Can Horses Eat Pears?

Gone are the days when the livestock keepers and pet owners used to bring the same old food for their animals and pets.

The trend of feeding and spoiling animals like horses, cattle, pigs, and goats, etc has taken every livestock keeper and pet owner under the spell.

I often found myself looking for ways to please my horse even though I consider myself an overprotective horse owner.

We have debated several healthier ways to please our horse earlier, keeping the tradition alive, we will discuss whether the horse can eat pears or not?

Pear is a rewarding fruit that is consumed fresh, canned, and dried. It contains a lot of nutrients that both humans and animals need to live a healthy life.

Winter is almost gone, so before the pear season hits, you must know whether you can or can not take advantage of it.

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Yes, horses can eat pears but the same way as they are eating the other fruits and veggies, in moderation! Pears can be healthy if they are fed once or twice a week.

If pear is healthy, why should it be fed in moderation?

Not just pears, all human foods that are safe for the horses should be fed in moderation. The reason is, the horses are herbivores, their digestive system is designed to digest hay, grass, grains, and plant-based items.

The fruits and veggies are safe but the horse’s stomach may not be able to handle them in large quantities.

Horses do love pears

Horses can not speak but they are expressing their liking and disliking in many ways. Feeding pears to the horses is a common practice and it has come to notice that the horses do appreciate this kind gesture of feeding pears as a treat.

The least known benefit of feeding pears as a treat

The one big advantage of feeding fruits and veggies once in a while is that it slows down the digestive process for a few hours that discourages the acid and sore formation in the horse’s stomach. Pears can benefit the horse’s stomach in the same way.

Be careful with the seeds

Be careful! The pears seeds are harmful to the horses. The seeds should be separated before feeding.

The seeds have got the reputation of increasing the substantial cyanide quantity in the horse’s body that can cause serious health issues.

Feed pears the right way

Remember! Horses may give a rough and tough look but they have a pretty sensitive stomach. So, here are the feeding rules that you must know before considering pears a healthy treat.

The first thing you need to be careful with is quantity. One or two pears as a one time treat are enough to satisfy their tastebuds.

The horses, goats, and sheep are messy eaters so to minimize the risk of choking, the pears should be chopped.

Add pears gradually to their routine. Offer pears once a week for at least a month. When their stomach gets used to eating pears you can start offering twice.

The pears should be washed as the chemicals are sprayed to keep the fruit healthy. Make sure your horse should only be taking the nutrients not the chemicals that come with a caution “do not swallow”

Offer the fruit with peels

Nothing really causes trouble if these feeding rules are followed. So, make sure your horse is healthily eating the pears.

How Pears are beneficial for the horses?

Now you know that the pears are safe and healthy for the horses let’s move ahead and see what vitamins and minerals pears have( so you shouldn’t be feeding them with a half-knowledge).

The vitamins and minerals are;

Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Calcium
Iron
Magnesium
Manganese
Potassium
Sodium
Zinc

Vitamin C

A lot of you might not know several plants and animals can not survive without vitamin C.

It fights against the free radicals in the horse’s body and helps in neutralizing them. It also keeps the horse sound and healthy in the time of stress.

Vitamin E

The horses that are consuming superior grade pasture do not need any additional vitamin E supplementation.

The horses that are fulfilling the needs through low-quality pasture require vitamin E to maintain their health.

Vitamin K

As per a recent study, this rewarding vitamin supports healthy bone density in horses.

It is also required for the healthy functioning of the blood clotting mechanism and protein synthesis.

Calcium

Calcium is an important mineral that keeps the horse sound and healthy.

The calcium deficiency leads to lameness, weaker bones, slow growth, and poor performance.

Calcium plays a huge role in muscle contraction, enzyme regulation, and blood clotting.

Iron

We all know that every living thing on planet earth needs iron more than anything else to maintain its health.

This significant mineral produces healthy blood cells that are responsible for supplying oxygen to all the needed parts of a horse’s body.

However, excess iron can give birth to various health issues but one or two pears won’t cause iron toxicity.

Magnesium

Magnesium provides a resting shoulder to various functions in the horse’s body.

It is required for optimal muscle function and healthy nerve transmission.

It also plays a side role in tissue recovery and enzyme activity.

Manganese

Horses are in great need of this dietary mineral for their bone and cartilage development.

As per an estimate, the fully mature 1100 pounds horse requires 400 mg manganese per day to be able to fulfil its duties.

Potassium

Potassium is a crucial mineral that balances out the horse’s acid and base balance. It is proven to keep the muscle and nerve function healthy. Potassium and selenium deficiency in horses cause poor cell development.

Moreover, Potassium keeps the cells in the horse body hydrated by maintaining the cellular osmotic pressure.

Sodium

The animals like horses need sodium in a noticeable quantity for the production and secretion of bodily fluids; urine, mucus, sweat, saliva, and intestinal tract fluids.

The accurate sodium balance helps the horse’s body fluid equilibrium.

Zinc

Zinc participates in bone and hoof development. It also plays a key role in metabolizing protein and carbohydrates.

It might have made it clear to you how safe and beneficial pears are.

Feeding pear the right way won’t cause any problem but if you notice any signs of toxicity, do not hesitate to consult the vet.

How to Prepare pear treat for horses?

Make homemade oatmeal treat

According to thehorse research , you can prepare any treat by mixing oatmeal.

Include pears and oatmeal to make cookies for horses.

Mix 1 cup of peeled pears, 1 cup flour and 1 cup of uncooked oatmeal.

Stir all material in 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon corn oil and 1/4 cup of water.

Make the dough into small sized balls. Place these balls in cookies sheet.

Bake these cookies for 15 minutes on 350 degrees.

Peel and cook

Pears can contain germs and bacterias. Cooking can reduce the chances of these foreign agents.

Peel pears in small bowl

Now cut into small pieces

Cook them on desired temperature and time

Now cool pears and feed to horses

Other treats for horses

Pears are not only treated to feed horses. They love to eat oranges, apples, grapes, Zucchini and pineapple.

Summary

Yes, pears are 100 safe and beneficial if they are fed as a treat, not a meal. The feed in moderation rule applies to this fruit as well otherwise, it can cause minor health problems. Keep the quantity as low as possible to bring down the risks of toxicity to zero.

This nutritional powerhouse is an important source of iron, zinc, sodium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, vitamin K, C, and E. Pears should be chopped into small pieces to successfully avoid the risk of choking.

Feeding pears once in while helps in minimizing the need to offer salt blocks as it contains a noticeable amount of sodium. It is a 100% per cent better and healthier treat than the sugar cubes and other processed foods.

Lastly, the views and information provided here are solely based on thorough research and experience. It’s better to get a vet’s comment before adding anything new to the horse’s diet.

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