Many horse lovers keep asking can horse eat chocolate.
Many people tend to award their pets or animals by giving them human food. This comes from good intention, but it doesn’t lead to positive results. WOn the contrary, wrong food can put horses in fatal danger.
If you have no idea whether it is good or bad giving chocolate to horses, this article will answer your question clearly and sufficiently.
Why do people are unaware of horse feeding?
Well, not just chocolate, to be honest.
When it comes to emotional feelings, people have more feelings than any other creatures on earth.
We tend to give affection to things and people we live with and spend more time with, including our pets.
For a long time, people start to claim their pets as members of the family. This is because they want to treat them the way they treat their cousins or siblings. Giving the food they eat to their pets or livestock is an example.
The problem comes from:
Most people give their animals food without knowing that humans and animals have completely different digestive systems.
They assume if it is good for men, it is also harm-free to other creatures.
This might sound sensible somehow, but it doesn’t mean right.
What do horses actually eat?
As we all know, horses are herbivores animals that mostly eat grass and other plant-based food. This is because their digestive system grows for such food, which is considered tough for humans. However, we can also feed them other types of food as long as the food ingredient is friendly to them.
Can horses eat chocolate like humans? Yes or no!
This is what we want to focus on.
It seems to be a mesmerizing story for many people, including me, eating chocolate. Nevertheless, it is completely different for horses. Horses CANNOT eat chocolate, and they should never have chocolate for many reasons.
Why saying so? Well, here’s the thing!
As you probably know, chocolate contains substances named theobromine and caffeine.
These chemicals trigger and stimulate human wellbeing. They are fiercely banned in some competitions. They have worse effects when it comes to animals’ bodies.
In addition to that, chocolate contains sugar and carbohydrate, which a horse has difficulty digesting. These substances are not as healthy as they are to horses’ bodies. This can be overloaded to their stomach.
Some people might say that it is just a piece of chocolate, so it can’t do anything that bad.
This is way too reckless!
Horses react negatively to these chemicals. Maybe the reaction might not be obvious when they absorb a small amount of chocolate. But with a large quantity, it can lead horses to fatal consequences.
Such animals like horses cannot differentiate between what they should eat and what they should not eat.
That is why whatever you give, and the horses devour it. Just because they can eat it doesn’t mean it is healthy for them. Unfortunately, some people often give animals their food and assume that feeding them with food is okay.
There are some cases in the world when horses eat too much cocoa and die. Such raw chocolate is even more dangerous than the treated one.
What to do when my horses eat chocolate?
If you just let your horse eat a piece of chocolate, don’t worry!
As mentioned before, chocolate contains some chemicals which are unhealthy for horses. However, it effectively generates a remarkable outcome when you let them eat with a considerable amount. Therefore, it would be OK if the intake is minor.
OK, it means it will affect the horse but doesn’t lead it to death. The horse can survive.
If you let your horse eat a serious amount of chocolate, then it is traumatic. Your horse might have the reactions of being frustrated, inactive, and exhausted. You should call a veterinarian for further advice and support.
Does chocolate have anything to do with horse races?
The caffeine and theobromine in chocolate, as aforementioned, can trigger and stimulate horses. That is why many people ask questions like, “Are horses fed chocolate to improve their performance in competition?”
Many people give chocolate to their horses before the competition begins so that their animal can defeat their competitors.
At first, the match’s judges thought that was just an act of caring for their pets. But then they found out that those substances in chocolate can actually power up the speed of horses. So, therefore, they banned feeding cocoa-related food to horses before the game.
Every horse lover should acknowledge that although a small amount of chocolate causes no visible effect on horses’ health, it does in some aspects.
Moreover, though the bad reactions to eating chocolate seem minor when little intake, scientists find that these chemicals cannot be digested in their bodies. So those substances will be kept and mounted up day by day. Until a certain amount of those substances, the horse can face a fatal consequence.
This is a vivid example of how good intentions can lead to bad results. So if you really care about your horse or other pets in general, please consider the bad effects before feeding them.
So, can horses eat chocolate?
Chocolate is mesmerized to many people. Its sweetness and fattiness seem to be appealing that not everyone can resist. But it is a different story for horses to eat chocolate.
I hope I have answered your query. Next time you want to share your bar of chocolate with your equine friend, don’t forget what you have read here.
