Can Horses Eat Cauliflower? (Revealed!)

You might be surprised to learn that stabled horses should not eat cauliflower. According to The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, it is recommended that owners avoid all vegetables in the brassica (cabbage) family when it comes to feeding horses as these types of veggies can severely disrupt their digestive system.

Let’s not waste any time and find out exactly why horses can’t eat cauliflower, what happens if they do, and discuss the various forms of cauliflower and how they might affect your horse.

Why can’t horses eat cauliflower?

While it is common to hear of wild horses disrupting agriculture by eating cauliflower, Veterinary medical professionals do not recommend feeding stabled horses cauliflower – even as a treat or snack.

The reason for this is that, while cauliflower is not necessarily poisonous to your horse, it can cause severe disruption to their gut and wreak havoc on their digestive system.

Horses have very sensitive digestive systems, which is why their diets mainly consist of grazing on hay and grass throughout the day.

Unfortunately, all foods within the cabbage family (e.g., kale, broccoli, turnip, brussel sprouts etc.) should be off-limits for your horse because this family of veggies contain Raffinose – a type of sugar known to increase intestinal bloating and gas when it is broken down in the intestines.

Interestingly, this same process happens to people as well, but our intestines are far better equipped to process sugars than horses, despite them being significantly larger than us!

The problem with horses is that if they develop colic (the medical name for severe bloating and intestinal gas), you may have to seek medical attention from a veterinary professional to debloat them.

In the best-case scenario, this will be mildly traumatic for your horse, and in the worst case, colic can be fatal – so it is always best to err on the side of caution and avoid these nasty veggies when it comes to feeding your horse.

What happens when a horse eats cauliflower?

This might leave you wondering what happens when a horse eats cauliflower, perhaps by accident or if you unknowingly feed them it?

Well, the good news is that horses are very large mammals so a small amount of cauliflower should not cause too much of an issue, and cauliflower is not inherently toxic to horses.

However, it can cause some severe digestive issues for them due to the difficulty processing the sugar compound in it.

There are several things that could potentially happen when your horse eats cauliflower.

Firstly (and in most cases), they could develop mild intestinal discomfort from the cauliflower, which may cause them to become distressed and stop eating.

This can be harmful to them as they are large animals that require a lot of food (hence why they continually graze).

The absolute worst-case scenario for what happens when a horse eats too much cauliflower is that they can develop severe colic, which can be fatal.

It should be said that if your horse has eaten cauliflower and is experiencing discomfort, it is always advised that you seek medical advice from a veterinary professional.

Can horses eat raw cauliflower?

As discussed, cauliflower should generally be avoided when it comes to feeding horses, for the reasons above (risk of colic).

However, cauliflower is also packed full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which can be nutritionally beneficial for them and enhance their diet.

Some of the vitamins and minerals that cauliflower contain are Vitamin C, Vitamin K, potassium, and calcium.

Supplementing your horse’s diet with these can enhance its health and performance.

However, something to note is that broccoli contains all the same vitamins and minerals as cauliflower, but in larger quantities – so this might be a slightly better treat option.

But, if you are still considering introducing cauliflower as an occasional treat, you should be aware of the risks outlined above.

It is best practice to consult a veterinary professional first and introduce it slowly and in small amounts.

Can horses eat cooked cauliflower?

It is common knowledge that cooking vegetables can change their nutritional and mineral composition.

So, you might be wondering: can horses eat cooked cauliflower?

The answer to this question is no.

Unfortunately, cooking cauliflower will not reduce the risk of it causing discomfort to your horse – all it will do is decrease the antioxidants and mineral compounds that your horse would have gotten from the raw cauliflower.

So, feeding horses cooked cauliflower can actually be considered worse than raw.

Can horses eat cauliflower leaves?

Maybe you’re wondering if other parts of the cauliflower are safe for horses, such as the leaves.

Unfortunately, it’s not just the cauliflower floret that should be avoided, the leaves and stalks can also cause intestinal discomfort to horses and should be avoided too.

The same applies to broccoli leaves and stalks as they are within the same vegetable family.

In conclusion, we have learned that, although cauliflower is a trendy and versatile vegetable for us – it’s generally best kept away from horses to minimise any discomfort or risk of colic.

There are some nutritional benefits to be gleaned from raw cauliflower, so if you’re still considering introducing it into your horse’s diet, you should do so with care.

Cooked cauliflower is not any better for horses than raw as the cooking process depletes the natural antioxidants and minerals in the cauliflower.

And finally, the cauliflower leaves should be avoided when it comes to feeding horses too – as every part of the plant can cause them discomfort.