Q: Are Citrus Trees Safe for Horses?

Posted by Laura Thompson May 11, 2009

A Suite101 reader writes:

"We have an area on our property that has several orange and grapefruit trees. When we enclose a pasture is it OK to include these in the area? It will give the horse a lot more grazing area, but I'm not sure if they are dangerous to horses or if they would even like the leaves."

Great question! I recently wrote a blog about whether pine needles are safe for horses, so it seems lots of horse owners are curious what local vegetation will do to their animals' stomachs. I applaud anyone who researches these issues because they can save lives.

In the case of citrus trees, however, your horses should be perfectly safe. Most horses will leave fruit on trees alone, anyway, and fruits are not dangerous to horses if consumed in moderate amounts.

The only real problem I see with citrus trees and horses is the pesticides often used on these plants to keep insects away. Some pesticides are toxic to horses (and humans!) so make sure to read the ingredients on the can before giving your trees a good spray.

You can also talk to your veterinarian about equine-safe pesticides that you can use on citrus trees in paddocks and pastures. This is the easiest way to ensure your horses are safe.

On another note, some horses are more curious than others, and might get sufficiently interested to sample grapefruit or oranges from your citrus trees. If you find that your horses are grabbing the fruit on a regular basis, you can simply erect a fence around the trees without having to reduce your pasture space significantly.

Of course, this really only matters if you are concerned about losing fruit. As mentioned above, fruits are not dangerous for horses as long as they aren't consumed en masse.

Thank you for your question!

Have a horse question? Submit it to horses@suite101.com, and Laura will answer either in a blog post or in a personal e-mail.