We all love to enjoy a snack from time to time, possibly even a guilty pleasure. Even the most dedicated of athletes experience a cheat day once in a while.
The same goes for horses. As much as he enjoys the regular, daily sustenance, you enjoy feeding special snacks to him. It’s fun to spoil your horse with treats. He gobbles it up, then begs for more. Sometimes we do it as part of training as a reward, sometimes we do it just because.
The truth is, horses are designed to eat small amounts of food regularly. Ideally, humans should, too, rather than three giant meals.
Some owners don’t believe in horse treats because they create the worst in a horse, causing a bad side of his personality where he gets a little too aggressive or nippy because he wants more. Of course, giving him treats or not is your call, especially if bad manners tend to surface when treats appear.
In short, the same rules apply to treats for horses that they do for us (and young kids): eat in moderation, small amounts in quantity and don’t give in when they beg for more.
But treats can also be a fun part of life. There are a lot of options for snacks, plus do’s and don’ts. Let’s take a look at everything you want to know about serving your horse treats he’ll enjoy – making sure it’s food that’s good for him.
Treats that are good for horses
Healthy snacks are always good, such as fruits and many vegetables: apples and carrots are the go-to snacks for most. You can also safely offer raisins, pitted dates, sunflower seeds, grapes, bananas, strawberries, melons, celery, pumpkin and peas. In addition, there are plenty of purchased pre-made horse treats that your horse will really enjoy. Those are handy because they can store for a long time, making them useful when you’re traveling. Some fun sweet treats include the ever-popular sugar cubes or peppermint candies.
You’ll probably find that horses have different tastes. One may go for carrots, and another sugar cubes. Even though all of these are safe for your horse, be mindful of choking hazards. Apples and carrots are safest when cut into pieces. Only offer a small amount of hard foods, such as sugar cubes. You don’t want any of that to become stuck in his throat and cause him to choke.
Treats that are bad for horses
Some snacks aren’t so good for his health. They might cause side effects, such as intestinal gas, sick stomachs, or even a positive drug test. Some of these include items like broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, acorns and chocolate – even lawn and garden clippings, which could contain poisonous plants.
It should be noted that some items – like apple seeds – are toxic to equines in large quantities. Don’t let that deter you from feeding your horse a classic, favorite treat. It would take such an enormous amount of apple seeds to produce a toxic reaction that it’s likely the animal would merely get a bellyache before experiencing toxicity. If he likes apples, one or two shouldn’t be a problem.
Horses will also eat strange things, like ice cream, donuts and fish, but their digestive system isn’t geared for that, so it’s best to stick to natural food items.
How many treats should you give them?
A giant pile of apple slices might constitute a meal. Instead, as mentioned, moderation is key. That means 1-2 pieces of any treat is plenty. He’s going to beg for more, but learn to say no. It’s true horses need a lot of small, regular meals, but you don’t want to give him too many calories. In addition, you could upset his digestive tract, which contains a certain balance of bacteria that can’t be upset if you want his intestines to function properly. A large amount of treat-type food could also have a negative effect on his protein content, starch levels and vitamins by way of dilution.
How to feed horses treats
We’ve already mentioned how manners can be affected by certain foods. Too many treats and they can get greedy. But you especially want to be mindful of the fact that horses can bite people – especially little children – if people offer treats from their hands. If you insist on feeding by the hand, put it in the middle of your flat hand and nudge it slightly toward his mouth rather than pulling your hand away as he reaches – the latter causes the horse to thrust toward the food.
If you tend to store the treats in your pockets, you may be teaching an unfortunate lesson that will cause him to rip your clothing to get the food. The best approach might be using a bucket or feeder, undoubtedly the safest way to feed your horse.
How often should you feed horses treats?
Unpredictability is key. Don’t feed him a treat every day – if you do, that doesn’t make it very special. And don’t make it a habit after certain activities that will create an expectation. If he anticipates it, you might be creating an environment for misbehavior. Rather, do it at different times with plenty of randomness.
Don’t give treats to horses that aren’t yours!
Discourage others never to feed treats to a horse that isn’t yours. As discussed, you could be inviting some unwanted behavior, but the larger issue involves his health – he might have a medical condition that doesn’t allow for certain foods. You also don’t want someone becoming responsible for a choking situation. Always encourage well-intentioned onlookers to check with owners first. You should never give treats to horses that belong to someone else.