Do Horses Like Carrots?
That would be an understatement. Apples, sugar cubes, and carrots are the holy trinity of treats that you can feed a horse. Carrots are a delicious and healthy snack for horses, not to mention ridiculously cheap and easy to store.
Feeding the carrot to him raw is traditionally the best option and required the least amount of effort. But, if you have a horse at home then you’ll definitely know that you cannot feed him an entire carrot as is, without first doing a little prep. If you don’t know how to cut carrots for horses, fret not.
How to Cut Carrots for Horses
You cannot feed your horse an entire carrot. In his excitement to get to his treat, your horse might end up inhaling the entire carrot, instead of chewing and swallowing it. It might end up getting lodged in his food tract and your horse will choke, and suffocate. I’m not sure giving your horse the Heimlich is the best way to go.
So, what do you do? You cut the carrots into bite-sized bits.
Slice a carrot or two along its length, into bite-sized fingers. Make sure the carrots fingers aren’t too wide, as well as even small chunky bits can get stuck in your horses’ throat.
It would be prudent to wash and clean the carrots before cutting them. The vegetable has passed through many hands and rinsing it under a running tap will help remove dirt, germs and even preservatives, pesticides or chemicals.
Are Carrot Tops Safe to Feed a Horse?
Carrot leaves, or tops, are neither toxic nor are they poisonous to humans or horses. So you can feed the top leafy part of the carrot, as long as you carefully rinse it.
You’ve cut your carrots, so now how do you feed them?
How to Feed Carrots to a Horse
Always place the carrot piece on the flat surface of your palm and hold it up.
Make sure your fingertips aren’t rolled up, but instead arch your palm backward from your wrist, with your fingertips bent toward the ground. You do not want your horse to mistake your fingers as one of the bite-sized carrot fingers.
Allow your horse to bend his neck, and reach for the treat, rather than sidling up to him when you’re feeding him. Lay only one piece of carrot at a time. These are small ways to make sure he doesn’t get too excited and gobble the carrots—and your fingers— in his excitement.
Other Ways to Prepare and Feed Carrots to Your Horse
Apart from cutting the carrots into bite-sized pieces, you can also make treats for him at home, with carrots as well as other healthy veggies and fruit.
- Mix a cup of uncooked oatmeal along with a cup of shredded carrots, zucchini, and any other veggies you find appropriate.
- Stir in a cup of flour, some salt, sugar, two tablespoons of corn oil, a quarter cup of molasses, and a quarter cup of water.
- Form a soft, lumpy dough and roll it into small balls.
- Place the balls on a greased cookie sheet and press down a little, before baking them in the oven for over 15 to 20 minutes.
You now have a tasty carrot cookie treat for your horse.
Nutritional Value of Carrots
While carrots are a great snack, keep in mind that too much is not good for your horse’s digestion.
Carrots are a rich source of Vitamin A. They also have a high water content of 90%. An idle horse requires 15,000 IU of Vitamin A. So it would take eight carrots to meet the daily requirement of Vitamin A that a horse needs. BUT, that doesn’t mean you give him that much carrots.
Usually, the horse meal you usually feed your horse every day contains a good dose of all the required vitamins your horse will need. So anything you feed him beyond his daily meal, should rightfully just be a ‘treat,’ infrequent but well-deserved.