Sweet potatoes have earned themselves the moniker “superfoods” thanks to their abundance of vitamins and minerals as well as high fiber content. Plus, sweet potatoes may help heal gastric ulcers!

As with any food, they should be consumed in moderation to prevent overfeeding which may lead to obesity and insulin resistance, and could exacerbate pre-existing conditions like Cushing’s Disease or EMS.

How to Feed

Sweet potatoes can make an excellent treat for horses in limited amounts as both cooked and raw varieties offer important dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals to support digestive health, helping soothe stomach ulcers. In particular, they’re high in Vitamin A, C, and E – just keep an eye out though as sweet potatoes contain significant sugar!

As with any new food, introducing these supplements gradually is key for horse health. When possible, mix them into the grain or hay instead of feeding them directly, and only give small doses at one time; this will prevent gastrointestinal upset due to eating so many new things at once.

Sweet potatoes contain key vitamins and minerals essential to horse health, including potassium. Potassium helps develop muscles while protecting against insulin resistance side effects; however, excess potassium consumption could lead to dehydration or other issues in their diets.

Sweet potatoes provide your horse with essential beta-carotene, an essential nutrient needed to promote good skin health. Sweet potatoes also contain copper which boosts melanin production – possibly darkening its coat shade due to regular doses. Once stopped giving sweet potato regularly to their horses this process should reverse itself and return back to its original shade.

Cooked vs. Raw

Sweet potatoes deserve their place among superfoods for good reason: they provide your horse with many essential vitamins and nutrients that they might otherwise miss out on. But it is important to be mindful when giving sweet potatoes, since these high-sugar and starch-containing treats must only be given in limited amounts as treats.

Sweet potatoes can be fed raw or cooked to horses, although raw varieties provide greater nutrition. Heating breaks down many of their essential vitamins and minerals, making it less nutritious for their wellbeing.

Raw sweet potato boasts a lower glycemic index than carrots, licorice, sugar cubes (! ), grain or molasses-based commercial treats and so is ideal for laminitic horses. Furthermore, manganese found within sweet potatoes helps strengthen bones while decreasing inflammation.

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of copper, which helps improve the condition of both skin and hair in horses, as well as supporting production of melanin pigment, the chemical that gives skin its hue. Some owners have reported seeing changes to a horse’s coat shade after feeding sweet potatoes daily – however this effect won’t last as soon as feeding stops and it will return to its previous shade as soon as you stop giving your horse sweet potatoes every day.

Sweet potato or yams, unlike regular potatoes that belong to the nightshade family and should not be fed to horses, are safe for them to eat and may provide many health benefits, including aiding gastric ulcer healing and being an excellent source of B vitamin thiamine for energy production. They can also act as Yin tonics that support digestive health, eye function, tendon health, ligament health and muscular development.

Vitamins

Sweet potatoes contain many essential vitamins and minerals for horses. Vitamin A helps with bones, eyes and coat health while vitamin C strengthens their immune systems to fend off infection more easily and speed up wound healing more rapidly. Furthermore, copper promotes healthy skin and hooves.

As there has been limited research conducted, and from observations by horse owners, raw or cooked sweet potatoes do not seem to cause any issues for most horses or ponies in small quantities. They should not cause issues for those suffering with gastric ulcers as they don’t belong to the nightshade family (potatoes, peppers, tomatoes). However, too much non-pasture grass or forage foods can lead to digestive upset in certain horses so its consumption should be strictly limited.

Sweet potatoes can be difficult for horses to eat properly; most will tend to peel them with their teeth before chewing on the flesh and swallowing it whole. Therefore, training your young horse from an early age to chew before swallowing any vegetable will help prevent tooth decay or any health complications due to insufficient chewing habits.

Sweet potatoes are generally safe for horses to eat, with most parts safe enough for consumption – yet the peel may actually be healthier than its flesh due to containing double the antioxidants found in it. Plus, its high level of soluble fiber means it may help slow and decrease glucose absorption and insulin levels; making sweet potato peel an especially helpful food option for overweight horses or those living with diabetes, though carrots also possess similar effects.

Minerals

Sweet potatoes contain an abundance of minerals in addition to vitamins. One medium-sized sweet potato provides 25% of manganese’s recommended daily value, 20% of copper’s, and 12% of potassium’s for daily intake. Manganese promotes bone health while producing sex hormones; copper aids blood production while maintaining skin health; potassium helps counter the effects of sodium while manganese acts as an analgesic. Introducing sweet potato into your horse’s diet may be a great way to supplement its mineral needs (especially if frequent bran mash feeding causes imbalance between calcium to phosphorous ratio – best used occasionally as frequent exposure may result in colic).

If your horse has an intolerance to nightshades, such as tomatoes and peppers, sweet potato should also be avoided as it belongs to the same family.

Side Effects

Sweet potatoes are generally safe and nutritious treats for horses, though they do contain some sugar (4.1g per 125g serving), but are rich in vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds which may support good health in horses.

Carrots are also an excellent source of beta-carotene, an orange-hued pigment belonging to the group known as carotenoids, that serves as an important precursor for Vitamin A synthesis and essential for maintaining healthy eyes, skin and coat. Although carrots contain more carotenoids per caloric intake than sweet potatoes do.

Sweet potatoes offer another significant benefit by helping soothe stomach ulcers and aiding in digestion, making them popularly recommended by veterinarians as an adjunct therapy to traditional medicines for gastric ulcers.

Though it’s comforting to know that horses can eat sweet potato, it is essential to remember that all foods should be fed in moderation as part of a well-balanced diet and in moderation only. Excessive consumption of any food may lead to obesity and insulin resistance issues as well as potentially cause laminitis in some horses.

Notably, while sweet potatoes can be safe for most horses, those suffering from Cushing’s or EMS should avoid them as their high levels of carbohydrates and starches may lead to an increase in blood sugar levels. Furthermore, sweet potatoes contain potassium which could exacerbate conditions like Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis Disease in certain horses.