Are horses allowed to eat pears?

Pears contain fiber, essential vitamins and minerals. For humans, they are therefore extremely healthy.

Just 100 grams of the fruit provide about 5 milligrams of vitamin C, 120 milligrams of potassium and 2.3 grams of dietary fiber.

But do horses also benefit from this when you feed pears? Or can the fruit even harm them?

In this guide, you’ll find out whether horses can eat pears and how they can benefit from them. We’ll also tell you what the dangers of feeding pears are and what factors you need to consider.

Are horses allowed to eat pears?

The simple answer is yes, horses can eat pears. However, if you want to feed the fruit, there are a few things you need to be aware of. There are several potential hazards associated with the fruit for your animal.

You can find out what these are below.

Are pears healthy for horses?

Pears contain numerous valuable nutrients and substances.

Among them:

Vitamin A
vitamin C
Folate
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Fiber

With about 55 to 60 kilocalories per 100 grams, they are comparatively low in calories.

For humans, they represent an enrichment of the diet due to the vitamins and minerals as well as the fiber.

They are a valuable component of a varied and balanced diet and are also suitable when weight is to be reduced.

For horses, however, the situation is different. This is because they are only allowed to eat very small amounts of the fruit. As a result, they absorb only a fraction of the micronutrients they need.

You can still use pears as a reward or to entice your horse. However, you should pay attention to the points we address in the next paragraphs.
What are the dangers of feeding pears to your horse?

The main danger is that pears contain a lot of fructose. For every 100 grams of the fruit, there are about 10 grams.

For comparison, the same amount of cola contains about 9 grams of sugar.

The digestive system of horses is not designed to handle large amounts of (fruit) sugar.

The fruit can start to ferment in the stomach and intestines. This, in turn, poses a risk for discomfort.

These may include the following symptoms:

Diarrhea
Fecal water
Colic

As a horse owner, you of course know how dangerous colic can become. They are more than painful for the horse and can even turn out to be life-threatening.

So even though pears don’t contain poison, they pose a risk in larger quantities.

Sugar – even if it comes from otherwise healthy fruits – can also trigger diabetes.

This is because it puts a strain on the pancreas, possibly restricting the formation of insulin and digestive enzymes.

What’s more, if the fruit is fed whole, it can be swallowed and lead to choking.

However, with the right approach, you can avoid these dangers.

How should pears be fed to horses?

Ideally, the fruit should be

is ripe, but not overripe
is cut into small pieces
washed beforehand
is fed directly from the hand

Ripe pears, due to their sweet fragrance, are not only eaten with pleasure by humans and horses, but also attract insects.

Flies, as well as wasps and bees, can settle on them if the fruit lies for a long time.

In addition, overripe fruits already start to ferment and thus cause digestive problems even in small quantities.

Mold and rot are also possible and cause disturbances.

Therefore, feed only small pieces directly from your hand. In this way, you can immediately determine whether your horse likes the fruit, and there are no leftovers lying around that may be ingested later or attract other animals.

Also, test first, with a single pear, whether the fruit is tolerated.

Do horses like pears?

Yes, many horses like the sweet and juicy fruit very much and accept it well.

Therefore, do not leave pears in large quantities within reach and also make sure that your horse cannot “help himself” to them when out riding.

Overripe fruit that has already fallen to the ground or is still hanging on the tree is fermented, may mold or bees and wasps may be on it.
How many pears can horses eat?

One pear per horse per day is usually not a problem. For very large animals, it may be two fruits.

However, due to the sugar content, you should not exceed this amount. Otherwise you risk digestive problems and diabetes.

You should also refrain from feeding the fruit daily.
When should you not feed pears?

If your horse already suffers from digestive problems, has diabetes or is sensitive to fresh feed, you should not offer pears at first.

This could aggravate the problems.

Also, give very small amounts at first, like a single small bite. This way you can slowly get the digestion used to it.

What are the alternatives to pears?

If you don’t want to risk the high sugar content in your horse, but still want to give him a varied reward, you have several options.

These include:

Apple
Leaves and twigs from fruit and nut trees and berry bushes
Cucumber
Honey
Carrot
Cabbage leaves
Herbs
Dandelion
Nuts
Beet
Beetroot
Lettuce
Spinach

Even with these, however, it is true that they only serve as an addition to the normal food. So give only small amounts at a time.

Also, make sure the treats are clean and not treated with pesticides.

Occasionally feeding a chopped pear in rotation with other treats will not cause you or your horse any problems – but it will give you pleasure.

Keep the amounts small and monitor tolerance to maintain this condition.