Do You Feed Your Horses Treats?

Yes I do, I use Pure Feed treats so not full of molasses. Mine are 21 and 28, and neither of them try to mug me or bite. 21yo ends up with more treats as he is still ridden, he gets some when I catch in, some used for stretches after riding and also when I turn back out. If stabled, I also give treats before I leave for the night.
 
Pears! Just because they brighten his day, not as a reward. And yes he does sometimes do the Gollum thing, but only when I come to chat to him over the fence....
 
No in a general term.

1 carrot as she's turned out in the morning, 1 as I catch her in (just a habit, no difference if I don't have any)
Then 2 carrots when I do her stretches.
 
Occasionally. Through winter I buy sacks of carrots (although they are generally added to his bucket feed), in summer I'll pick up the odd bag of apples or carrots from the supermarket for him. I also have a tub of large pellet style treats that my OH likes to feed him.
 
I only treat to reward good behaviour and usually use healthy treats, as a child I was guilty of feeding sugar cubes & polos to my pony though..
 
Yes I buy the 20kg bags of Bailey's fibre nuggets or 15kg bags of TB meadow cobs, I didn't know about these big equerry bags, how much are they? I use lots for clicker training, which means I initially start by teaching the rules around treats i.e. a treat only ever comes after the marker signal/bridge (the click), treats are delivered when your head (horse) is in a neutral position, no treats arrive from mugging/pocket searching, etc . Some horses are naturally 'polite' with treats and you can feed them at random times with no marker signal, without getting any pushy or muggy behaviour (not many are like this in my experience, but the level of frustration shown varies). Most do need to be taught these rules for hand feeding and need their human to be very consistent in keeping them otherwise they can get frustrated and upset, which not only isn't fair on them, but can also be dangerous for their handlers if the frustration leads to biting/barging, etc. Positive reinforcement is a massive motivator for horses (and other species :)), so can really help with getting the horse feeling confident and enjoying it's work and can be especially helpful if he horse has an aversion to something, e.g. trailer loading, clipping, etc.
 
Mine get Bailey's fibre nuggets - as a reward for standing still for clipping/washing; lifting their feet for picking out; coming in nicely from the field; standing still at a mounting block and so on. It is amazing how quickly they learn and respond with an appropriate reward. Neither horse will try to mug you either!
 
Mine get treats when being caught, throughout vets/ farrier visits and during ridden work when getting on/ when they're on breaks and when they finish. I use herbal treats for day to day and polos when out competing. It makes my horses like me ;-)
 
I buy the Bailey's fibre nuggets but not just to use as treats - they go in a ball as part of the ration when stabled in winter, and soak down into apparently the most delicious goop on the planet.

I treat as a reward (eg after loading) and whenever I feel like treating, frankly - but my horse does not mug. If she did, I wouldn't treat!
 
Mine get quite a few treats, I like to reward them for being good or just give them nice things. They will nudge pockets gently and ask politely for a treat, but if they nibble or bite at all, they get a very sharp flick on the nostrils and none of mine bite or mug you. One of mine has perfected "puppy dog eyes" though and that works every time I'm afraid!
 
I gave my boy a handful of treats a day. Healthy herbal treats. And would always have picked up apples / turnips / carrots n the shop to add to feed. Still go to pick them up in shops when they’re on offer and I lost him in April :(
Don’t regret any of the treats I gave him. He did get very clever about any trends that I developed about when he would get them but I found it cute. He was never going anywhere so I seen it as my problem lol
 
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