Horse beans are broad beans / fava beans : a cool-season legume with large, flat seeds eaten by people and sometimes used as animal feed. They are not the same as the unrelated horse-care term “bean,” which refers to a buildup of debris on a horse’s penis.

Quick Scoop

  • Plant name: Vicia faba or a closely related broad-bean type.
  • What they look like: Thick pods with large, flat beans inside.
  • How they’re used: Eaten fresh as a green vegetable or dried as a pulse; also used as livestock feed in some contexts.
  • Common names: Broad bean, fava bean, faba bean, horsebean.

In plain English

If someone says “horse beans,” they usually mean fava beans/broad beans —a sturdy bean popular in many cuisines. If the context is horses, though, “bean” can mean a medical/cleaning issue on a horse , which is something different entirely.

Tiny example

You might see them in dishes like stews, soups, or mashed bean spreads. When harvested young, they’re tender; when fully mature and dried, they’re used more like other dried beans.

If you want, I can also give you:

  • a taste/texture description ,
  • a cooking guide , or
  • a difference between horse beans, fava beans, and broad beans.