Can Horses Eat Oranges

Citrus fruits are important due to their high vitamin C content and they are also quite delicious but can horses eat oranges? They are high in acidity and some animals have problems with fruits like this because of that fact but are horses also on that list? Let us find out together!

The orange is an amazing fruit since they are great as a juice, they are sweet and they have many nutrients. The peel is useful too due to the essential oils it contains but all of this is only true for humans, so how about horses? Many horses enjoy sweet fruits and thus this can prove to be a good choice for the occasional snack.

Nutritional Value and Benefits

Aside from the vitamin C there are many other benefits that horses gain from oranges. They contain flavonoids which are antioxidants and they also have some compounds that inhibit the development of tumors as well as reduce inflammation.

There is research made that suggests that the oils contained in the peels can help a horse recover faster after exercising so they might be a good option as treats for a horse that does a lot of effort. 30 grams a day of orange peel can reduce the interferon gamma at fatigue and this is also helpful for their immunity since the orange peel helps with the cardiovascular recovery.

Other research noted the substance known as hesperidin which is found in oranges and this seems to improve brain function and circulation. These studies have shown that orange is beneficial for your horse but there aren’t very many at the moment so don’t start changing their diet to oranges only.

Possible Problems

Citrus fruits have a lot of sugar and this can be a problem for horses who have insulin resistance or other metabolic problems that require you to limit the sugar given to them so in that case any fruit should only be given if the veterinarian agrees.

One other thing we should mention is that offering too much of this fruit can impact the digestive system and raise the acidity of the stomach and you might end up with a horse who has diarrhea. This applies to most fruits and this is why they should just be treats, not the main course.

Feeding Oranges to Horses

If your horse is health and, isn’t on any medication at the moment then oranges can prove a great treat from time to time but remember that this isn’t the best choice of food for them. The high acidity can cause digestive problems and thus you should keep them at up to one or two per week, or even less.

You don’t need to peel the orange before offering it as a snack and the seeds are also fine since their body weight is so high and they won’t be harmed in any way by the small quantities of dangerous elements. That being said, remember that if you give a horse a whole orange there is a risk of choking so it’s better to slice one in half for easy consumption.

Short Answer:

Oranges aren’t harmful for horses in small quantities and can even boost their immunity so they are excellent treats but offer them with moderation to avoid problems.