Can we share our Christmas dinner with our horses? | Equine Science Matters™

With all the Christmas cheer and hopefully some extra time with our horses over the festive break, it can be lovely to include our horses and ponies in the celebrations. But what parts of our Christmas lunch can we share with our four-legged family, and what should we keep on the dinner table? 

Remember that while we’re enjoying lots of different and fun foods over Christmas, horses’ digestive systems are a lot more sensitive than ours. Consistency and introducing new feeds gradually are key to keeping our horses happy, healthy, and avoiding digestive upset. That applies at Christmas time just as much as at any other time of the year. While it’s perfectly fine to give a couple of little treats, giving a whole meal that is different to usual, or adding in lots of different flavours, might cause some discomfort or potentially even colic in sensitive horses. 

Carrots and parsnips are staples in a Christmas lunch and can be safely fed to horses and ponies. Raw, boiled or baked are all fine and if, like me, you like to bake your parsnips and carrots with a little honey, your horse or pony will probably love them even more (just be careful with sensitive tummies, or those prone to laminitis or with EMS). Butternut squash and swedes are often a delicious side-dish in a Christmas lunch and can also be safely shared with horses. Brussels sprouts might not be the favourite dish at the dinner table, but a couple for your horse would be safe, although, as they are a cruciferous vegetable and can encourage gas production as they’re being digested, giving more than a couple might not be wise. 

A splash of Guinness is another traditional Christmas treat that often gets mentioned, but beware for horses who are competing under FEI rules, as this could result in a positive doping test. Equally, while it might be very tempting to share some Christmas chocolate with your horse or pony, do be aware that chocolate contains a Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substance (NOPS), so it shouldn’t be given to those competing under FEI rules in any discipline.  

Christmas treats recipe 

Making some Christmas treats can be fun for everyone and (depending on your mess-making tolerance levels!) can be a great holiday activity with children. Here are two recipe ideas: 

Flapjack fingers 

• 2 large, grated carrots 
• 1 grated apple  
• 1 cup rolled oats 
• ¼ cup molasses 
• 3 heaped tablespoons black treacle or molasses 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• A little extra oil to grease the pan. 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until well combined, and press into a lined, greased baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until beginning to turn golden around the edges.  

When done, carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool until you can safely turn it out onto a chopping board. Cut into finger-length batons, about 3cm wide.  

To vary the flavour, you could add some crushed-up Polo mints, or to stay with the Christmas theme, lots of horses might enjoy a teaspoon of cinnamon in the mixture. 

Due to the sugar and starch content, these treats would only be suitable for metabolically challenged horses in small amounts, within the context of a balanced diet.  

Linseed cookies 

• 2 large, grated carrots 
• 500g unsweetened apple sauce 
• 145g milled linseed 
• 60g coconut flour 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients until you have a rough, fairly solid dough. Add the flour gradually, as you may find you need a little less or more depending on the consistency. Leave to rest for 30-45 minutes. 

Place the mixture on a large piece of baking parchment, with a second sheet on the top and roll out between the two layers until it’s about a cm thick.  

Remove the top layer of parchment and, using a cookie cutter (you may find it sticks less if you dip the cookie cutter in water between each cut), cut out your cookie shapes. Using a wet or lightly oiled palette knife, very carefully lift each shape onto a baking tray lined with greased baking parchment. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes, turning once during cooking, or until they are lightly golden around the edges. Leave to cool on a cooling rack. 

These cookies are low in starch and sugar, so they are suitable for metabolically challenged horses and ponies.