Our garden is doing so well this year! A little too well, in fact, at least as far as the melon goes. We’re kind of newbies to the gardening thing as well as the horse thing (I did grow up in the Arizona desert, after all), so we’re making mistakes. Here’s one: when the seed packet says to thin the seedlings once they sprout, you really ought to follow that instruction. Bill thought the new watermelon and cantaloupe plants looked a little puny, so he left all five of them. On each mound of plants. All four of them. That’s right, we have 10 watermelon plants and 10 cantaloupe plants – in a garden that’s about 20′ by 25′. It’s now actually a melon patch with a few other plants struggling to maintain a foothold. Our pastor described it best when he compared it to kudzu.
Luckily for us, our friends like melon, and so does my horse. We learned that watermelon is a safe and fun treat for horses, so of course we had to try it. We found out that Moonshine isn’t that crazy about it, but Valentine LOVES it. He ate all we brought, and wanted more (we decided that moderation is probably the safest way to go – too much of anything, especially something new, isn’t a good idea).
So now we know about the watermelon. I haven’t been able to find anything on cantaloupe, though – do any of you know? Hurry, we have a zillion cantaloupe ready to ripen, and not nearly that many friends.
I’ve never tried cantalope with horses but the people that I learned about feeding them watermelon said that they feed cants too.
I wish we could grow melons here but it’s just not warm enough. I have to say I laughed about the not thinning part. Have been there and done that, now I thin when insturcted. lol
I did not know that they could eat melon. Can’t wait to try it on mine.
We saw a list of acceptable fruits and vegetables…finding link…here it is:
http://www.equinerecline.org/fruits.html
Watermelon is on that list but cantalope (or cantaloupe) is not. But they’re also not on the “unsafe” list. I imagine they are fine, as they are in the same family. I’ll have to do some research on that.
Again, thanks to Jackie, who originally provided that link.
We discovered tonight that our horse loves blackberries. He was highly disappointed that we only had a handful to offer!
My neighbor Carol and I sandwich a large meadow belonging to a Children’s forest. I talked the director of the forest to let Carol graze her horses on the meadow full of hay! He did..and shortly after a new horse appeared.. It was a rescue horse that was so pitifully thin that she could hardly walk. My neighbor Carol told me she has been trying to fatten her up for a year. I said to myself.. Oh I bet I can fatten her up.. ! I gathered the fallen apples pears, figs and any old cereal or bread that I had in the freezer too long. I want you to know that in 6 weeks time she looks like a different horse.. She seeing me( well all three do!) across the way and now comes RUNNING to get some goodies.. I am so happy for she is a gorgeous , sweet horse.. Ruby Red.. and I have learned that she is a thoroughbred! She looks it now.. before it was .. TOO late for glue factory! I hope they don’t sell her now! Today it is watermelon day for her.
Hello, thanks for the safe and unsafe list of foods for horses. But, I have to disagree about the celery because the string can get tangled in the intestine and cause a blockage. I have seen it happen. Please do not feed celery.
Vanessa, we’re lucky enough to have blackberries growing in the hedge that borders the horses’ field, so in late summer and autumn he can just help himself – though he ends up with purply stains on his tail and down his legs!
He also, as I discovered yesterday, absolutely loves watermelon. He could not get enough when I gave him a slice, so it’s definitely going on the treat list.
Very timely, Steve. It’s about time to pick blackberries here and our watermelons will be ready to pick starting in a week or two. We grow them for our horses!