Are pumpkins safe for horses? This is a question we get asked each Halloween, when we have an abundance of decorative pumpkins.
Can we feed pumpkins to horses and ponys?
The short answer is yes, like most fruits and vegetables, horses can eat pumpkins in moderation. Do not feed a whole pumpkin, although it can be entertaining to watch your horse investigate this unusual treat and play, eating a whole pumpkin can be a shock to the digestive system and lead to some gastrointestinal irritation. We advise chopping up the horse’s pumpkin into smaller pieces to avoid any choking hazards. In America, some owners have cooked the pumpkin and made it into a palatable mash.
What about pumpkin seeds?
Pumpkin seeds contain the amino acid Arginine, which has a number of benefits such as enhancing protein synthesis and tissue repair.
Feeding pumpkins to a laminitic horse
This may surprise many, but pumpkins don’t actually contain that much sugar, For example in every 100g, there is 1.7g of sugar but hay has 10g of sugar per 100g.*
Like all other fruits and vegetables, pumpkin can be offered as a treat to horses who are prone to laminitis as long as it is consumed sparingly. Giving a treat of 100g to 200g of pumpkin adds relatively little extra sugar, especially if it is spread out over the course of the day.
Source: https://www.dengie.com/news-articles/feed-advice/feeding-pumpkin-to-horses/
