We all love to give our pony treats. The trick is to feed safe treats and to make sure you only feed a few at a time! Too many treats can lead to health issues for your pony, but giving one or two is rarely a problem. However, if your pony has had problems with overeating, weight gain or laminitis in the past, chat to your vet about what treats are safe to give.
Here we give you a list of safe fruits and vegetables that you can feed to your horse or pony. Just make sure to cut them up into bite-sized chunks to make them safe and easy to eat.
Safe fruit and veg treats for horses:
- Apples
- Apricots (remove stone!)
- Bananas
- Beets
- Blackberries
- Carrots
- Celery
- Coconut
- Grapes
- Lettuce
- Mangoes (remove stone!)
- Oranges
- Peaches (remove stone!)
- Pineapple
- Pumpkin
- Raisins
- Strawberries
- Sweet potato
- Watermelon
Unsafe fruit and veg treats for horses:
- Avocado
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Persimmons
- Rhubarb
- Tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Eggplant
- Peppers
- Horseradish
NOTE: You must never feed chocolate to your horse or pony!
Take-home message
When in doubt, rather avoid feeding a type of food you don’t know to your horse or pony. Your vet is the best person to help advise about treats and foods that may or may not be suitable for your pony. Remember that every single pony is different, and some may react badly to foods that other horses eat happily. Always keep an eye out for unusual behaviour which may suggest that your horse is sensitive to a certain food.
