DO YOU GIVE YOUR HORSE TREATS?

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lcharles

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As title really? Just wondered what people generally do.....

At shows my horses get treats if they jump well but at home I dont tend to give them treats at all. They get a few carrots chopped up in there feed but I mean at a show they have a polo or two after a good round!
 
Always in feed they get a few carrots , apples or something along that line but never hand
I do believe it causes unwanted behaviour such as nipping etc
 
Never from the hand to my youngster, as he likes to nip and chew as it is and I don't want to encourage him. He'll get the odd bit of carrot in his feed.

My mare gets a carrot, bit of apple or a horse bix treat after she is ridden or if I go out to the field to check rugs/foot pick etc She never scrounges at any other time, and can eat a carrot so discreetly in the field that her companions don't realise!

Treats are generally discouraged on our yard, which I think is a very good thing.
 
Mine all get a mint when I arrive at the paddock - I never have to go far to catch them - they will be at the gate from a quick call. They love their mints.

Good behaviour is rewarded most of the time verbally but especially good is rewarded with a mint. My Clydie love Eclipse mints
 
He gets "good boy" or a warm pat at the time, I don't encourage any sort of mouthing, he will know if I have had carrots in my pockets or if I have been making up his feeds, he was in a yard where all the horses got a treat at the same time, and he now knows the sound of a polo mint being unwrapped at 100 yards!
 
All the time! lol

Everytime I go in the feedroom and rattle things around, his little expectant face when I come out (involving lots of lip twitching) is too hard to resist! I do stop giving him them if he becomes to pushy which is enough to make him behave himself again. My sister's youngster was a bit nippy when he arrived, so we didn't feed him anything (his old owner fed him lots of carrots) but now he's a good boy and can have them from the hand. We've never had a nippy horse, and we give treats all the time :)

Polos always after a comp too, and choc digestives when the farrier/chiro comes out :eek: :D
 
Mine get Polo’s galore! Not always as a reward, just because they like them. They do get them after they’ve jumped at a comp too though.

Caffrey is a bit pushy now as in he always wants to rummage through your pockets and nudge you, but I think it’s quite cute. :)
 
No I don't. But every other bugger does. There are couple of people at the yard who's pockets my two will rifle as soon as they're in reach. I don't really mind though as they don't bother me, they know they won't get anything! The people who treat them are grown up enough to deal with my two nosing at them and my pair seem perfectly capable of working out who will and won't feed them. Apparently they like strong mints but I've never tested this out!
 
No although they get rewards for doing the right thing or trying to do the right thing when working - I suppose i've inadvertently clicker trained them both using 'good' as the click - they both know that a treat will follow, I don't give treats for no reason because I feel that would de-value the rewards they get for effort.

Interesting article here, not sure I agree with all of it but its food for thought!
http://hiddenhorses.com/wordpress/2011/10/28/click-or-treat/
 
Starbucks said:
Caffrey is a bit pushy now as in he always wants to rummage through your pockets and nudge you, but I think it’s quite cute. :)
Click to expand...

Mine loves the herbally horse treats, and will get pushy - but in a cute way as above lol! He also gets a remedy sprayed on his gums atm so has treats after that as an incentive for him to not mind them, and so he doesn't fall out with me :D
 
I give her a carrot for coming to me in the field, after ive ridden her, if shes jumped well. I never usually give treats but my 3yr old daughter is obsessed with givin her carrots at the mo! Gracie thinks shes died and gone to heaven!:D:D
 
Mine get a mint when i go to fetch them in, mare used to be iffy to catch, now they come running to the gate, she also gets a mint or 2 after riding as a reward.
None are nippy, i wouldn't allow it!:)
 
Nearly 40 years ago, when I was a teenager, my Dad used to put my horse out in the field in the mornings as I was at school. Dad wasn’t at all horsey, but loved Bamber.

One day Dad told me he didn’t think Bamber’s water bowl worked in his stable. His reason was that when he released him into the field he galloped to the water trough and drank his fill, and played with the water for ages.

I checked the water bowl, it was fine, and Bamber had no problems using it. So I quizzed Dad. I asked him to tell me exactly what his routine with Bamber was in the 5 minute walk to the field.

“I give him a mint, and put his headcollar on, we set off and I give him another mint. We carry on like that to the field.”

“What sort of mints?”

“Extra Strong, he loves them....”

“How many do you give him in 5 minutes then? One, two...?”

“Oh he always has the whole packet.”

Poor horse's mouth must have been on fire! :eek::eek:
 
maggiesmum said:
Interesting article here, not sure I agree with all of it but its food for thought!
http://hiddenhorses.com/wordpress/2011/10/28/click-or-treat/
Click to expand...
Excellent article and interesting blog - one I hadn't seen before, so thanks for quoting it.

I use for as both rewards for particular behaviours and as treats to change the emotional tone. A recent example of the latter was yesterday handling a newly weaned Suffolk punch filly foal for the first time. She was very wary of me and wouldn't let me get close, but after I gave her a couple of carrot halves from my outstretched hand, her attitude changed and I was able to start touching her and getting her used to me and to being handled. There I wasn't rewarding any behaviour with the carrot, but rather using it to "break the ice".

When I give food as treats it is usually by hand. However, I carefully avoid rewarding mouthiness or pestering behaviour and so that isn't a problem in practice.
 
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yes i do feed treats as a reward or just because i want to .
Yes i do feed from the hands if they get to eager i say *NO GENTLY* then they take it gently my horses dont bite or nip

my mare is on limited sugar free polos to keep her happy when the others get anything , they normally get apples and carrots in their feed.
they get any type of mints
chewy ones are funny to watch them when it sticks to teeth
they also love licorice
and all types fruit
chocolate
bread
the list goes on
 
Yes, as hello, goodbye, and after a ride.

I have liveries as well as my own horse. I NEVER go to catch a horse, any horse. I call, they come, they get a treat. If you are looking after other peoples' animals there has to be a willingness to come - cupboard love it may be, but I need to be sure they think I am a good thing in case of emergency!!

Example: Chap asked if he could have manure. I said yes, asked him to access a pile through the far gate of our field, in which the horses were grazing, and said "please shut the gate". "Of course I will!" To my horror, looked across the field half an hour later. Man gone, manure gone, gate wide open and the horses grazing 10 yards from the gate - and they had just noticed it was open (it leads out onto a very bendy lane). I called them, more in desperation than expectation - but they all came cantering across to me for their treats and my friend sneaked round and shut the gate.

The goodbye treat, usually an apple, tells them I'm done with them. They can go and play. None of them are importunate for treats, and behave very nicely with small children etc.

For general good behaviour, a scratch on the neck and a very positive 'warm' voice.
 
With my sisters pont handfuls of feed are handy to catch him - sometimes he will start to walk away when you go to catch him, throw half a handful of food his way and he stops and waits :D
 
No I dont feed treats (harsh I know!!!).

When my mare and youngster do something good they get a good pat/ stroke on their neck or rub/stroke on their face combined with a positive voice "like good boy" etc, they seem to like this. I dont encourage treats being fed to a youngster as sometimes can lead to nippy behaviour.

But that's just me! :)
 
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Yes, because they are clicker trained.

I also use food rewards without the clicker when I ride, to reward general co-operation/bravery/good behaviour.

When used properly, treats don't cause nippy behaviour. However I do believe that not all horses are suitable for food-reinforcer based training - I have one very foody youngster who gets his reinforcement through lip-curling scratches - he would get way too frustrated if I used food with him during training, and the drawbacks of doing so would out-weigh the positives.
 
I am a terror for it! Elizabeth now keeps the tack room key and won't let me in! I love to treat Caps because he was so badly treated and this is his first "pet" home, but he does get a bit nippy and searches, so it is wrong really but I can resist when he says please!
This is him saying please
muddypony122.jpg


How could anyone resist? He gets carrots/ apples mainly but I do sneak him the odd ginger biscuit as well. Fany gets treats too, but she never nips,searches or asks.
FDC
 
Yes. They get one treat last thing which they do not look for, but is because I am a soft touch! TBH, if they started looking for this, I would stop giving it.

As a reward for good behaviour with my youngster and as a distraction technique to combat mounting issues. That really was a revelation and now the little horse that used to buck til I hit the wall, now stands for me to get on , has a treat as a reward and mooches off thoughtfully chewing. I will continue to give this treat, as I would not want to go back to the alternative!

I don't give anything else though.
 
I do, usually have set times for giving them. When I catch (I loathe having to walk to get horses, I stand at the gate and shout, then wait) get a treat then, straight after taking bridle off after work and, on turning out, I stand outside the gate, horse goes through, twirls around and has a treat whilst I push gate too and remove headcollar (I don't like muddy gateways!).
I also use treats for stretches. I've never had a horse that nips, Markie will search anybody and everybody, just in case, but he has been treated all of his life. He's totally fine if he doesn't get anything, just disappointed!
 
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