What can horses eat?
What’s fine as a treat, what only in small amounts, and what is toxic – every answer with a source. Forage such as hay remains the basis.
Toxic
Toxic to horses. If your horse ate some, call your vet right away – never watch and wait.
Better not
Sources advise against it or disagree, so we err on the side of caution.
Only a little
Only a little, and prepared the right way.
Yes, in small amounts
Fine as a treat, in moderation and in pieces. Forage such as hay remains the basis.
Horse calculators
- Horse hay calculatorHow much hay does your horse need? Enter its weight – we calculate the daily minimum, the usual range and how many bales you need a year.
- Horse feed calculatorIs hay enough, or does your horse need more? Enter weight, workload and hay – we calculate the daily energy need and what your hay covers.
- Horse weight calculatorNo livestock scale nearby? Measure heart girth and body length with a tape – we estimate how much your horse weighs.
- Horse weight loss calculatorHow much hay, how fast, how long? Enter your horse’s weight and goal – we calculate a careful plan with a lower limit.
- Horse gestation calculatorEnter the date of the last breeding or insemination to see when the foal is due.
Other animals
- What can dogs eat?What’s fine in small amounts, what doesn’t belong in the bowl and what’s toxic. Every answer has a source, and treats come with the right amount.
- What can cats eat?What’s fine in small amounts, what doesn’t belong in the bowl and what’s toxic. Every answer has a source, and treats come with the right amount.
- What can rabbits eat?What works as fresh food, what only now and then, and what is toxic – every answer with a source. Hay always remains the basis.
- What can guinea pigs eat?What works as fresh food, what only now and then, and what is toxic – every answer with a source. Hay remains the basis, plus vitamin C every day.
- What can hamsters eat?What’s fine as fresh food or a treat, what only in small amounts, and what is toxic – every answer with a source. A good dry food remains the basis.
- What can chickens eat?What’s fine as a treat, what only in small amounts, and what is toxic – every answer with a source. A complete layer feed remains the basis.
- What can budgies (parakeets) eat?What’s fine as fresh food or a treat, what only in small amounts, and what is toxic – every answer with a source. Budgerigars are commonly called budgies or parakeets (AAV). A good seed mix or pellet diet remains the basis.
Questions
What is toxic to horses?
For example avocado, onions, chocolate and acorns. If your horse ate some, call your vet right away – never watch and wait (RSPCA).
What do horses mainly eat?
Forage such as hay, haylage and grass. The British Horse Society lists good quality forage among its basic rules of feeding, and the RSPCA says stabled horses need plenty of forage. Our hay calculator works out how much hay your horse needs a day.
How do I feed treats safely?
In moderation – Penn State Extension calls that the key. Slice carrots and apples lengthwise, never into rounds or cubes, so nothing gets stuck in the esophagus (British Horse Society). Only feed whole fruit or vegetables when someone is around the barn (British Horse Society). If you think something is stuck, call your vet right away (World Horse Welfare).
Can horses eat grass clippings?
No. Lawn clippings can quickly mold and ferment, which can be toxic (Penn State Extension); the RSPCA and Blue Cross also say never to feed them.
Can I feed someone else’s horse?
Always ask first (German Animal Welfare Federation). Food a horse isn’t used to can easily upset its digestion, even causing colic, and horses can’t vomit (Redwings).
What if the sources disagree?
Then we rate it more cautiously and say so. Take bread and sugar: the German Animal Welfare Federation calls bread unhealthy and says sugar makes horses sick, while another of its brochures calls hard, mold-free bread suitable. Rutgers allows bread in limited amounts, and Penn State Extension and Rutgers consider sugar cubes safe in small amounts. For avocado, onions and chocolate, a 2004 Rutgers fact sheet still considered very small amounts probably acceptable; we follow the sources that call them toxic to horses.
Sources
- Penn State Extension – Trick or Treat: Things to Think About when Giving Your Horse a Treat
- The British Horse Society – Feeding horses: horse diet & feed
- The British Horse Society – Equine choke
- RSPCA – What to feed your horse
- Blue Cross – Horse feeding and watering
- Redwings Horse Sanctuary – Fuss, don’t feed!
- Deutscher Tierschutzbund – Reitstall-Check (Broschüre)
- Deutscher Tierschutzbund – Die Haltung von Pferden (Broschüre)
- Rutgers Equine Science Center – Fact Sheet #062: Odd Things that Horses Eat (reviewed 2004)
- Rutgers Equine Science Center – Food for thought…
- World Horse Welfare – Choke in horses
Last checked: October 2026