Well, i never had a horse, but when i rode them several years ago, we always gave them the whole thing- pulled right out of the ground, and into the horses mouth. Angie

That is very nice of you to grow carrots for them, but be sure to get the individual owners' permission before feeding anything to any horse.

Different horses may have special dietary needs, and what may be fine for one is bad for one with, say, founder or other problems. A horse who tends to colic could die from eating the wrong thing. Then again, some owners are very picky about treats, especially hand-feeding, which can teach some horses to nip.

I've had people want to feed lawn clippings (potentially deadly, as they ferment quickly) and whole barrels of apples to my minis. Instead, I compost the lawn clipping and cut the apples up small, remove the seeds, and feed them a bit at a time.

The owners at the stable will thank you for your thoughtfulness...both for growing the carrots and for asking before feeding.

My kids grow carrots expressly for the purpose of feeding the horses (we have three, for pleasure riding). My horses are strictly pets and my Morgan gelding will take a scrap of grass from my 8 month old granddaughter's hand without touching her. However, this is somewhat unusual, be sure to ask the owner, some horses don't just nip, they BITE.

Annie