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Giving fruits and vegetables to horses

Giving fruits and vegetables to horses: yes, but for what?

Most often it is for vitamins and other minerals (you can also indulge yourself by wanting to spoil your horse ... but that's another subject ... "human" this time)

  • YES it is in many fruits and vegetables ...
  • AND This makes sense because we know that the vitamin contents drop over time in forages (10% per month for vitamin A), not to mention that some vitamins are sensitive to heat and wilting deteriorates them,
  • BUT… For example let's see the case of carrots - we are going to talk about carotene which is a provitamin A: it's interesting… but the whole point of giving a carrot disappears if the intestinal flora is in poor health because it is in the intestines that it is digested,
  • SO, if we want our horses to benefit from this essential vitamin that is not very bio-available in grasses, it is good to start:
    • by avoiding what damages the intestinal flora,
    • and by supporting it with pre and probiotics

=> natural care is one of the pillars of Paddock Paradise and equine permaculture.

What fruits and vegetables to give to horses?

Jaime Jackson gives a short list:
  • apple and pear peels also (neither whole nor in pieces, and not really for the vitamins but for the antioxidants which are there 3 to 6 times more numerous than in the flesh… not for its pectin fibers because the horses fed on hay do not lack them) ,
  • celery which is rich in minerals and trace elements: potassium sodium, but also phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, selenium ... you can always offer it to your horses by holding a branch ... it smells strong and some will love it, d 'others not at all (even hidden in something else),
  • green beans : it would have an action to regulate the blood sugar level (to be checked because I have not found any sharp veterinary confirmation) ... it may be interesting for our horses,
  • melon peels : some horses love it, it is full of beta carotene and there is not a lot of sugar in the skin,
  • zucchini : for potassium, manganese, copper, and especially phosphorus so useful for the phosphocalcic ratio,
  • chicory : rich in selenium, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6
…. it is up to you to find out what the other fruits and vegetables you choose provide for your horses and whether they fit in a natural diet or not.

How to prepare fruits and vegetables to give them to horses?

When we bring them fruits and vegetables, by hand or in the ration, in the feed trough or on the ground, it is up to us to choose the shape that will suit our horse, in its context ... One of the risks is the esophageal plug (but giving too much sugar is also part of the risks…).
One “urban legend” among others is undoubtedly believing that there is one rule when there is none, or rather that there is only one that is valid for everyone: observe and adapt to each case by accepting that it can change over time and accept that if you choose to give fruits and vegetables there is always a risk (but don't panic either: you just have to take the time to observe the horses to see what is happening and go gradually, in very small amounts).

How much fruit and vegetables to give horses?

If we have made this choice, then it is important that very little remains: the equivalent of 3 coffee cups according to Jaime Jackson's model.
We can also look for other sources of vitamin and mineral intake and check if the horses have them available to them….

What do our horses find in nature?

  • blackberries for magnesium,
  • nettle: for provitamin A and B1, C, D and K1, for copper too, and fibers, proteins ...
  • plantain: for vitamin B2,
  • dandelion: for proA, C, PP and B2,
  • and many others…
…. let the wild flora proliferate at the foot of the hedges, control what grows to limit the exposure of horses to toxic plants (a fence can easily be moved to preserve both horses and biodiversity), harvest them, dry them, gently, Sheltered from the sun in a ventilated room, let them increase the biodiversity of your pastures so that they are healthier for the horses quickly.
 
Come and talk about it with the other members of the Equine permaculture group here

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