Apples and Carrots

Today I was at the barn I board at and a new boarder stopped by to tend to her horse. I was surprised to see that she dumped about 5 cups of cut up carrots and 5 cups of cut up apples in her mare's bucket. I thought there was such a thing as too many apples for a horse. I asked the barn manager about it and she said the lady brought that much every day in addition to her horse's normal feed. What do you think? Safe or indulgent?

I also remember reading or hearing something about too much apples are no good, but carrots are ok.

I guess that would be ok for like an occasional thing, or to divide the 10 cups up, but I don't know about a daily thing of carrots and apples.

I've heard that apples themselves are okay...it's the seeds which carry arsenic I believe that is harmful. So if she's giving the seeds also, then yes it would be bad...but the apples with no seeds is fine.

It sounds a bit excessive to me, but I don't know. My sis in law's rabbits ate too many carrots and started dieing off.....once she stopped feeding them so many, it stopped.I forgot what they called it, but there was something with the carrots that was too much. But I imagine it would take a lot for a horse. Even so, I give about 2 carrots whenever im out there (usually everyday), most of the time a naturally baked apple horse cookie. I rarely have apples on hand. Sorry couldnt be of much help!

I know alot about this one....

Before I bought my horse she was spoiled rotten she got basically as many carrots and apples as she could eat! And you know how big a horse's stomach is!!!! Anyways when she got to my barn I would give her an apple or carrot after riding each day (only one). I had nooooo idea that she had been spoiled like she had. Anyways about 2 weeks after being at my barn she started to COLIC!! My absolute worst fear. So we rushed her to an equine clinic near by and they gave her a sedative and scoped her stomach. What they found was UNBELIEVEABLE! All the skins form the apples had not digested properly because of the overwhelming amounts of them. She had a hard apple skin ball in her stomach that had probably been there for a while. She had to have digestive enzymes and electrolytes pumped into her stomach for 2 days every 4 hours!!!!! She wasn't allowed to drink or eat anything. After a week of being at the vets she was allowed to come back home. The vets told us that she was never to have more than one apple a day ever again.

Believe me after paying that vet bill she only gets an apple like once a month tops!!!!!!!!!!!!

As long as you cut the core of the apple out a horse can eat as many as they want. Carrots are great. Come summer time and with lots of training we cut about 2 lbs of carrots and 7-8 apples a day and mix it in with Pocos feed to keep him well hydrated and extra bump of nutrients.

Interesting subject to read. It for sure without a doubt sound very excessive but interesting to hear what actually happens inside a horse's digestive tract.

Wow! So now how do you tell someone (with a STRONG personality) that they could be unknowingly causing their horse harm???

Well I heard that apples have a large amount of sugar and are not so great for horses. And that green apples are not supposed to be givin to them at all, because they are more tangy and can mess with thier digestive tract. I have a walker who foundered about 3 years ago, and the vet said that apples were the worst thing for him because they have so much sugar, the vet suggested not to feed him anything else but his grain(which is rice brand) and his hay.

Anyways, I am sure all the apples and carrots all together like that is really bad and could cause a potiental problem.

Well to tell her, I would just kinda get on the topic of horse feed and treats. Then I would mention about you hearing that apples werent so great for horses and they tend to cause alot of problems when feed in bulk. Maybe then she would get the hint, without you having to come straight out and saying it.