Horses love treats, they even crave to have an evening snack. Offering your horse a nice mix of different treats every once in a while will make them extremely happy. Horses love fruit and veggies like pear, strawberries, melon, lettuce, carrots, and others but do they like blueberries? Are blueberries safe for the horses?
As a horse owner, we get why you want to treat them with delicious food items for every little thing they do. However, being the smart one, you have to be cautious of what your horse is eating or being offered to eat. Horses can not eat everything humans can. Some treats will bring trouble and you’d be gambling on the horse’s health.
In an effort to make your horse happy and love you more, you may treat them with unhealthy, junk food that will cause more harm than good. Therefore, a little research beforehand does not hurt and you would not be spoiling the horse with such treats. We hope you do not brush this advice under the rug and search a little before introducing new treats to the horse.
Now, coming back to the matter discussed, can horses eat blueberries? Here is a detailed answer to this question.
Can Horses Eat Blueberries?
Yes, horses eat blueberries Not only do horses love blueberries but this delicious fruit is also safe for them to consume. You do not have to worry about any adverse effects as it is safer for horses to eat.
Blueberries come under the so-called “superfood” list for humans because of their extremely rich nutrients profile. However, most people are confused about the nutritional value of blueberries in regards to horses.
Do not worry as nothing can go wrong if you incorporate it into their diet as an occasional treat if you follow the protocols. In short, the answer is resounding ‘yes’, as long as you do not go overboard, horses are allowed to eat this healthy treat from time to time.
Are Blueberries Poisonous to Horses?
No, unless you overfeed it, replace it with their original diet, or offer them rotten berries, your horse is safe if you do not do any of the above-mentioned things. Many of us often suspect the sweet tang of juicy goodness but that just how it tastes.
It is a healthy snack delivering many essential nutrients to keep up with the nutrients supply a horse needs.
Being a great source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and more, this tasty treat is not given to the horses but dogs as well.
In any scenario it can be dangerous is when you feed the horse rotten blueberries in large amounts or try to replace it with their diet. If you do not go overboard, the horse would be fine.
How To Feed Blueberries to Horses?
Feeding treats the right way is an important part that should not be neglected. Certain protocols should be followed when offering treats. For instance, fruit with pits or seeds has to be fed a certain way. By removing pits and seeds is the way to go. Large fruits should be cut into pieces to avoid choking hazards.
Ripened blueberries should be fed to the horses. It’s not that you have to force a horse into eating blueberries, though feed them in a few innovative ways to enhance the flavor.
Horses consume berries without a tantrum, may overeat it, that’s why you should know about the ways and proportion before introducing new treats.
Be it berries or any other treat, the key to feeding right is knowing how much to feed and when to stop. Here are some of the ways in which you can feed them this tasty treat.
- Cut them in half, peel off the pit, remove the stem, and feed them. Horses will love the natural flavor and texture even more.
- Horses love seeds as well, try mixing berries with different seeds like chia and oats, etc.
- Pamper them with blueberry biscuits, horses happen to love and enjoy this treat very much. Blueberry biscuits can be bought from the local store.
- Prepare a nice mix of other horse’s favorite fruit like apples, bananas, and others with blueberries. Cut each fruit into small pieces and present them to the horses, they would surely ask for more.
- Blueberries are only available during a certain season but horses can crave berries all year long. What to do in this situation? Well, frozen berries are the last resort. You may not know this but horses do love frozen treats.
Feeding treats should not have to be boring. Just throwing a food item in front of horses means you do not want to put in much effort. Be a little creative, play with other treat items as well, make a delicious recipe with delightful taste, texture, and flavor.
Learn More about Can Horses Eat Strawberries?
Nutritional Value Of Blueberries
If you are still skeptical of feeding blueberries to horses, maybe the nutritional content of this fruit will convince you. Try seeing the bigger picture and how this treat will help horses in the long run.
If you have decided to dive a little deeper into the nutritional value of blueberries, we will help you with your quest. To be more clear, there are many prominent vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants associated with blueberries.
According to a recent study, Blueberries are rich in vitamins A, B, B1, B2, and vitamin C. To keep up with the horse’s mineral quotient, blueberries provide manganese, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in sufficient amounts. Another thing worth mentioning is the presence of antioxidants called flavonoids which contribute a great deal to the horse’s health.
Health Benefits for horses
It is hard not to guess the health benefits of this healthy snack after knowing its nutritional value. There are multiple health benefits involved in feeding berries, no surprises there, given the nutrients portfolio.
Here is a look at some of the important health benefits this fruit delivers;
Digestive System
Eating blueberries leaves a positive impact on a horse’s health, especially the digestive system. Blueberries should be given to horses struggling with indigestion or diarrhea. This natural remedy should be added to the diet to help horses digest food and bring the horse’s intestinal flora in balance again.
Anti-Inflammatory Functions
Blueberries are renowned for having anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps horses cure and prevents certain bowel infections and other inflammations from arising.
Immune System
The nutritional content of blueberries provides a much-needed boost to the horse’s immune system. Credit goes to the presence of natural antioxidants, the high number of flavonoids. These natural antioxidants make horses stronger and healthier by protecting against all kinds of pathogens and infections. It also has a positive effect on a horse’s connective tissues which strengthens its ability to fight pathogens.
Vision
Blueberries play a significant role in improving eyesight and vision. Blueberries protect the equine’s eyes by functioning as an antioxidant for the horse’s retina. This healthy snack does not just help in improving blood circulation around the horse’s eyes but also aids in treating different eye conditions and problems.
Other Treats for horses
Horses can feed on pineapple , potatoes, tomatoes, celery and cabbage.
Final Verdict
If none of the above-mentioned health benefits convinced you into feeding blueberries, we do not know what will. In simple words, it is a perfect snack for a horse with great nutritional value. As long as you feed it as a snack or occasional treat, nothing will go wrong.
