic, ornamental and coniferous must be outlawed. Hazelnuts, willows, hawthorns, ash trees, fruit trees are not a problem. Also, don't forget plants like nettles and smuts which, when mown and a little dried, are very popular foods.
GOOD TO KNOW
Pay attention to your horse's teeth , especially his molars, which act as a real rasp. If there is an obstacle to friction, there may be a very significant decrease in the digestibility of food. The quality of chewing is very easy to demonstrate by examining the droppings. If the grains go back undigested, the horse is not chewing well.The rewards that you can or cannot give to your horse
Now you know can horse eat apples, apple are the great "classics" of the reward because they are practical and inexpensive. However, here is a non-exhaustive list of what you can give your horses and a list of foods to avoid. Soon in the junior section, recipe ideas to make for your horses (in moderation).
REWARDS FOR HORSES
You can give your horse or pony AND in moderation : fresh fruit (apples, pears, bananas), carrot or celery stick, popcorn (plain or slightly sweet), cornflakes or muesli (plain), juice apple, still water (possibly with a little syrup added), rusks and dry bread (in small quantities), nuts (plain, shelled and in small quantities), aperitif mix with unsalted dried fruit, banana, watermelon , grapefruit, pear, figs. And of course the horse sweets found in stores.
Precautions: apples and other slightly sour fruits should be given sparingly. They can cause stomach pain in some sensitive horses. Ditto for sweet products: sugar, honey, cereal bars ... Horses are not made to eat so sweet.
REWARDS / FRUITS / VEGETABLES TO AVOID FOR HORSES
Avoid giving your horse: sweets, chocolate, soda, dairy products, cakes / pastries, spread, peach, cherries, apricots, tomatoes, avocados, onions, potatoes, rhubarb, cabbage, melon, sour fruits (lemon , orange, ..). In small quantities it is not very serious (no need to call the veterinarian if there is no sign of illness), but in larger quantities certain ingredients can cause stomach symptoms, diarrhea, colic, liver problems or myositis, see many other concerns for your horses.
Feeding the horse is complex but very important for its well-being. It varies according to the activity of the horse, its weight, its age, its sex and its health. Ensuring the equine diet involves paying attention to signs that may indicate a problem encountered by our friend, this problem which could go from the mouth to the digestive system. Are you going to become a horse owner ? Or would you like to know more about this topic? This article should enlighten you on a few essential points.
Take care of the horse's diet
The horse's diet must be able to meet its daily needs and provide it with the necessary energy for its daily life. This is why it is important that it is composed of proteins, minerals, trace elements and finally vitamins.
The amount of feed to give your horse is calculated in "dry matter". This designates the total quantity of food to be given, subtracting the part of water they contain. A horse should ingest 1 to 1.2 kg of “dry matter” per 100 kg per day. Refer to some tables like the one below to find out the amount of water in each of the foods you want to feed your horse.
Quantities of dry matter to be calculated
For example, a common 500 kg saddle horse will need to eat between 5 and 6 kg of dry matter. If this horse is fed only with ventilated hay, which contains 85% dry matter, it should receive between 5.9 and 7 kg.
In general, the diet depends on the exercise of the horse. For example, a full mareshould have a diet that will cover their needs, but which can also ensure gestation and future breastfeeding. A modification of the rations should appear from the seventh month of gestation. Its needs, higher than the average, will decrease throughout the growth of the foal who will have learned to feed himself. Indeed, he will begin to mix both breast milk and pasture grass at the age of three or four months to finalize his weaning, the age at which his first teeth will grow and allow him to graze on his own.
Here is a table explaining the energy needs of the mother according to the age of her foal :
Nursing mares have more complex needs
As a general rule, you will need to give three rations per day at regular times. Add the hay 30 minutes before the pellets for better digestion. Be careful to always keep your rations in a dry place, away from rain and humidity, to prevent them from rotting and making your horse sick.
If you have to change the type or composition of your horse's ration, consider doing it gradually and not overnight, so that his digestive system has time to get used to it.
Do not hesitate to ask your veterinarian for advice on making the ideal ration that will provide your equine with everything it needs.
Energy and protein contributions in the horse's diet
First of all, know that the quantity may vary depending on the weight of your equine, but not only! Other factors, such as age, gender or activity must be taken into account to form a complete food ration. The horse's energy needs, which condition the ration to be supplied to it, are expressed in Horse Forage Units (CFU). Thus, a 500 kg equine will need around 4.2 CFU for a good energy intake, always taking into account its activity, which can increase its need for CFU. Note that a CFU is equal to 1 kg of barley which represents approximately 2250 calories. Care must be taken to distribute the rations throughout the day, to ensure that the horse receives at least 3 each day and at the same times.
It will also be necessary to ensure its protein intake, calculated in Digestible Nitrogen Matter in Horses (MADC), that is to say that it will be necessary to provide 70 g of hay per CFU, which is equivalent to approximately 300 g for the 500 kg horse taken as an example above.
Here is a diagram of the proportions of fodder to give to your equine according to its activity:
The amount of hay to give your horse
Vitamin and mineral contributions in the horse's diet
Did you know that horses are able to synthesize only two of the six vitamins they need? Yes, only vitamins B and D are synthesized by our friends with four hooves, so you will have to make sure to provide them with the other four for their well-being !
The horse needs, in addition to the vitamins mentioned above, vitamins A which can be found in carrots as well as vitamins C, E and K, which you can find in food supplements marketed on the market.
In addition to these essential vitamins for the well-being of your equine, you will have to make sure to provide it with minerals. This list is long, but here are the most important which are called macro-elements :
-calcium
-phosphorus
-sodium
-potassium
-magnesium
Fodder and salt stones will be enough to bring him these minerals. However, if he is doing more intensive work, you will need to give him food supplements.
Do not forget that the feed given to your horse must be spotlessly clean and of good quality or this could cause poisoning and infection problems which would be very regrettable for your equine. Finally, your horse drinks between 20 and 40 liters of water per day, so make sure it is available and clean at all times! One last tip: add a few sprigs of grass to his bucket to prevent your horse from drinking too quickly, which could be dangerous.
Noticing poor horse nutrition
Good horse nutrition starts with good oral hygiene
The horse's mouth should be monitored regularly. As his teeth grow continuously, you will need to be careful about it to avoid over-teeth, that is, insufficient wear of the teeth that makes them sharp and could injure him from the inside.
Visits to the dentist are to be made before the horse is broken in, then every year. They are essential for his well-being, so you should not deviate from them.
If you notice your horse chewing very slowly, examine its mouth: there may be a wound on the inside, on the cheeks or even on the tongue.
Also watch the build of your horse as well as its manure. A too thin horse and the presence of cereals in its excrement will inform you of a digestive or chewing problem. Be sure to add roughage to each meal, along with the pellet rations to avoid chewing problems.
oral hygiene in horses
Some signs showing poor horse feeding
A bad diet can have very serious repercussions on the horse, so you will have to be careful that his rations are neither too rich nor too poor.
If you do not provide all the necessary nutrients for your equine, it will suffer from deficiencies, which can cause leanness and great fatigue. A young horse may be the victim of a growth problem, an old horse would risk necrosis ...
On the contrary, if his diet is too rich, he may suffer from laminitis, that is to say inflammation of the hooves, or colic, which corresponds to a sharp abdominal pain. These two diseases are most often caused by excessive consumption of pellets, fodder, fruit or grass. If your horse stays in the meadow and the grass is too rich, you will need to leave it in the stall for several hours a day to prevent it from eating too much and having colic.To prevent this, it is also worth better if your horse does not exercise too much after a meal.
If your horse's feed is of poor quality, he may also be suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, more commonly known as sprouting. This is an infection caused by a fungus that contaminates the food if it is dirty or rotten. You will then notice your horse hissing and coughing. The intervention of the veterinarian will therefore be necessary!
Foods tolerated and prohibited in the horse's diet
You will be tempted to give your horse all kinds of treats he loves to please him, but know that they must be exceptional.
This is because some fruits, such as apples and carrots, can be acidic enough to cause heartburn. In general, you should not exceed 5 kg of fruits and vegetables per day. But if you give them in moderation, they can be beneficial and provide many vitamins. They will also help regulate appetite and facilitate transit.
Among these authorized fruits and vegetables, you find: carrots and beets, which can be used as natural laxatives, potatoes that you will have to cook beforehand and which can allow a horse to be quickly fattened, and finally green vegetables as well. only apples, which should not be rotten, dirty and cut into pieces for better ingestion.
Foods to give your horse in small amounts
Finally, certain foods should be categorically excluded on pain of poisoning your equine. These poisonings can lead to death, so be sure to watch the plants in your horse's pen. Colchicum, anemones, foxgloves, ferns, laurels… These wild plants are deadly. There are many others that are just as dangerous, you can find a list of poisonous plants for horses here . Wild horses know them instinctively, but our domestic equines may not identify them and ingest them…
Remember that even wheat and oats, commonly used in food rations, can be dangerous if over-eaten. and thus cause colic or bone decalcification.
If your horse accidentally ingests poisonous plants, contact your veterinarian quickly. Also note that some poisons can be used, such as coffee, sugar, sodium sulfate, tannin and alcohol. But wait for the advice of a veterinarian before trying anything and to know the quantities of anti-poison to give!
The horse's diet
We answer the question : can horse eat apples and now let talk about horse's diet
The horses of animals herbivores, meaning that their diet depends only on plants, and consists of the digestive system horses have one stomach small size can not absorb large amounts of food at once, making the horse pays for grazing for long periods throughout the day to compensate, and it is worth mentioning It must be taken into account that the pastures where the horse spends his time is abundant with good quality herbs, to ensure that he gets all the necessary nutrients he needs. In addition to herbs, the horse's diet includes many foods, including: Hay: Take into account the choice of hay with a light green color, free from dust, mold and harmful weeds, and it is worth noting that most of the nutrients in hay are concentrated in its leaves. Concentrates: ( Concentrates), are small grains, such as: corn, oats, and barley, and the concentrates contain a small amount of fiber, but they provide the body with great energy, and it must be taken into account that the grains provided to horses are clean, free from insects and mold, and of good quality. Light in color, they can also be lightly ground or steamed before serving them.
Nutritional supplements
Nutritional supplements can be added to horse food if the horse is deficient in protein, vitamins, or minerals, and the seeds of soybeans, turnip, sunflower, cotton, flax, and peanuts are protein supplements, while vitamin and mineral supplements It includes calcium, phosphorous, and salt.
Vegetables: Some vegetables can be offered to your horse in limited quantities, such as carrots. Water: The amount of water a horse needs daily depends on the temperature, humidity, and activity level, and a healthy horse needs between 19-57 liters of clean water per day, and it is worth noting that horses that do not drink enough water are more likely to suffer from dehydration and colic. Nutritional elements in horse food and their importance Horse food should contain five essential nutrients: Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates exist in two forms, either fibers, or sugar and starches, and fibers are found in abundance in coarse feeds such as grass and hay, which are the basic food for horses, and thanks to the composition of the horse's digestive system and the containment of its large intestine on micro-organisms into energy, sugars and starches are mainly found in Grains such as oats, corn, and barley provide the body with more energy than that provided by fiber, and are used to supplement a diet based primarily on feeds, and to meet nutritional requirements that cannot be met with feed alone. Protein: Horses need protein, because it helps the growth and maintenance of their body, and fodder and hay are rich sources in it, and the horse’s body converts protein after its digestion into amino acids that are used to form the necessary proteins to build muscles, hair, and hooves of the horse. It is worth noting that proteins are a source.
Energy is the most difficult for the horse to digest and convert into usable energy for the horse. Therefore, care must be taken to provide the horse with food that contains high-quality protein without increasing the amount of protein itself, but rather to be satisfied with the amount that the horse needs only, because the excess protein will be broken down in the body and turn into excess ammonia, This may lead to problems with the horse's respiratory system.
Fats: Fats for the horse are an excellent source of energy, and they are easily digestible. Fats can be added to the horse's diet through commercial feeds that contain oils, or by adding oils and fat supplements to natural feeds, taking into account that the food provided to horses is balanced and meets Different needs, not just an energy source.
Vitamins: Horses need vitamins so that their body can perform vital functions, and vitamin deficiency leads to many health problems, and it is worth noting that horses can form some types of vitamins in their bodies, such as: vitamin C, B, and K, so there is no need to supply them from external sources, As for the rest of the vitamins, they can be obtained from green fodder or nutritional supplements that contain vitamins, and the vitamins are divided into two types, namely: water-soluble vitamins such as vitamins B and C, and fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K , As the surplus of the first type is excreted out of the horse's body with urine, while the surplus of the second type is stored in its fatty tissue, which may lead to poisoning, and therefore it is not recommended to increase the amount of vitamins beyond the required limit.
Minerals: They are inorganic materials that horses need in specific quantities to maintain body structure, fluid balance in cells, muscle contraction, and other functions. Examples of minerals necessary for horses are calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium and sulfur, as they contain Fresh fodder contains most of these necessary minerals, with the exception of salt, which must be supplied to horses constantly, and nutritional supplements can be added to the food of horses to provide them with their needs of minerals, and the amount of minerals that the horses need depends on the age of the horse, the amount of effort that he exerts, and the condition of the mare if she is pregnant or nursing . Varieties of harmful foods for horses The following shows the most important foods that must be avoided from feeding horses, because they may cause harm to them:
Some garden plants: Some garden plants are poisonous, and examples of them are: lily of the valley and rhubarb.
Meat: The horse is distinguished by its teeth and a digestive system specialized in eating and digesting plants, and although it can eat meat, it is advised not to allow it to do so because there is insufficient information about its long-term effects on it, and for more information about horse teeth, you can read the article How The number of teeth of a horse.
Bran: it contains little nutritional value, and eating it increases the percentage of fiber that makes up the horse's diet, which may affect the intestinal microbial flora. Cattle feed: is very toxic to horses, because it is loaded with some drugs that harm horses. Varieties that can be fed to your horse in small quantities What follows shows some of the foods that can be offered to horses in small quantities, because too much of them may be harmful to them: Fruits such as apples, because their abundance causes colic for horses, and therefore, you should not provide more than one or two grains of fruit to the horse per day. Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cabbage, broccoli, and others, which may cause bloating.
Swedish alfalfa (Alsike Clover), because too much causes mouth ulcers, cramps, diarrhea, and an enlarged liver.
Summary :
So now you know if can horse eat apples, and others the diet for you horse in details, leave a comment if you need anything about pets and horses.
