You probably know that horses enjoy fruits. If you have a horse yourself then you have no doubt enjoyed watching it chomp through an apple in just a few bites. But what about other fruits? Can horses eat bananas? That’s what we are here to find out.
Can Horses Eat Bananas?
Banners are a fruit that will polarize your pets. If you put a banana in front of a cat it will either eye it suspicious or try to sniff it, thinking it’s something edible. But in either case it will likely ignore it. If you give banana chips to a rabbit then it will enjoy every last morsel.
But it is horses that we are here to discuss, so can horses eat bananas? Well, you may be happy to know (especially if you are here because your horse has stolen itself a banana) that the answer is yes. It’s fruit, so it’s sugar and they should not eat too many bananas. But they can certainly enjoy an occasional one as a treat and there is no harm done if you find that they have stolen one for themselves.
Just make sure you peel it first, because while the peel isn’t likely to do them any harm, it’s not very nice either. They have tastebuds, they like soft and sweet fruit, so do your equine friend a favor and peel that banana before you give it to them.
How Many Bananas to Give a Horse
We have established that there is nothing toxic in bananas that will hurt or kill your horse when eaten, but how many are safe for them to eat? Well, because it’s fruit, you should avoid giving them too many. They are herbivores, but that doesn’t mean that they can afford to pig out on fruit all day, every day.
Their bodies aren’t made to process vast amounts of fruit. They need grass, hay, oats and fresh water. They also need vitamin and minerals of course and fruit can provide this, but they get most of what they need from grass and hay and they get the additional nutrients from mineral blocks.
In other words, bananas, as well as fruits like apples, are there as a treat, not as a necessity. As such, they should be given like treats, which is to say one every now and then, as opposed to handfuls every day. Too much at once will likely cause digestive upset, so make sure you keep the amount low and don’t go overboard, even though your horse will likely give you a look that screams, “More!”
Can Horses Eat Banana Chips?
These are a big no-no. Banana chips are not even very good for humans, because a lot of the nutrients are lost in the drying process and they also tend to be sprayed with oils and/or sugars, which makes them more moorish, but it also turns them from potentially tasty and healthy treats, into unhealthy confectionary.
A single banana can make a handful of these treats, but the sugar quantity in that handful is equal to several bananas and the nutrients are just not there either. So, while bananas are okay for horses, banana chips are not.