Can Horses Eat Watermelon? #Seeds #Rind #Nutritions

Can Horses Eat Watermelon Seeds?

Horses will find the watermelon seeds safer and a good to eat option as long as the seeds are fed in moderation. The seeds in a larger number can prove to be a risky affair. But you can feed the watermelon in a moderate quantity. This will ensure that the seeds that your horse may consume would be considerably lower in quantity.

The watermelon seeds should not be fed all by themselves. The watermelon seeds that the horse eats should be part of the entire watermelon or a part of it. No, seeds all alone should be a stricter NO – NO! If you are looking to feed the watermelon without the seeds, it would be fine as well. Feeding the watermelons with seeds or without seeds can be a no issue.

The watermelon seeds just like the Apple seeds have cyanide, but they would be in a very lesser quantity. Eating the seeds occasionally may not be a severe issue. That is exactly why you should not feed too many seeds or the seeds alone to your horse.

Is the Sugar in Watermelon Harmful for the Horse?

Horse owners generally worry about the sugar content in the watermelon. But it should be noticed that the sugar content in the watermelon is not too much and you need not be worried about it in any way. Only 6 percent of the entire watermelon contains sugar and that should not be something you need to be worried about.

Approximately 92 percent of the watermelon consists of water. That would mean only 8 percent of the watermelon is pulp and seeds. Although watermelon tastes sweeter, it does not contain too much sugar. Is the sugar in watermelon harmful for the horse? Not exactly. The sugar found in the watermelon is a natural sugar that you would find in most of plant sources. In fact, everything that the horse eats contains sugar – take, for instance, grass, carrots, and practically everything the horse eats contains sugar, and the quantity is almost the same as found in the watermelon. In essence, eating watermelon will not cause much harm to the horse at all.

Can Senior Horses Eat Watermelon?

As long as your senior horse does not have any severe metabolic disorder, it should be able to consume watermelon without hassles. If you have a healthy senior horse that does also boasts of healthy teeth, it should be able to eat the watermelon in moderation.

It would be advisable to keep an eye on the health conditions of the horse after it has eaten watermelon. It should be more so if the watermelon has been given as a treat for the first time to your senior horse. In case, there are no adverse health effects, you can continue feeding watermelon to your senior horse without any sort of hesitation.

What does Watermelon Provide to a Horse?

Watermelon pulp and the rinds do provide great nutrition and water content to the horses. It is quite rich in several amino acids and vitamins providing it with a high degree of nutritional value.

Some of the best nutrients you would find in the watermelon would include –

• Watermelon offers your horse plenty of fiber – Ideally, 50 percent of the horse’s food should consist of fiber. They get fiber from hay and grass. The watermelon rind can be yet another great source of fiber. The fiber gets converted into energy through a fermentation process. Fiber plays a major role in the digestive system of the horse. Without fiber, the food may not move as expected in the digestive tract and can cause issues such as dehydration, colic, and laminitis.
• Horses get high potassium content from watermelon – The physiological wellbeing of the horse is assured with the right quantity of potassium in the horse’s diet. The potassium may be lost when urinating or sweating. Watermelon can help it get enough of potassium and keep the issues such as Muscle weakness, fatigue, decreased appetite, and exercise intolerance far away.
• Horses can get amino acids from the watermelon – The watermelon rind is a rich source of amino acid citrulline. This can be helpful in relaxing the blood vessels and increases the blood flow to the specific areas to the horses’ body.

Some other elements contained in the watermelon can include-

• Vitamin A – Vitamin A can be helpful in protecting the horse’s eyes and protects them from aging. It can also boost the immune system of your horse.
• Vitamin B6 – The vitamin can turn the carbohydrates into energy. This can be the best option for the racehorses.
• Vitamin C – Vitamin C is known for providing you access to the best immune system. It can also be useful in repairing the cells and keeping the tissue damage to the minimum level.

Those outlined above apart, watermelon also provides the nutrients such as iron. Magnesium, phosphorus, and a huge range of other vitamins and minerals.

Can All Horses Eat Watermelons?

Watermelon can be a very healthy treat for most of horses. In fact, all the types and varieties of horses can feed on watermelon.

Some of the major issues wherein you may not be able to feed watermelon to your horses can include –