Are these melons safe to give horses as a treat? (Not talking about the rind - just the flesh.)
I am thinking they would be really good to help with hydration on hot show days.
watermelon definitely, rind and seeds and all. (or, at least at my barn; the horses snarf the whole thing. 
)
I used to give my beloved childhood pony watermelon rinds left over from lunch. That pony was ka-razy about watermelon rind! She suffered no deleterious effects from it that I know of, and lived a happy life until I came home from college one weekend and found that my parents had sold her without telling me. Almost 40 years later I am still pissed off about that.
My 28 yo still begs for his watermelon. He gets a hunk daily and has for 19 years.
Most horses love melons, rind and all. Start with a little, I have one who gets gassy, and uncomfortable if he eats watermelon.
I had a little appy mare that went nuts for watermelon. I have not fed it as a treat in years, I guess I forgot about it. Does any one know if it has a high sugar content? That might be a consideration if you had IR issues if it does.
DownYonder, you have inspired me to head to the grocery store.
Watermelon a lot of horses love rind and all. Cantaloupe & Honeydew have a stronger flavor that might put a horse off, but I have fed all 3 to my guys as we usually have it in abundance. The key is moderation.
Ha ha ha ha, moderation when it comes to watermelon rinds. My horse practically climbes over his stall door if someone comes in the barn eating watermelon.
I am going to have to try watermelon again. I can not own the only three horses in the world who think watermelon will kill them.
Just split a bunch of rinds (with generous amounts of flesh left on!) between my three this morning. Everyone scarfed them down.
[QUOTE=trubandloki;8201674]
I am going to have to try watermelon again. I can not own the only three horses in the world who think watermelon will kill them.[/QUOTE]
Nope, Rory is convinced it is both poison and also somehow somethig that will come alive and bite him. Never saw a horse spook at fruit… :rolleyes:
I once had a whole watermelon that was going a little soft before I got a chance to eat it. I tossed it in the pasture and the mares gobbled it up happily!
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/p206x206/281885_2281115316114_4522762_n.jpg?oh=820ffbd2365b22c75eb20b194af2754c&oe=5631E4A6
I feed watermelon (mostly rinds) in a muck bucket so the juice isn’t wasted, and they don’t end up eating a lot of dirt.
Mine love any kind of fruit, but watermelon is a special treat for them.
Ours get watermelon several times a week in the summers and love it:
How much watermelon, etc., can you give a horse at one time? One slice wouldn’t be enough to help with hydration - can you give half a “mini” (about 5 pounds)? Does it need to be a seedless variety?
I was just told not to feed watermelon to a horse (or cantelope) because there are too many microorganisms and chemicals.
Like the hay that they eat on the ground isn’t filled with microorganisms, and the fly spray isn’t filled with chemicals.
Some people. 
I would think a horse could safely consume almost half an average watermelon (rind and flesh) with no deleterious effects. But like someone else mentioned, it might give your horse a little gas, so would start with just a few small slices at first. Absolutely none of my four guys like watermelon, and they were all born and raised in the south-- I think there’s something wrong with them. 
The one big caveat I would give, though… If your horse will accept it, take a safe step back once they start eating it, because the slobber and drool will fly everywhere. 
