Can Horses Eat Pumpkin?

Last Halloween, I remember how I got a ton of my son’s friends around to all carve pumpkins together.

It’s always loads of fun watching the designs they come up with, and then you can roast all those seeds into a tasty snack!

We had one or two left over, though, and I got to wondering what I could do with a whole pumpkin.

Usually, if I don’t know what to do with leftover food, my first thought is to feed it to my horses.

I wasn’t sure if pumpkin was safe for horses, though, so I decided to look into it.

Can horses eat pumpkin?

Orange pumpkins are totally safe for horses as a seasonal treat. However, you must be mindful when feeding them pumpkin as they should not eat too much. Pumpkins are nutritionally rich compared to hay and grass, and they do also present a small choking hazard.

So, in moderation, pumpkins make a great treat for your horses and they will love them.

Don’t feed them your leftover jack-o-lanterns; they’ll be filled with candle wax and may be starting to rot.

Even fresh pumpkins can easily be overfed, so moderation is always key.

If you keep all this in mind, pumpkins make a great treat for your horse.

Can horses eat orange pumpkins?

Orange pumpkins are the ones we are most familiar with, and every part of it is safe for your horse to eat.

The seeds, the flesh, the skin; the stalk presents a choking hazard but it probably will not try to eat it.

If you’re going to give your horses pumpkin, you should ideally chop it up first.

They might struggle a bit to break it up with their teeth and might resort to stamping on it or kicking it.

Large chunks of pumpkin present a choking hazard to your horse, so it’s best not to give your horses a whole pumpkin.

That said, pumpkins are rich in fiber and vitamins that will be really great for your horse.

They contain lots of vitamin A and antioxidants which reduce the risk of many types of disease and illness.

Pumpkins also effectively boost your horse’s immune system through vitamins C, E, iron and folate.

All of these strengthen the immune system and further prevent against illness and disease.

Keep moderation in mind, though.

The fact that they are so nutritionally rich can easily cause problems if they are overfed pumpkin.

As a once a week, seasonal treat in fall, they’ll go down very well.

I do want to stress, however, that all I’ve what I’ve just said applies to orange pumpkins.

There are many varieties available, but they’re not as similar as you might think.

Can horses eat white pumpkins?

All squashes and gourds are not good for your horse.

White pumpkins contain many different compounds, and can lead to a few issues in horses.

They can even be toxic in high enough quantities, but they will certainly lead to digestive issues like colic, diarrhea and general gastrointestinal discomfort.

There are many different white pumpkins and, if you’re being as safe as possible none of them should really be fed to your horse.

They’ll love orange pumpkin and it will provide tons of benefits without the side effects of other types.

Can horses eat green pumpkins?

Unfortunately, the same is true of green pumpkins.

Green pumpkins don’t have the same chemical makeup as orange varieties, so feeding your horses green pumpkins can lead to the same digestive issues that are associated with white pumpkins.

They’ll cause colic and diarrhea.

Can horses eat yellow pumpkins?

Yellow pumpkins are no good for horses either.

They’ve been known to cause digestive discomfort even in small amounts.

It’s quite surprising that there should be so much difference between gourds.

Can horses eat striped pumpkins?

You’re probably starting to see the pattern now.

Orange pumpkins are the only ones that are completely safe for your horse.

Striped pumpkins, bumpy pumpkins, smooth pumpkins are different from orange pumpkins in significant ways, enough to make the difference that could make your horse ill.

If you want to share pumpkin with your horse, make it a traditional orange pumpkin.

Can horses eat pumpkin seeds?

As long as they are from an orange pumpkin, the seeds also make a great snack for your horse.

You could give them an open pumpkin like a bowl and they will scoop all the seeds out, then you can take it away to chop it up and give them the flesh afterwards.

You should be careful of how much pumpkin seed they eat.

One pumpkin’s worth of seeds would be enough to share between a couple of horses.

In moderation they are fine, but could cause problems if overfed.

Pumpkins are a fantastic treat for your horse when you can get them, in pretty much all their varieties.

Any type of pumpkin you can think of is a good treat for your horse.

But that’s the important thing: it’s a treat.

Pumpkins are full of great nutrients but for this very reason they need to be fed in moderation.

Don’t feed them anything but the typical white pumpkin, though.

Unfortunately, pretty much every variety other than orange is no good for horses.

Finally, be careful to chop them up and feed them in chewable chunks otherwise your horse could choke.