If you were to offer cabbage to your horse, he would most likely be interested in eating it. But can horses eat cabbage, or does it cause any problems?
The reason that cabbage can cause problems in horses is down to the way that the horse digests this vegetable. Cabbage is high in a substance called raffinose.
A horse cannot vomit or burp, and once food and gas are in the digestive system there is only one way out – through the rear end, as feces or flatulence.
So, as we have learned, horses should not be fed cabbage as it can cause serious health problems. When horses eat cabbage, the gastrointestinal system produces a lot of gas, which can become trapped in the intestines.