Various foodstuffs made from flour are widely available throughout the globe in one form or another.
But bread is the only item which is so prevalent in every corner of the world.
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This foodstuff is excellent food utility for humans, but what about animals?.
Can animals eat bread?
Can Horses Eat Bread?
Yes, the horses can eat bread. Why is this question so important?
Indeed, we all consume it so casually that we can find its leftovers here and there in our homes.
Some of the bread that we are unable to finish harden up with time.
So it is better to feed the leftover food to the horse instead of letting it go stale or throwing it in the trash.
Bread Composition
Bread has indeed been a staple food in use throughout history.
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Its several varieties are closely related in composition.
One thing is common to them – in all types that all have water and flour as their main ingredients.
You make the bread for human consumption, and that is why the process of production follows strict guidelines and regulations to maintain health and safety standards.
Wheat flour is the main content of most varieties of bread.
Your horse can eat this flour very well without any issue.
Hence, ideally speaking, horses can also eat bread.
There is no problem with horses eating bread.
Its main content remains almost the same – flour and water.
Both the materials are suitable, and the horses consume them, usually in their general diet.
But what is wrong with the bread then, why you can’t feed your horse.
However, bread makers make them last longer than a few days.
Hence, certain preservatives are added to bread flour to make them durable.
There are no similarities in these preservatives across the manufacturers so.
Hence, it isn’t easy to assess the specific side effect on the horse.
But whatever they use, it is for sure that horses have a sensitivity to these preservatives.
Horses can eat all types of bread made from flour.
Their sensitivities to certain preservatives make them unsuitable for consumption in large quantities.
There is no issue in feeding one or two slices. It won’t harm your big horse.
Chocolates are also not suitable for horses.
Why do Horses Avoid Eating Bread?
All varieties of bread contain preservatives and are manufactured from grain flour.
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Horses are sensitive to these chemicals. Its storage requires dry and humid-free space.
But when they encounter atmospheric air, they absorb humidity and start smelling.
A combination of preservatives, flour, and water content in humid air creates a foul smell in the bread.
This smell is enough to keep the horses away.
Bread is the best food option that you can eat outside your home as ready-made food.
The life cycle of bread is ideally only a few days. Beyond that, you should not store it.
If you intend to store them more than a few days beyond that, you must add a strong chemical to increase their life.
The horse needs a nutritional diet containing Vitamin A, E, and D and; other minerals like calcium and zinc.
Bread does not provide any nutrition except carbohydrates and starch.
If you feed bread-food regularly to your horse, it will suffer from some deficiency diseases.
Instead of making it part of the usual diet, you can make it a treat food.
You can feed the horse one or two slices of bread daily, which will not harm it and will provide him a great taste.
The bread contains a high amount of starch, which creates health problems like rhabdomyolysis.
This chemical in bread damages the muscles of the grown-up horses and adversely affects the growth of bones in young horses.
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Also, the horse cannot digest the starch present in the bread and accumulates it in their large intestine, where it ferments.
It then creates bacteria, and the pH level decreases.
A low pH leads to laminitis, where the horse suffers intense pain in the abdomen.
It ultimately starts losing weight gradually.
Conclusion
There is no specific problem in feeding one or two slices of bread to your horse.
But you must avoid feeding more than this amount regularly as the bread cannot provide all the required nutrition to your horse.
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Also, the preservative and the starch available in food adversely affect the health of the horse.
So, the bread is acceptable to a horse only in a minimal quantity, just like a treat on special occasions.
