![\"Horses](\"https:\/\/thehorsesguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Horses-eating-watermelons.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nCan Horses Eat Watermelon?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Watermelon can be a tasty, healthy treat for horses when given in small quantities and as part of a balanced diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Horses can eat all parts of a watermelon, including the flesh, seeds, and rind. Some horses may not enjoy watermelon, and horses are just like humans; they will like some food and dislike others. It’s good practice to respect horses’ tastes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fruit Sugar Information in Watermelons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
One of the typical concerns with feeding watermelon to horses is the seemingly high sugar content. As the name suggests, watermelon consists mostly of water. A serving of watermelon is 90% water and only 10% sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A cup of diced watermelon contains 0.01 ounces (0.38 g) of fiber and 0.3 ounces (11.34 g) of sugar. There is also a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A and C, magnesium, and phosphorus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sugar occurs naturally in all fruits and vegetables. This is inclusive of carrots, an all-time favorite horse treat. Carrots contain about 0.2 ounces (7.56 g) of sugar per cup diced. Pasture grass can also be sugar dense depending on the time of year. The amount of sugar in the grass can be more than 25%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A horse’s sugar intake over the course of a day can easily be several pounds. Therefore, a small amount of watermelon incorporated into their daily intake should not be a worry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, too much sugar can lead to laminitis and colic. Therefore, it is always important to be aware of their daily diet and what that entails. Read our article and find out if horses can eat apples.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another concern about feeding watermelon to horses is the potential for toxins in the rind. Thankfully, watermelons belong to the same family as cucumbers. Due to their familial similarities, there are no hidden toxins in watermelon skin or rinds dangerous to horses. People often pickle the watermelon rind as a treat for themselves!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is essential to wash the outside of a watermelon before serving it up to your horse, or anyone for that matter. During the growing and harvesting stages, the entirety of the watermelon crop may be sprayed with pesticides or herbicides to ensure that the fruit grows properly. Unfortunately, the outside of watermelon can also be a carrier of bacteria, such as E. coli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These herbicides and pesticides are best to avoid for both you and your horses. If consumed, they can cause gastrointestinal upsets. Despite this being a worst-case scenario, you should always wash the outside of the rind with cool water and a scrub brush. Do this before cutting into the melon; otherwise, the flesh of the melon could become contaminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watermelon seeds can also be a cause for concern among some owners. However, the quantity of toxins in watermelon seeds is so minute it is unlikely to cause any problems if eaten in moderation. In addition, since watermelon seeds are so tiny, they will not be a choking hazard for horses, who have a much wider throat than humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re still worried, then going with a seedless watermelon or removing the seeds yourself would be the way to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned early in the article, horses can eat watermelon rinds. They provide a wide variety of beneficial vitamins and amino acids. The watermelon rind is the outer cover of the melon and includes the white portion of the melon. This is between the pink flesh and green skin. It protects the pink, sweet flesh from any outside harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, always wash the watermelon outside with water before cutting. This will remove any nasty stuff the watermelon has come into contact with throughout its journey from a single seed to your table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Horses love crunching through watermelon rinds, but cutting them into small pieces is essential to avoid the rind becoming a choking hazard. As with any treat, moderation is key to ensuring no gastrointestinal upsets occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a multitude of benefits that horses receive from eating watermelon rind. Watermelon rinds are a rich source of fiber, potassium, and amino acids. In addition, they provide vitamins A, B6, and C. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Horses can get lots of fiber from watermelon rinds. As a general rule, a horse’s daily diet should consist of approximately fifty percent fiber. Horses typically get fiber from rough forage such as hay and grass. Paddock horses do well on a fiber-only diet when not being worked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fiber is essential to a horse’s gastrointestinal health. Fiber is converted into energy through a fermentation process. The microflora in a horses’ gut converts fiber into volatile fatty acids that the horse absorbs. This is their primary source of daily energy. In addition, energy from the fiber is used for a horse’s ordinary body functions like breathing, walking, grazing, and sleeping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Horses in work perform better with a supplement of grain feed. This provides fat and sugar, which are quickly converted into energy for strenuous exercise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fiber is critical for a typical horse’s well-being. Without fiber, digestion is slowed down, and this can cause dehydration, colic, and laminitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWatermelon Toxins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Can Horses Eat Watermelon Rinds?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"horse](\"https:\/\/thehorsesguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/horse-eating-watermelon-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Benefits of a Horse Eating a Watermelon Rind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Horse](\"https:\/\/thehorsesguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Horse-eating-2.jpg\")
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