Most of us feed our horses and ponies treats as a reward when training, or just because we love them. Treats that are close to a horse's natural foods are healthiest, but a very small amount of almost any food item is safe to feed as a treat.
Safe horse treats include:
Pitted Dates
Raisins
Sugar cubes
Hay cubes
Apple pieces
Carrot pieces
Sunflower seeds (with or without shells)
Peppermints
You'll find horses have different tastes too. Some may love peppermints or sugar cubes and some prefer carrots or hay cubes.
If you often carry treats in your pockets and feed from your hands you might teach your horse a bad habit. He might decide that all pockets or fingers contain treats and nip at your clothes and fingers. A horse that is pushy about getting treats can be dangerous. The safest way to feed treats is to put them in a bucket or feeder.
Some treats can be a choking hazard. Apples and carrots are best cut into pieces. Only feed a very small amount of any hard foods like mints and hay cubes. A greedy horse may not chew the treat completely and bolt it down. The food can then become lodged in the horse's throat, causing choke.
In the book "Arabian Exodus" author Margaret Greely describes the Bedouin custom of feeding horses whole dates. After their meal, the trough would be covered in pits. While swallowing a few date pits might not cause a problem, you'll want to remove the pit or stone of any fruit you feed if it is large enough to cause a choking hazard.
Some things are not good for treats:
Lawn, hedge or garden clippings.
Anything from the cole family like broccoli, cabbage leaves, kale or cauliflower.
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Acorns
Chocolate, if you are competing can cause a positive drug test.
Don't feed treats to a strange horse. The horse could have a medical condition that disallows certain types of food. Some owners don't believe in feeding treats at all. Dispose of food wrappings out of reach of your horse. A bag smelling of sticky peppermints could be ingested and cause a blockage that could be deadly.
Horses will eat surprisingly weird foods-from roast beef sandwiches to ice cream. Historically, horses have been fed some strange things to survive--like fish. However, horses are herbivores-animals whose digestive system is geared to digesting grass and soft plant matter. Although some horses can eat these things with no apparent ill effects, it is always better to stick to treats similar to their natural foodstuffs.
Here are some treat Recepies
Oat 'n' Apple Chewies
Treat your horse or pony to these simple squares made of wholesome ingredients. Keep them fresh in the fridge. Remember not to feed too many of any treat too often.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce
1 cup oat bran cereal or ground oatmeal
½ cup all purpose flour (approx.)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F
Oil a 9inch x 9inch square cake pan
Spread the batter evenly in the cake pan and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350F. The batter will start to shrink away from the sides and it will be firm to the touch. Slice into squares while still warm. Keep chewies in the refrigerator in an air-tight container or bag.
Molasses Cookies Horse Treats
Your horse or pony will love the sweet crunchiness of these cookies. They keep well in an air-tight container. Never feed too many treats too often.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup bran
1 cup molasses
1 cup grated carrot or apple
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F
Oil two cookie sheets
Put aside a small bowl of white sugar and a drinking glass with a flat bottom.
In a large bowl mix all the ingredients thoroughly. The mixture shouldn’t be too wet, and should stick together. Add more flour to make the mixture firmer and hold together if necessary. Drop by teaspoonfuls, about 1 ½ inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Grease the bottom of the glass, dip it in the sugar, and stamp the cookies to flatten them slightly. Bake for about 10 minutes. This makes about 25 cookies, depending on the size. Store in an air-tight container or bag.
