Food?

[Shavings]

Any one know is gooseberries or plums are safe for horses to eat?

with covid my mothers garden has been more attended to and produced bags of them! And she wants to know if she can feed them to Chance, I am sure he would take them as he eats any thing, but the questions is are they safe?

 

[eggs]

no mention of gooseberries but plums are OK

http://whatcanhorseseat.com/what-fruits-can-horses-eat/

gooseberries not mentioned in this list of toxic plants

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/horse-plant-list

maybe do some more googling

 

[cowgirl16]

I had a plum tree at the end of the field of a place I used to live at. The neds would very carefully pick the plums off the tree, munch on them for a bit, then delicately spit out the stones. Never came to any harm. Can't speak of goosegogs though.

 

[oldie48]

All my horses have loved plums!

 

[milliepops]

mine have plum trees in the bottom of the field, they definitely pick away at them.

 

[Shavings]

Thank you all.

plugs are on the menu tomorrow then!

 

[Keith_Beef]

I had a plum tree at the end of the field of a place I used to live at. The neds would very carefully pick the plums off the tree, munch on them for a bit, then delicately spit out the stones. Never came to any harm. Can't speak of goosegogs though.

I had at first thought that the problem with plums would be the horse swallowing the stones and causing some problem because of that.

Then I remembered that plums contain a lot of sugar and they they usually have a lot of yeast on their skins... For a horse, with it's straight-through gut, this shouldn't be a problem, but apparently animals with a slower digestion end up with plums fermenting inside, and can end up tipsy... There are films of elephants drunk after gorging on similar fruit.

Plums also contain a lot of pectin which during fermentation can turn into methanol, rather than the hoped-for ethanol, and which is very damaging to the body.

So, eaten straight from the tree: mostly harmless. Eaten in large quantities from the ground, after laying there fermenting for some time: possibly dangerous.

(but far from Elite)

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

Interesting to know!

Mine has a damson tree in his field and I've put electric fencing around it in case. He does stand there looking longingly at them though!

 

[Gloi]

My pony used to stand on his hind legs to pick plums and damsons off the trees.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Will you be serving them with or without custard?

 

[Shavings]

Will you be serving them with or without custard?

With! cant let the poor boy get half a$$ed meal

oh a real note he goes eat most things and has been known to take things when left on the side or if he gets his head in the brew room window! so i wasnt worried he wouldnt eat them, more worried what they may do to him!