CHOKE!!

[windhaven44]

Hi y’all. Just a heads up on an experience I had last night. Our 3 1/2 yr old miniature horse was pleasantly eating his normal dinner of Purina Miniature Horse pellets , one sliced up carrot and 1/2 flake of grass hay. He started choking! Gagging, stopped eating, head down, squealing, then became lethargic. I was unable to get a vet till morning but by then it had resolved it’s self. What a horrible experience. He was so scared and uncomfortable for hours. The culprit we decided was a big slice of carrot. So… please be careful and cut up those big carrots into little pieces. I’ve learned a valuable lesson.

Choke can be scary. I never feed treats in their grain. Always as part of training (even if it's simply the head down cue) I make sure they are done with what's in their mouth before shoving in another...

 

[betwys1]

I feed carrots every day to three [full-sized] horses. I notice there are carrots & carrots. I prefer them about finger to thumb size in diameter. My wife cuts the big heavy carrots in two or three. They are 2 inches in diameter or more, and are tough going - the horses need to set them back in the jaw to crunch them. I am happier offering slim line carrots whole which they crunch to shreds without trouble.