Can Horses Eat Citrus?

A reader asks about the risks and benefits of her horse eating a favorite treat: grapefruit. Our nutritionist weighs in.
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Can Horses Eat Citrus?
If your horse is healthy, isn't on any medication, and likes citrus fruit, an occasional orange or grapefruit will be a welcome treat. | Photo: iStock

Q: Can horses eat citrus? My horse saw a grapefruit, got excited, and grabbed and ate it. He bit off part of the rind, squeezed it, and slurped up the juice and pulp. It definitely looked like he had eaten grapefruit before. I tried looking online, but found contradictory opinions. —Roberta, Los Angeles, California

A: I know many horses who enjoy eating citrus fruit everything from the whole fruit to the peel. Not all novel foods horses enjoy eating are necessarily good for them, though. Luckily for most horses citrus is unlikely to have any detrimental effects and might offer potential benefits beyond vitamin C.

Perhaps surprisingly, there’s research looking at feeding orange peel extracts to horses. Orange peel and other citrus peels contain flavonoids that have potent antioxidant properties and scavenge free radicals and reduce oxidative stress. Some of the compounds found in citrus peel extracts inhibit the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), a cell-signaling protein or cytokine that is involved in systemic inflammation. Therefore, reducing TNF- α could reduce inflammation

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Written by:

Clair Thunes, PhD, is an equine nutritionist who owns Clarity Equine Nutrition, based in Gilbert, Arizona. She works as a consultant with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses and provides services to select companies. As a nutritionist she works with all equids, from WEG competitors to Miniature donkeys and everything in between. Born in England, she earned her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University, in Scotland, and her master’s and doctorate in nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Growing up, she competed in a wide array of disciplines and was an active member of the U.K. Pony Club. Today, she serves as the district commissioner for the Salt River Pony Club.

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