Can Horses Eat Peanuts?

If you’re looking for healthy, affordable, and delicious horse treats to add to your horse’s diet, have you considered peanuts? While they are typically a “human food,” many horses love their taste. But should horses eat peanuts or peanut butter? Sure, mostly, and maybe carefully. You may also find they are more trouble than they are worth, but they do have some positives for horse owners.

Peanut Plant Info

Peanuts are a legume, much like alfalfa, and live underground. The peanut greens can become hay.

Peanuts have a shell called a hull, which many horses will happily chomp on. The hull is chock-full of fiber, which is usually great for a horse’s digestive system.

However, the fiber in peanut hulls contains a significant amount of lignin, which your horse can’t digest. While the overall fiber content is good, the lignin’s indigestibility is of no benefit to your equine companion.

Ground-up peanut hulls are sometimes used as filler in livestock feeds.

Can horses eat Peanuts?

Yes, they can. In smaller amounts, your horse may not develop digestive upset, but it’s always a good idea to go easy on the treats and look for any digestive problems.

Peanuts are delicious, smaller treats, and make an excellent sandwich filling. There is more nutrition in the actual peanut than in the shell, and since they are so small, it’s unlikely that a few peanuts a day will significantly impact your horse’s nutritional needs.

If your horse likes them, they are handy to have around. You could skip shelling roasted peanuts yourself and buy a bag of shelled nuts, but make sure there is no added salt or other non-peanut ingredients. Just plain roasted peanuts are what you need.

And you can use peanut butter in home-made treats, but avoid added ingredients like salt, sugars, and the like. You’ll probably need to stir some of the sugar-free varieties to even out the oil before you use it.

Be wary when horses eat peanuts

There is a risk of choke from a horse eating a whole peanut. The rigid hull could get stuck in the esophagus.

The other risk is the fungal toxin aflatoxin. This creepy mold can remain on hulls even after cooking or roasting, and affect other crops, like corn. Aflatoxins link to liver damage, cancer, and immune system problems. Some unlucky souls do not survive aflatoxin poisoning.

Peanut Hay

Yes, you can find peanut hay, but not the way one would expect. When peanuts are ready for harvest, the leafy greens have little value as hay. For growing peanut hay, a unique peanut plant grows for its leafy greens, not the tasty treat. This particular peanut hay is classified as a legume hay, like alfalfa, and is called annual peanut hay.

This legume hay is high in energy and protein, making it suitable for muscle maintenance.

For equine consumption, it may be hard to find, as it’s grown in sub-tropical areas and isn’t too commonly found.

There is another type, called rhizoma peanut hay. This varietal is as tasty as alfalfa, but packed with calories and not great for easy keepers.

This article has more about peanut hay.

Peanuts in Commercial Horse Feeds

It was once thought that the hulls could add a nutritious boost to feed, but the fibrous shells have no vitamins and barely any protein, vitamins, or minerals to impact an equine diet. A good idea, but it didn’t pan out.

But, enterprising folk discovered they can use hulls as dietary fiber. This fiber helps with digestive system motility.

Ditch the hulls and only feed the “innards”

Options for horse treats

So your horse doesn’t like peanuts, or maybe you or a friend at the barn has allergic reactions! No worry, you have many treat options for your horse.

Here are some horse treat options to avoid at all costs:

These foods have no business around horses:

Avocados
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Spinach
Raw garlic
Onions
Peppers
Tomatoes
Raw potatoes
Cabbage
Chocolate – *Who would share chocolate anyway*
Milk
Cheese
Yogurt

Safe treats, but higher in sugars

Apples
Carrots
Candy (peppermints, sugar cubes)
Store-bought treats with molasses
Citrus fruits
Pumpkin
Watermelon and the rind
Celery
Berries

The best treats for horses with metabolic disorders

Hay pellets
Hay cubes
Specialty low-sugar and low-starch treats
Pumpkin

Horses with Cushing’s or Equine Metabolic Syndrome need low sugar and low starch diets, including their treats, to avoid creating more health issues. Hay products are the safest if you must give your horse a treat. You can also buy low-sugar and low-starch treats in every flavor imaginable.

It’s always a good idea to talk to your vet or equine nutritionist about your horse’s diet, potential allergens, and how peanuts in small amounts might work for your horse. And because your horse shouldn’t eat too many nuts or horse peanut butter treats, they won’t add much nutritional value or calories.

Video

FAQ’s

How many peanuts can I safely give my horse?

Any treat given should be in small amounts. If you choose to feed peanuts, ensure they are cooked, shelled, and unsalted. Shells may have a toxic fungus, which can cause equine choke.

Can peanuts be part of a balanced diet for horses?

No, they are too high in fat and calories and missing minerals and vitamins. As a treat, they are good, and their leafy material can make a good hay for horses. Limit how much horses eat peanuts.

Do horses have allergies to peanuts like some humans do?

Horses may be allergic, but it's rare. You may see skin hives, digestive upset, or trouble breathing. Because they are usually a treat, and maybe an uncommon treat, there's not much documentation about allergies in equines.

What types of nuts are safe or unsafe for horses besides peanuts?

You may be okay with treating your horse with almonds or cashews, but it's best to check with your vet first. Avoid feeding black walnut, hickory nuts, acorns, and horse chestnuts, also called buckeyes. Many of these varieties are highly toxic, creating colic, laminitis, kidney malfunction, and more.

Equine Gut Health

Equine Nutrition Basics

PPID (Cushing’s Disease) in Horses

Go Shopping

Stock up here for your horse supplies! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, but it’s ZERO extra cents to you. As a Walmart Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases as part of their affiliate plan. I appreciate your support! You can also visit my Amazon storefront here: PEG storefront.