Do you feed your horses treats

[oldie48]

Yes, sadly I think I am known as the treat lady by all the horses and dogs as I have polos in my left pocket and dog treats in the right, but I never treat anyone's horse or dog without asking and dogs have to sit and wait. However I only treat polite animals as I value my fingers so Fatty never got anything. Rose always gets a polo after finishing work and if offered anything else she'll ignore it. I also do carrot stretches with her and tbh she can get a little bit grabby.

 

[muddybay]

I use a carrot in my pocket to help coax him out the field and bring him down the hill (used to plant his feet and not budge). He now just chases me down the hill!

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Yep, every time I go to catch him (increases the chance of me not having to walk down the field in the mud to get him when he’s at the other end). Plus usually one or two when we’ve finished a ride, the indoor has a kilner jar full of treats by the gate and he knows exactly where it is ?

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

Yes usually just use Bailey’s Fibre Nuggets which are apparently tasty, relatively healthy and economical. Even dogs come up to me if I’ve got them on my pocket and two of the labs I know will eat them. I’m a serial treat giver to my own animals.

 

[Melody Grey]

No, never. None of mine have ever been fed from the hand. I will occasionally give a bucket of feed as a tempter when training to load, but that's not a treat as such.

Mine neither- I think it’s a reasonable expectation for the horse to want to work for you if you’re firm but fair. I do give a pat and praise with my voice though. I have enough welshie based problems without being mugged too!

 

[scats]

Yes. They get a large fibre cube before work and a few after. Millie likes the occasional sugar lump (Polly won’t entertain sweet treats). Neither are bolshy, Bargy or would dare mug me.

 

[WandaMare]

I was always taught not to give treats from the hand because it can lead to nipping so I've tended to follow that rule and only give a few in a bucket after they've been worked. This was particularly my stance with a mare I bought six years ago who would nip your hand quite roughly given half a chance. However recently, I've started giving her a few more treats as she seemed a bit flat after losing her buddy in the autumn, and she has had a huge personality change. She's turned from a fairly tricky horse to handle into my best buddy with the manners of an angel, I'm really surprised how much happier she seems generally. She hasn't re-started nipping (yet!) so I'll obviously have to keep an eye on that but if she carries on as she's been the last few months then she'll be getting treats regularly from now on. I think its increased her confidence and trust in me. Just shows how we can keep on learning about our horses!

 

[milliepops]

I think well considered treats can be a useful (and speedy) part of training. My older TB was effectively trained by last YO (assisted livery) to leg it up the field as soon as the headcollar was removed and that drives me nuts, it's dangerous and you end up showered in mud. It was easy to break the habit by teaching him to hang around for some goodies and now he stands quietly and waits for whatever I might produce, usually morsels of carrot which are his highest value munchies.

but like others, i also dish them out when I fancy it, I have one who i have to be a little bit thoughtful about but everyone else is really polite and it suits me that they want to come to me in the field etc as a timesaver!

 

[planete]

I like the fact the coat tails of the Spanish Riding School riders have a sugar pocket to reward the horses at the end of a ride. If they think it is ok to hand feed a treat to a stallion it cannot be such a bad practice.

 

[DabDab]

Yep. Generally as a reward rather than just because though.

I've certainly met horses that have been trained to mug, but it is because they have been inadvertently trained rather than because treats cause their brain to melt. Some horses are much more prone than others.

 

[cobgoblin]

A bit of apple after being ridden, untacked and back in their stable. I never carry anything edible in my pockets.

 

[MuddyMonster]

Yes, frequently. He used to be muggy but we worked a lot on relaxation atound treats and that has helped no end and treats are now really powerful training tool.

I mainly use celery, rosehips, polos and hay cobs.

 

[windand rain]

Are my ponies the only ones that wont eat sugar lumps. Hazel wont eat apples unless you bite them for her

 

[DabDab]

Are my ponies the only ones that wont eat sugar lumps. Hazel wont eat apples unless you bite them for her

Never tried sugar lumps but I would expect at least one of mine would turn her nose up. She rejects most sweet treats except for apples and carrots. Hay cobs and herby pellet things are her favourites. Minimal sweet tooth I guess.

 

[Celtic Fringe]

Are my ponies the only ones that wont eat sugar lumps. Hazel wont eat apples unless you bite them for her

My little cob doesn't like sugar cubes. His big uncle was once given a sugar cube as a reward for being extra good at the end of a lesson with an extremely well known trainer. He shook his head and spat it right out at the trainer. Bit rude really

Little cob point blank refuses pears, bananas, swede and sometimes apples. I don't think I've ever offered him mints. Fibre nuggets and carrots are great and he will start doing carrot stretches on his own to get a reward. I give him a couple when I catch him in and when he goes out. He gets a bit of extra haylage from me when he comes in so that is really a treat and was very keen on his salt lick last summer but doesn't touch it at the moment. I sometimes offer him a fibre nugget when we are out hacking and need to stop for any reason but that is more to reassure me than him at the moment!

 

[milliepops]

Kira is the only one of mine who likes sugar lumps. I give one after putting her bridle on as it makes her chew the bits.

 

[LEC]

@TheMule this post has you written all over it.....

 

[Chappie]

Another vote here for Baileys Fibre Nuggets! Very useful for training!

 

[Cortez]

Are my ponies the only ones that wont eat sugar lumps. Hazel wont eat apples unless you bite them for her

No you're not. I have a friend who contends that my horses are abused because they actually won't take anything from the hand, she spends a lot of time surreptitiously trying to get them to eat all sorts of rubbish which they either ignore completely or spit out. She's banned from the stables now though

 

[McFluff]

I trained my difficult to catch TB using apples. I’d go into the field, call her, then start to eat the apple. Day one she got the core, day two a fat core, and by the end of the week, I got one bite. Think it saved me hours over the time I had her.
I always give a mint after riding, but would stop if a horse was ever pushy.

 

[Snow Falcon]

My son's old pony used to "snuffle" once untacked for her Baileys fibre nugget.

My riding mare does her stretches for nuggets. My old boy never got treats but he hangs his head over the barn door now and he's found out we are soft touches in his latter years!

 

[Lois Lame]

Carrots, and during his apple craze, apples.

I used to not offer a carrot upon catching as I felt it was bribery. Years later I decided there was nothing wrong with a bit of bribery. But now I'm back to thinking I'm not in favour of bribery. Oh, it's challenging being so contrary.

Sometimes I put the carrots in the feed bucket. I've never had a rude horse (not a bitey one) so it probably doesn't matter how I give the carrot/s.

I'm not in favour of any form of lollies for a horse.

 

[PurBee]

Not daily...sometimes they get the odd carrot or apple, they never know its coming so dont expect treats, or ask for them etc.

mine particularly love bananas, oranges, apples and carrots and curly parsley. They dont get them all at once!, tho’im sure theyd love a mixed platter!
Another treat are blackberry leaves, so in the winter i scout about and cut them some really long pieces with lots of leaves and buds on - they’ve finally worked out to hold one end under their hoof to hold it down enabling easily leaf picking!

 

[scats]

Are my ponies the only ones that wont eat sugar lumps. Hazel wont eat apples unless you bite them for her

Polly hates sugar lumps or anything sweet. She won’t touch polo mints either.

 

[meleeka]

Mike get Spillers treats for catching (the cob) and if they’ve been good. I don’t make a habit of it as they are all over fed and porky anyway and the cob and Shetland tend to get nippy. They can smell treats from a mile away.

 

[SOS]

No. On rare occasions I do when I’ve been given some by someone at the yard.
Why? I don’t often have them in/remember to buy carrots etc for the horses. They don’t seem to suffer for it!

 

[milliepops]

No. On rare occasions I do when I’ve been given some by someone at the yard.
Why? I don’t often have them in/remember to buy carrots etc for the horses. They don’t seem to suffer for it!

first thing that goes into the supermarket trolley here!

 

[SOS]

first thing that goes into the supermarket trolley here!

I must be a bad pony mum - I remember the carrots for the dog!

 

[doodle]

Robin didn’t have time to take his second treat this morning after turnout. I had put his buddy out at same time, he took one but then they had to go and have a rolling contest which was more important ?

 

[poiuytrewq]

Mine all get carrots in feeds over winter as I think it’s nice for them to get some freshness, no grass and everything is just a bit dry ?
Other than that not really, I do buy bags of treats sometimes but they sit unopened in the Feed room because I just forget.