# Feeding bread to horses?



## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

A friend of mine has 4 horses, all of them senior (17-25 yrs). A few of them tend to drop a fair bit of weight in the winter, but gain it back in the spring/summer. She started feeding beet pulp last year and had positive results, but they still dropped a bit. I don't know the amount/quality of hay that she feeds, but they are also on a senior feed.
She was talking to a horseman last year who said that he feeds bread to his hard keepers (in addition to regular feed) in the winter. He goes to bakeries/supermarkets and gets the 'old' bread cheap or free. So the horse gets ? maybe 1 to 5 loaves a day? 
Has anyone ever heard of or done this? Results, pros/ cons? Is it ok to do this? 
Let's assume that the bread may be stale, but Not mouldy.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

I had a guy suggest that to me, also. He has been keeping horses for years and years and swears by it. I only ever gave our horse 1 slice and while she was chewing it, the bread sort of balled up (I could see it while she was chewing on it) and I got really worried that she'd try and swallow it in it's balled up form and get choked, so I never gave it to her again. She did manage to eat it though, and did not get choked.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I have never heard of this but I can't imagine that it would be harmful to them. I mean, after all, bread is made of flour (ground wheat usually) and with that being a grain, they should be able to eat it. If you are unsure, you might put a call into your vet and just ask his/her opinion about it, whether it would be safe, what the chances of it working are, etc. If the vet says it's okay, I don't see why you shouldn't try it.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

I know a lady who has had horses as long as I have been alive. She taught my mum to ride. She is a bit weird tho - she feeds her horses bread every day (morning and evening, 4 loaves per horse) and then once a week also dumps a load of vegetables in the paddock too (seasonal, depends on what is cheap at the markets lol). Her horses are all in amazing condition. The only ones she gives more to are her two stallions, and that is only in breeding season so they have a little bit extra energy. She gets her bread cheap from a big bakery. They usually buy back all the bread that goes over date from supermarkets, and then crumb it to resell as crumbs. So what she gets is the wholemeal, the seedy ones, the fruit ones, basically all that can't be crumbed lol.


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## ohmyitschelle (Aug 23, 2008)

Whilst I've never feed it regularly or for the reason the OP is asking about, I have fed bread to a very difficult horse to worm in the past. We'd just squirt the paste in and make it a sandwich. She was the type who'd put anything in her mouth once so it worked really well. She never had any adverse reactions to it and enjoyed the bread.
I personally wouldn't feed a huge amount daily, but if it helps then maybe its worth trying! I worried about the balling effect too, but the mare never choked etc.


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## XxemmafuriaxX (Jan 4, 2010)

Hi i live in spain and out here hard bread (that crumbles when bitten) is often used as a treat. not as regular feed but i personally have given my 2 bread and they love it lol its never done mine any harm.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

We used to feed bread to horses in lesson barn when I was a kid. I'd say quite a bit (the bag at once). They LOVE it and never had any health issues because of the bread.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Not really the most nutritionally complete meal for a horse. But they like it. Mine get it as a treat. 


I think in this case the owner would be better off with a good senior feed over bread.


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

They are already on a senior feed, beet pulp, and hay. She's considering it for filler, calories.
Those empty delicious calories that will hopefully keep their weight up. imagine how fat and happy we would be if we finished every meal with a nice warm loaf of bread? Lol


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

That sounds so yummy!!!!


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## wyominggrandma (Nov 4, 2009)

I feed bread to both my horses and my dogs in the winter months when it gets so cold. They love it and I have never had any problems with it at all. I just throw the bread out and they go from piece to piece eating it up. The two older guys really like it.
Years ago, in the stone age, as a kid ,I rode horses with an old horseman in California. He fed bread to his horses and also threw out veggies/fruit to them occasionally like Chiilia said. His horses always were in great shape and looked beautiful.


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## payette (Jun 3, 2010)

Last year I was given a horse after his owner passed away. He was 28 years old, in gorgeous, fat and shiny condition, but badly chronically foundered. He was fed alfalfa and 5-6 loaves of bread daily. I don't think the bread (or the alfalfa) was doing him any favors, but it may be fine for many horses.


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## wyominggrandma (Nov 4, 2009)

Wow, thats alot of bread. I feed it, but usually a loaf between two horses, not really figuring it helps much, but just something different in the winter when all there is is hay and grain, the bread just gives them something to munch.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

Bread is starches .. straches are bad.. 

as a treat it should be fine but as staple for the diet no


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## goodhrs (Dec 30, 2009)

I don't know about bread, but I think it's the brewers yeast that maintains the weight. I feed straight brewers yeast to all my horses daily, it aids in digestion and really makes their coats shiny. JMO


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