Can Horses Drink Apple Juice?

My horse is a finicky drinker.

Sometimes, it’s really quite difficult to get him to drink a healthy amount.

Recently, I had the idea to try and introduce other drinks into its diet to get it to drink properly.

I tried a couple of things in its water, first, but then I decided to try some juice on its own.

I wasn’t sure if horses were able to drink apple juice safely, though, so I decided to look into it first.

So, can horses drink apple juice?

As a small measure to try and get your horse to drink more water, a bit of apple juice would be fine for your horse. Apple juice formulated for humans is quite sugary, and so too much of it could quickly become an issue for your horse. Moderation is key and it shouldn’t be a replacement for water.

So, while horses can safely drink some apple juice, you should really only see it as an aid to try and encourage drinking in horses that aren’t drinking properly.

Water is really the only drink a horse needs, and apple juice should be seen either as a treat or as a hydration aid.

So, let’s look at this in more detail.

Can horses have juice?

The simple answer is yes, but there are a few caveats you need to be aware of.

Firstly, just remember that juice is formulated for humans, not horses.

We have very different dietary needs to horses, and a lot that is present in juice made for humans could make a horse sick.

The single biggest factor is the sugar content.

Most juices contain a lot of added sugar, and this can be bad for your horse and cause all sorts of gastrointestinal discomfort.

Not only that, it can have long term health implications, too.

That said, a little bit is safe.

What many horse owners tend to do is put a little bit of juice into their horse’s water in order to make it taste a bit more palatable.

Horses are known for their stubbornness when it comes to drinking, and this is one way to get around that.

Still, though, it should only be flavoring the water, not overpowering it.

The other thing to note is that there are actually some juices specifically formulated for horses.

These often serve different purposes, but they may be a better alternative to apple juice.

How much apple juice should I put in my horse’s water?

So, how much to actually use then, if you are choosing apple juice?

Everyone knows that horses love the taste of apple, so it’s not surprising that apple juice should make such a great choice to flavor their water.

Often, horse owners will take these kinds of flavorings with them while travelling with their horse so that they don’t have to drink plain water provided by the shows or clinics.

This gives them a taste of home, and will encourage them to drink.

In general, the advice is that for every 5 gallons of water, adding about ¼ cup of apple juice will give you plenty of flavor.

That may not sound like a lot, but like I said, you need to be really careful of the sugar content.

You’re much better under-flavoring than overdoing it with the amount of sugar.

If you’ve never had a problem trying to get your horse to drink, then I would say you’re quite lucky.

Many horse owners report constant issues with trying to get horses to drink, so let’s look at how to manage that.

How do I encourage my horse to drink?

As we’ve seen, one of the main ways you can encourage your horse to drink is by flavoring its water.

Apple juice is a favorite since horses are so fond of the flavor of apples, but another option is apple cider.

Small amounts of these flavorings in their water will make them more likely to drink.

Other than that, it’s really important to keep the water clean and fresh.

Make sure the water isn’t frozen or covered by a layer of ice; this could well stop your horse from drinking.

Make sure to replenish their water every day.

Giving them access to a salt and mineral lick will really help, too.

Salt is really important for your horse’s diet in itself, but it will also dehydrate the horse and encourage it to drink.

Adding more salt to your horse’s diet in general is a great way to encourage it to drink.

Flavoring is the simplest, most tried and true method, though.

So, apple juice is great in a few ways for your horse.

It can be a great way to flavor water and encourage your horse to drink properly, and to remind it of home when you’re away on shows.

Ultimately, though, apple juice in itself is really designed for humans, and too much of it could quickly become a problem for horses.

Always in careful moderation and never as a replacement for water should your horse drink apple juice.