Why can horses eat grass?

Answer 1

Answer 1:Horses can eat it because their teeth has something special. The front teeth makes it so that grass gets easy to tear. The back teeth (molars) tear it and chew more so it is possible to swallow. That is why. Answer 2:Actually, #2 is only half of the story. You see, we humans also have similar kind of teeth as a horse, except a horse has much more flatter molars than we do. A horse's secret "weapon" to eating grass is their cecum. They have a HUGE cecum that is designed to ferment and more thoroughly digest grass than what their stomach and small intestine could do. In this cecum, bacteria and digestive juices help provide a fermentation environment to further break down the fibrous material found in grass.

It is a less efficient process of digestion than true ruminants have like cows and sheep do with their four-chambered stomach, but it's enough to help a horse get adequate energy from and to help it keep up with its metabolic energy needs.

Answer 2

A horses main diet should consist of either grass (when available) and hay (when grass is not available) Horses digestive systems are designed to eat about 22 hours out of every 24 hours. This means that roughage (grass & hay) should not be too rich or sweet. Other commercial horse feeds can be added to your horses diet according to your horses' age, build, health and activity level. There are a great many commercial feeds on the market and it can be confusing and frustrating to try to figure out the best one for your horse. A vet can recommend the best feed for your horse and the appropriate amounts. There are also loads of horse related books, magazines and internet sites dedicated to helping you make these decisions. Choosing the appropriate type and quantity of feed is of vital importance to the well being of your horse.

Answer 3

Yes, as 99.9999% of the time the same grain fed to cows is what is fed to horses.

Answer 2:

Equine Veterinarians highly recommend to not feed a horse anything but those feeds designated for horses due to the possibility of certain types of medication being present in the feeds designed for other animals. There is also the possibility of mineral and vitamin toxicity. If you are interested in feeding the same thing it is best to read the label and see what species of animal the feed is made for, if it has multiple animals listed then it is safe to feed to horses and other animals such as cattle or sheep, if it does not say equine/ horse do not feed it.

Answer 4

Yes.

Horses can eat fruits and vegetables.

However, their diet mainly comprises of grass and hay.

Horses like apples the best among fruits.

Here's a list of what you can feed and what you should not :

SAFE

~ Apples

~ Apricots

~ Bananas

~ Beets

~ Blackberries

~ Blueberries

~ Carrots

~ Celery

~ Cherries

~ Coconut

~ Corn

~ Dates

~ Figs

~ Grapes

~ Grapefruit

~ Horseradish

~ Lettuce

~ Mangoes

~ Oranges

~ Peaches

~ Pears

~ Pineapple

~ Plums

~ Pumpkin

~ Raisins

~ Rutabagas

~ Squash

~ Strawberries

~ Sweet Potatoes

~ Tangerines

~ Turnips

~ Watermelon (both rind and pulp)

UNSAFE

~ Avocado

~ Onions

~ Potatoes

~ Persimmons

~ Rhubarb

~ Tomatoes

~ Any other members of the nightshade family which includes peppers

~ Broccoli or Cauliflower (may cause gas, which in turn may cause gas colic)

Answer 5

Yes. The horse evolved over time to eat grass. However in domestic settings the horse may have to eat hay, which is just grass that has been grown, cut and dried.

Answer 6

this is what they eat because it is the only thing a horse can digest along with carrots apples...etc...mainly fruits and vegetables and grass and hay is what they can digest

Answer 7

NO! Horses cannot eat mown grass clippings because there will be chemicals in the grass that a horse cannot digest. This can lead to colic and could be fatal.

Answer 8

No horses cannot eat grapes (or raisins) it can cause renal failure, just like in dogs and cats. Horses can have many other types of fruit so it's best to avoid grapes and raisins.

Answer 9

And no they shouldn't.

Answer 10

yes