Horses eating bananas is probably not the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about healthy treats. But they will actually eat some weird things that you didn’t think they would like. We were at a long horse show just the other day with my daughter and a horse came up and snagged her cheese pizza from her and the owner said she love pizza. So my daughter gave her a bit more and was so happy about it. The key with horses with most any treats is moderation and making sure it is good for them with no side affects.
So Are Bananas Good For Horses?
Most horses love bananas and they are actually very good for them both because of texture and they potassium they provide a horse. With any new treats or food give a small amount first to see how the horse reacts to it. Bananas are very nutritious and easy for a horse to eat with the soft texture.
Actually a wide variety of fruits and vegetables make great treats for horses. We love feeding our horses our left over bananas that are darker and very soft in texture. We either feed them to the horses, make some banana bread or they go to the compost.
Although bananas are safe for the majority of horses you do have to be careful in the way you feed them and there are some dangers that we go over below.
Do Horses Eat Bananas?
Most all horses will enjoy bananas just start them out with a little bit at first just like with any new treat for an animal. Horses can eat bananas safely in the long term just feed them in moderation. They usually absolutely love the flavor of bananas as well so it should make it an easy treat for them to take and love.
Other Banana Related Horse Questions
Can Horses Eat Banana Peels?
Horses can eat banana peels along with the inside. Most horses will like just the inside because of the easy to eat texture. Just like after it rains a horse will eat the roots of grass because it is easier on their teeth. Try both some people slice up with skin on banana and feed to them like that. Make sure to clean banana peel so it is free of bacteria and pesticides.
Can Horses Eat Bananas And Honey?
The combination of honeys and bananas is safe for a horse to eat in moderation. Both are full of sugar so it would be a good snack to have maybe once a week if your horse is not overweight. You would also want to use local honey if possible since your horse will be used to local pollens from the pasture they graze.
I would probably just stick to bananas as a treat without the honey unless you are just using the honey for your horse to eat the banana. So for example putting a dab of honey on the end of the banana to get your horse to taste it then eat the banana is perfectly okay.
Can Horses Eat Banana Bread?
Banana Bread is safe for a horse as long as there aren’t nuts in as the nuts may be toxic for that horse. So a quick snack of banana bread is fine a whole loaf of banana bread is not a good idea.
If they do eat a whole loaf of banana bread they should be fine just monitor them if they act unusual like they can’t get comfortable call your local vet for advice.
Can Horses Eat Banana Chips?
Banana chips are processed and usually have added sugar so they should not be given to horses. If your horse does consume them on accident they shouldn’t have issues from one time however watch them if they start acting unusual call your local vet for advice.
Can Horses Eat Banana Leaves?
Banana leaves are not considered edible for horses or humans. Really the only thing they are used for is cooking as they will leave a sweet aroma to the dish.
How Many Bananas Can A Horse Eat?
Horses should only eat 2-3 bananas a week max as they are full of sugar. Unless you are directed to do so by a vet you should stick to this maybe being just a weekend treat. If they are a miniature horse you should only give a half banana at a time twice a week as they are smaller and need less then a full size horse.
Horses and Bananas According To Real Horse Owners
We didn’t want you to take only our word for it on horses eating bananas so we went out and gathered the views of actual Horse Owners. These views show their experiences in feeding them and the process they follow.
We curated this information so the only thing we changed was any spelling/grammar where needed.
Real Horse Owners
1. Texarkana “None of mine like them” – I’ve tried and tried to make my horses like bananas. In taste tests, banana is supposed to be one of the flavors that horses most enjoy. But none of my horses will touch a banana– not even the fat one who eats anything!
If you happen to have an HYPP horse, you definitely don’t want to offer them bananas… which you wouldn’t think would be a problem. But when I was a kid we boarded an HYPP horse, and we caught a non-horsey neighbor trying to feed him bananas over the fence!
2. ReSomething “Pony Loves them” – I’ve tried bananas on many horses and most don’t care for them. The pony LOVES them as a treat, peeled.
3. WoodHillsManhattan “My horse loves them” – My horse loves bananas. Peeled. I figured this out because he stole mine when I was eating lunch one time. Jerk. There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the
4. Rosie10 “My horse liked them peeled” – My horse likes banana’s, i always peel them but other people feed them with skins on
5. Skyy “Bunch of ours love it” – A bunch of our horses love bananas. Some of them will eat just the peel if that is what is offered. I don’t know about the ulcer preventative aspect as we never feed them in quantity.
6. 222Orchids “Our horses favorite treat” – My horse will tear the barn down, to get at a banana. His very favorite treat. I peel them. Cannot imagine him enjoying the peels. He also likes every fruit known to man except Lychee (which grows here in South Florida). He spits them out! But enjoys apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, watermelon, and mangoes, et
7. QhwpMare “Loves them without the peels” – Bananas are my horses absolute favorite, he does not eat the peels !
8. HorsePrerace “Our race horse loved them” – Yes I had a world champion 2yrf pacer in 2001 that loved bananas. Without the peel of course. They talked about it in Hoofbeats magazine how unique it was. She was a really special horse.
9. Chief2 “Some do and some don’t” – Some of mine have loved them, others not so much. Seems to be a texture issue.
There are 20 mg of biotin in every medium banana.
10. Cindyg “Just the peel” – Mine loves the peel. (I do cut off the hard stemmy piece.) Apparently Fjords will eat anything.
11. Hampton Bay “Peel and all” – Most of mine will eat them, peel and all. My filly and gelding once helped themselves to a box of oranges too. Pineapple rinds are also a hit from time to time.
12. HorsePoor “Peels and All” – I have one that loves them, peels and all. The others will eat the fruit if nicely ripened, but no peels. My dogs like them too, long as they are ripe. Me,I like the kind of green ones, so once they are actually yellow and ripe, they go to the dogs and ponies.
13. Trubandloki “Mine love bananas” – Mine love bananas. Peel and all. I learned this after sharing one peeled and having the peel grabbed out of my hand by another.
15. Meany “Pony loved them” – The only pony I bred was turned out with a bunch of goats in the weaning process.
The goats loved banana peels (of course, they’re goats!), so the pony also loved bananas and their peels. In fact, she was kind of a pill about it.
I cried a little bit when I sold her and the most embarrassing part of it was trying to explain, through sniffles, that she really loved banana peels.
I began feeding him bananas because they are good for ulcers ( the bananas increase the thickness of the stomach lining) some countries in the olympics fed their horses bananas daily.
I didn’t know about the biotin though. NEAT!
Once they are covered with brown spots they just will not work for me. That is when they become horse treats.I do not bother to peel. I just cut into slices, peel and all.
18. PoloGirl27 “My chestnut loves them” – My chestnut girl loves bananas! When I was in college we could take fruit from the dining hall. I’d always take a banana for Izzy and her BFF Addison got an apple because she was in the ‘bananas are gross’ camp.
My family has a mare in Hawaii and she LOVES mangos! (and starfruit, and apples, and bananas, really not a picky one). Funny story- when we’d ride past mango trees I’d sometimes give her a break and let her grab a fallen mango. With a bit in her mouth she’s grab the skin and peel it. Then she’d carefully pick around the pit getting all the good stuff. Well one day my dad (who is also a rider) was hand grazing her and and ENTIRE mango went into her mouth. He froze in a panic thinking of all the ways his horse could die choking, and how he’s be left by my grief stricken mother and I. Luckily after swishing the mango around Cloud spit out the pit, followed by the skin! When Cloud eats, she means business.
Summary
So as you can see most horses do love bananas. Even if you think they don’t when you first try to give it to them try it in different ways. Maybe try just a slice without the peel, then next time slice with the peel, then maybe just put in grain dish. If that doesn’t work try a whole banana and see if they will take a bite out from your hand.
Don’t give up early if you have multiple horses make sure you try on all and once one likes it make sure the other horses see them eating it that can also do the trick. Horses are a great healthy treat with both potassium and biotin to help them with their health. Especially if you are working your horse a lot it is great to have extra treats to give him that will help him recover.