Barn terminal
Can horses eat it?
Foods and plants, checked against veterinary guidance. Press / to search.
If your horse has eaten something toxic, call your vet or a poison line straight away. In the US, ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435. Charges may apply.
Safe: fine as an occasional treat, prepared as described. Careful: fine in a small amount, prepared as described, and not for every pet; the details say when to skip it. Toxic: do not give it; if they ate it, call your vet or a poison line. 65 foods and plants.
| Food or plant | horses |
|---|---|
| Alfalfa Fine for most, careful with easy keepers and kidney issues. | Careful |
| Alsike clover Careful. Liver damage and sun sensitivity with heavy grazing. | Careful |
| Apples Yes, a favorite. Cut into pieces for horses that bolt food. | Safe |
| Avocado No. Fruit, pit, leaves and bark all contain persin. | Toxic |
| Bananas Yes, peel and all. | Safe |
| Beet pulp Yes, soaked. | Safe |
| Black oil sunflower seeds Yes, a small scoop. | Safe |
| Black walnut shavings Never as bedding. Laminitis within hours of standing on it. | Toxic |
| Bracken fern No. Destroys vitamin B1 over weeks. | Toxic |
| Bread Careful. A slice now and then is fine; loaves are not. | Careful |
| Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower A little at most. Gas-forming. | Careful |
| Buttercup Careful. Fresh plants blister the mouth; harmless once dried in hay. | Careful |
| Carrots Yes, the classic treat. Slice lengthwise, never in rounds. | Safe |
| Cattle feed with ionophores (monensin, Rumensin) Never. A single meal of medicated cattle feed can kill a horse. | Toxic |
| Celery Yes, a low-sugar crunch. | Safe |
| Chocolate No. Theobromine affects the heart, and it tests positive in competition horses. | Toxic |
| Cocoa bean mulch No. Theobromine, and it smells like chocolate. | Toxic |
| Coffee and energy drinks No. Stimulant, and a banned substance in competition. | Toxic |
| Corn (whole or cracked) Careful. Energy-dense and a mould risk. | Careful |
| Foxglove Never. Acts on the heart; dried in hay it is still deadly. | Toxic |
| Grain (too much at once) Careful. A broken-into feed bin can mean laminitis or colic. | Careful |
| Grapes and raisins Fine in small amounts for horses (unlike dogs). | Careful |
| Hoary alyssum No. Common in hay in the upper Midwest; swollen legs and fever. | Toxic |
| Horsetail (Equisetum) No. Destroys vitamin B1 like bracken. | Toxic |
| Johnsongrass and sorghum No fresh, careful as hay. Cyanide after frost, drought or trampling; nerve damage with long grazing. | Toxic |
| Lawn clippings No. Fermenting piles cause colic and choke. | Careful |
| Lettuce Yes, in small amounts. | Safe |
| Lily of the valley Never. Heart toxin in every part. | Toxic |
| Locoweed No. Permanent brain damage with repeated grazing. | Toxic |
| Meat No. Horses are herbivores. | Toxic |
| Milk and dairy No. Adult horses cannot digest lactose. | Toxic |
| Milkweed No. Mostly a hay problem; heart and nerve toxins. | Toxic |
| Molasses A little. It is sugar. | Careful |
| Moldy corn (fumonisin) Never. Causes a fatal brain disease. | Toxic |
| Moldy hay and silage No. Botulism, colic and lung disease. | Toxic |
| Nightshade No. Berries and leaves affect the gut and nerves. | Toxic |
| Oak leaves and acorns Careful. Large amounts of acorns or spring buds damage the kidneys and gut. | Toxic |
| Oats Yes, the traditional horse grain, in measured amounts. | Safe |
| Oleander Never. A few leaves can be fatal. | Toxic |
| Onions and garlic Careful. Large or regular amounts damage red blood cells. | Careful |
| Oranges and citrus Yes, peel and all, if the horse likes it. | Safe |
| Peaches, plums and cherries (fruit) Flesh only. Pits choke and the leaves are toxic. | Careful |
| Peanut butter A spoonful at most, and never one with xylitol. | Careful |
| Pears Yes, sliced. | Safe |
| Peppermints and sugar cubes A few. Pure sugar, so count them. | Careful |
| Persimmon seeds No. Seeds and skins form stomach blockages (phytobezoars). | Toxic |
| Pet food (dog or cat kibble) No. Meat-based and sometimes medicated; not for a horse. | Toxic |
| Poison hemlock Never. Looks like wild carrot; kills by paralysis. | Toxic |
| Pumpkin Yes, flesh and seeds. | Safe |
| Ragwort and groundsel (Senecio) Never. Slow liver damage that shows months later. | Toxic |
| Red maple leaves Never. Wilted or fallen red maple leaves destroy red blood cells. | Toxic |
| Rhododendron, azalea and mountain laurel Never. A few leaves cause colic and heart trouble. | Toxic |
| Rhubarb leaves No. Oxalates that damage the kidneys. | Toxic |
| Salt and mineral blocks Yes, free choice; medicated or cattle blocks no. | Careful |
| St. John's wort Careful. Causes sunburn on white skin and pink noses. | Careful |
| Strawberries Yes, a few. | Safe |
| Tall fescue (endophyte-infected) Careful, especially for pregnant mares. | Careful |
| Tansy ragwort Never. The same slow liver poison as other ragworts. | Toxic |
| Tobacco and cigarette butts No. Nicotine is a nerve poison. | Toxic |
| Tomato and potato plants (and green potatoes) No. Nightshade family; the plants and green or sprouting tubers are toxic. | Toxic |
| Water hemlock Never. The most toxic plant in North America. | Toxic |
| Watermelon Yes, rind included. | Safe |
| White snakeroot No. Shaded woodland edges in the eastern US; muscle and heart damage. | Toxic |
| Wild cherry, chokecherry and plum leaves Never when wilted. Cyanide from damaged or fallen leaves. | Toxic |
| Yew (Taxus) Never. A mouthful can stop the heart within hours. | Toxic |