About a year ago, we wrote a horse treat blog post about finding the right recipe for your no-bake homemade horse treats. As one of our most popular blogs, we thought we would build upon that topic with some at-home recipes we’ve compiled that you can use to treat your four-legged friend.
Horses bond through experiences with their owner and what better way to bond with a horse than through food? By providing your horse with some homemade goodness, you can show you appreciate them and respect them – and that can go a long way for your budding relationship.
Recipes for Our Top 3 Favorite Homemade Horse Treats
While we can’t take credit for all these great recipes, we are happy to compile them all in one place for you to use when you are feeling ambitious. The following recipes aren’t difficult, so you don’t have to be a pro baker to make them, and when you see how much your horse loves them it will give you the motivation you need to try all three recipes. Just make sure you’re getting plenty of exercise in between all the snacks!
1. The Ultimate Horse Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 carrot
- 1 apple
- 1/2 cup molasses (or honey)
- 2 cups oats
- 1/2-3/4 cup flour (or make oat flour by throwing some oats into a blender/food processor)
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon water (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300-325 degrees
- Grate the carrot and finely chop the apple
- Mix together all of the ingredients. Please keep in mind that depending on variations such as the size/type of apple, what kind of oats you use (rolled or steel-cut oats don’t absorb as much moisture as quickly as quick oats), whether you use honey or molasses, etc. you may need to tweak the amounts of the ingredients. You should be able to squeeze a ball of dough in your hand and it shouldn’t fall apart.)
- Roll and press into balls with your hands and place them on a greased baking sheet. If the dough is too sticky add more flour and/or water
- Bake for about 28-32 minutes on the middle rack, checking on them often, until golden brown
- Cool and store in a sealed container and use within a week. They’ll stay the freshest stored in the fridge
Recipe courtesy of Tanya Davenport
2. Earth Muffins
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill ground flax seed
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup organic sugar
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill oat flour
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill oatmeal
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup frozen blackberries
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Soak ground flaxseed in warm water for 10 minutes until it turns a gelatinous consistency.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flax-and-water mixture with sugar.
- Stir in oat flour, oatmeal, salt, and cinnamon until well-combined.
- Pour batter into a greased mini-muffin pan.
- Firmly press one berry thick side down into each muffin.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Recipe courtesy of Michelle N. Anderson of The Horse Magazine
3. Homemade Oatmeal Horse Treats
Ingredients:
- 1 large Carrot
- 1 large Apple
- 1 cup Molasses
- 2 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
Directions:
- Shred the carrot and the apple into a large bowl.
- Add in the oil, oats, and molasses. Stir to combine well so that all the oats are covered in the molasses.
- Pour the mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Pat the treats down with a spoon or with your fingers so they are flattened into the pan.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until they begin to get crispy.
- Remove the treats from the oven and let them cool for a while. The treats will harden slightly as they cool. Once they are hardened you can score into pieces.
Recipe courtesy of LittleHouseLiving.com
The best thing about making homemade horse treats is that it doesn’t have to be difficult. Most of the time, you can make delicious horse treats with the items sitting in your pantry. Ultimately, the important thing is to choose ingredients that are safe for horses and that cater to the specific taste preference of your horse. If you pay attention to what they like, you can’t go wrong with giving them treats!
If making your own homemade horse treats seems a little too challenging or time-consuming, you can always wait for your Saddlebox monthly subscription box. Each month includes delicious treats specifically designed for your horse! It’s the easiest way to show how much you care!