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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

WIBU to feed these apples to these horses?

65 replies

BestZebbie · 09/08/2015 15:13

We have just harvested the apples from our garden and after picking out the perfect ones for us and composting the rotten/wormy ones I am left with a carrier bag of 'seconds' - apples that are basically good and could be intensively processed to make into puree etc, but are small or have minor skin blemishes etc.

There is a field with horses in just down the road, WIBU to take these apples down to that field with my DS and put them over the gate with the expectation that the horses would eat them?

In my mind apples are a nice treat for horses, but I am aware that I am not a horsey person and so would there be some terrible injury I could potentially do the horses by doing this? They are red eating apples, I think Red Windsor, all ripe.

OP posts:

lowcarbitis · 09/08/2015 15:15

Yeah why not - it isn't like they are owned by anybody or loved by anybody or that they would be the ones to deal with any illness or injury from doing it.

Horses are for all. Who cares if they have allergies or conditions that you are unaware of. After all, not going to be you paying the vet bill is it.

Maybe leave your kid on the gate so passers-by can give him a bottle of wine or something. Kind of them.

Arkkorox · 09/08/2015 15:16

I wouldn't, feeding them encourages nipping and you also don't know if the horses are on a particular diet

YUDOTHIS · 09/08/2015 15:16

Err on the side of caution. Do you ever see the owners? you could keep an eye out and pop over with them and ask the owners if its ok.

Arkkorox · 09/08/2015 15:17

lowcarbits no need to be so bloody agressive

IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece · 09/08/2015 15:17

Please don't...you've no idea how they're being fed or what the can/can't have

chairandchairalike · 09/08/2015 15:18

Wow lowcarbitus, don't hold back, OP was clearing asking BEFORE she did anything, you were rude!

Original poster

BestZebbie · 09/08/2015 15:18

lowcarbitis: well, that is what I am trying to find out - before interacting with them, could apples do any harm, considering that they are a horse food?

OP posts:

Floralnomad · 09/08/2015 15:19

Please don't feed other people's horses .

Arkkorox · 09/08/2015 15:19

You could bag them up and drop them off at a local riding school?

NeverHadHaveHas · 09/08/2015 15:20

No no no! They could be on restricted diets due to conditions such as laminitis that sugary apples could trigger.

Arkkorox · 09/08/2015 15:20

Some horses can get agressive around food, not worth the risk imo

NeverHadHaveHas · 09/08/2015 15:21

They are not a 'horse food'. that's like saying a sugar lump is a horse food. Just because they will eat them doesn't mean they should.

Lonecatwithkitten · 09/08/2015 15:21

A glut of anything new in a horses diet can cause colic. Apples are a well known colic causer. Whole apples can cause choke.
So no you could cause a life threatening condition that will be costly to treat 100s to 1000s.
If you see the owner offer them they apples cut up small and added in small quantities they are fine.
Horses are not for all they are costly to keep and care for correctly.

Floralnomad · 09/08/2015 15:22

Yes apples can harm horses , from the dietary POV the horses may be laminitic or have laminitic tendencies and also some horses need vegetables sliced to be able to eat them - my first horse had oesophageal problems and often choked on stuff .

ProcrastinatorGeneral · 09/08/2015 15:23

Everyone knows that the only good suitable for horses is polo mints!

Maybe bag the apples and hang them in the gate with a note for the owners?

Ihaveabadfeelingaboutthis · 09/08/2015 15:23

You must never feed other people's horses. They may be on a strict diet or have problems chewing. My pony cannot eat hay or whole apples or carrots. Because he is old & has lost teeth he cannot chew properly and he gets food stuck in his throat which, last time it happened, took 4 visits by a vet to clear with an endoscope. Could you give the apples to the horses owner?

Voerendaal · 09/08/2015 15:30

Just reiterating - please don't feed the horses. There are all sorts of reasons why feeding an animal that belongs to someone else is very bad. And could be potentialy fatal to the horses. Yes to bagging them up and taking to the nearest riding school.

AuntyMag10 · 09/08/2015 15:31

Definitely do not do this. It's not a fun little activity to do with your ds. Not sure why you would even think to do this though.

Pumpkinette · 09/08/2015 15:33

I go with the posters saying drop them with the owners of the horses or a local riding school. Most people will be appreciative that you thought to gift them to the horses but would prefare to give them out in a controlled way rather than chucking them over the field gate.

Some horses can't get apples for a number of health reasons. Some horses can get agressive with around food and may injure another horse if it tries to get near the Apples. Some owners don't hand feed thier horses at all as it can encourage nipping.

Additionally horses are really only supposed to get 2 apples maximum a day because they are high in sugar.

Nice of you to think of the horses OP but please go through the owners first.

Original poster

BestZebbie · 09/08/2015 15:33

OK, thank-you all - I am very happy to accept the consensus view that it would be a bad idea to give them anything, so do not fear, no apples will go to the field. :-)
I was originally thinking that it might be along the lines of putting out mealworms for the birds/hedgehogs as an occasional supplement, but I am now educated about more of the vast range of things that can go wrong with horses!

OP posts:

Welshmaenad · 09/08/2015 15:59

Please don't. We used to keep horses on land attached to our old house and you have no idea the problems it can cause.

I used to have rows with people who saw no harm in tipping grass clippings into their field (obviously blind to the 4 acres of FUCKING GRASS already present), people who shared ham sandwiches with my horse, people who fed them boiled sweets. We had a sign up that was routinely ignored.

I know you mean kindly, OP, and kudos for checking, but pleSe please don't.

Enchufla · 09/08/2015 16:02

Well done for checking op but i wouldnt. Maybe thetes a rescue centre nearby who would take them

CarrotCakeMuffins · 09/08/2015 16:05

I offered apples to my neighbour who has horses a few years ago. She declined and also said that unripe apples could give them tummy ache (i.e. make them ill / not good for them) so definitely not a good idea.

FirstWeTakeManhattan · 09/08/2015 16:16

OP, it was absolutely the right thing to do to ask, and a nice thought.

lowcarbitis completely unnecessary rudeness. The OP was trying to do the right thing.

bumbleymummy · 09/08/2015 16:40

It was a lively thought OP but you were right to check first. I second/third the idea of taking them to a local rescue or riding school. Sometimes they chop them up and add them to their feed :)

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