Feeding titbits...

Oberon

Oberon

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I've always been of the opinion that titbits (anything fed by hand) are for special occasions only, ie, when loading or for birthdays.

I've never routinely had something 'nice' in my pockets as I believed it would make my horses snappy.

This winter another livery and I have been helping each other bring in and turn out.

I have huge respect for her as she is very sensible and experienced. She has more knowledge in her little toe than I have totally :p

She routinely gives titbits and has been feeding mine - like at the field gate before taking the headcollars off.

I was concerned that they would start mugging me but it's caused no issues at all. In fact, I took something in my pocket today and my very large and slightly ignorant draft was really attentive to me, but didn't mug me at all.

He was 'lighter' at the end of the leadrope, rather than trudging on. But was still respectful when I had nothing more to give him.

So I am thinking perhaps titbits aren't so bad after all?
 
I always have pockets full of something; but I did quite a lot of clicker work for manners a long time ago.

Pinto knows that if he want a treat he has to be out of my space.

One of the first things you do with clicker is the "anti-mug" so mugging is not something I'm worried about.

Having said that I would never, ever hand feed treats to a horse I didn't have permission to/without the owners knowledge.
 
I dont normally feed titbits either, tightness as much as anything else tbh :o
but have been using them with a wildish horse I got in, not handled much but turns out she can cope with a lot more interaction than she thought if theres a treat at the end of it. So I dont write them off, but I dont bother as a rule.
 
Totally agree with this. I freely titbit my two horses and never have any problems, they both know when they're gone they're gone etc. However, daughter's old pony was a completely different story, you couldn't titbit her because she'd happily nip you when the treats ran out! So I think some of it depend on the horse and some of it depends on how the handler goes about managing access to treats.

Must admit, I like to give mine something nice so I'm glad it doesn't change their behaviour, and I have to say taking a carrot with me to turn out my youngster soon cured her of any desire to tank off once in the field! She now waits patiently after I take her headcollar off to get her treat and walks away calmly after she's had it. I don't do it every time, just enough so she doesn't tank off just in case. :)
 
I think it depends on the horse if the pony knows I have something in. my pocket he will mug me but them he is a bargy boy but mine always get sweeties after work stretchy ones (neck stretches) and good boy ones and have no problems with Amy of them
 
I think it depends on the horse.

My tb gets a lot of treats at various times throughout the day, I always have them in my pocket. He never mugs me for them or gets rude and demands them, he's always polite and never nippy.

The section A and the 3 year old only get them when they deserve them, if given them all the time they become rude and nippy and will mug me for them/pull at my pockets etc!!
 
I am not a great fan of titbits, I want my horses to be pleased to see me, not the food.
I do not think however, that if people want to feed from the hand, it is a big issue.
My Dad, ( now known as Ron"Monty Roberts" Stokes since he taught my baby to lead in ten minutes............well so he belives!!:) ) Is always shoving food in my horses faces. He gets bread and cakes from the shop over the road (out of date and stale). It gives him pleasure to feed them, while he lets them out, so I don't have to drive there in the morning before work. ( I would have to get up at about 4.30 to fit that in!) My horses look to him for the treats and do not bother with me.

Apart from the fact my riding horse now LIKES cream dougnuts! I have no problem with it, they certainly have never tried to bite anyone.

I think that titbits are a poor excuse for bad manners and poor handling really!

Your friend sounds nice, you could just ask her nicely not to titbit yours, or even better if it is not an issue, look the other way!
 
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I tend to use titbits only to get results, a la clicker training, with the exception of very occasional random treats. From me, the Spooky Pony expects a treat when getting his headcollar on in the field (he used to be a nightmare to catch, and the treat is a hold-over), and when being released.

As far as other people are concerned, he seems to have adopted the default position that they might be treat dispensers. This attitude was started by little girls at the riding school where I take him for lessons: they would simply stuff his face whenever I left him tied up on the yard. There are a few people on the yard that are also known for having pockets full of treats. One woman in particular once stuffed a doughnut in his face without asking me, and he tends to tow me across the yard to go investigate her, if I don't intervene (I generally do). We may safely conclude that the Spooky Pony likes doughnuts, and has a good memory as to their source!

The status quo is that the pony attempts to mug just about everyone except me, and some strange worrying men. Since his default position towards strange people was to run away really fast, I view this as something of an improvement, however. Especially since he doesn't mug me! :D
 
Mine get carrots when putting on and taking of their head collars and at the gateway taking leadrope off and putting on and have no trouble with them either trying to take off or barging trying to come in.A carrot with the words Good Boy/Girl works wonders, also mine get a carrot before I pick their feet out and a carrot when done and they stand as good as gold, my foal has a carrot per foot at the moment,but he stands as good as gold and seeing he'd never been handled till I bought him and as wild as they came that's pretty good going for him(just need to wean him off the wild birdseed):o:o:):):)
 
3Beasties said:
I think it depends on the horse.

My tb gets a lot of treats at various times throughout the day, I always have them in my pocket. He never mugs me for them or gets rude and demands them, he's always polite and never nippy.
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My haflinger is the same as this, he never gets rude or nippy he is very well manered in this respect & he does get spoilt :o

My mums cob if you give him something then have no more you do have to give him a firm no & he gets it, but my youngster is going through a nippy stage so if he gets any treats, they are put on the floor or in a bucket.
 
I give nibbles (this word is recognised by pony :rolleyes:) when she has let me put head collar on in field (she can be crafty and run around), when stood nicely on yard and tied up when first brought in, after tack has been taken off after riding and when her head collar has been taken off when turning out.

IMO, the latter is the most suitable place for them. She knows she will get a treat and this gives me time to prepare to get out the way just in case she goes off like a hooligan down the field, not that she often manages more than a waddle :D
 
flying solo said:
I can catch any horse on the yard as I'm known as the sweetie ladie. I always give a treat and pat as I pass but no one mugs me for them! I always treat my ponies probably too much but they never bite etc
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Do other liveries not mind you giving treats to their horses?
This may just be my opinion, but I would be a little annoyed.
 
I'm not a fan of titbits but I do use them with my youngster in summer when turning out so she stands calmly to get head collar off, can be distracted if we meet something on road to field.
Shes been getting a treat this week after getting her bridle on but she's got more interested in where the sweeties are than the bridle so now she's getting a scratch instead!
 
We always have pockets full of treats, but still have well mannered horses. We have used them to reward the behaviours we want, such as feeding a treat from on top to encourage standing still after mounting. Sister got a very large and not terrificaly well mannered mare last year, who was also known to bite :eek: She learnt to walk nicely along side and to be tacked up (the worst bit for biting) with judciouse use of treats. It does have to be thought out and not just random treating though :)
 
Sukistokes2 said:
My Dad, ( now known as Ron"Monty Roberts" Stokes since he taught my baby to lead in ten minutes............well so he belives!!:) ) Is always shoving food in my horses faces. He gets bread and cakes from the shop over the road (out of date and stale). It gives him pleasure to feed them, while he lets them out, so I don't have to drive there in the morning before work. ( I would have to get up at about 4.30 to fit that in!) My horses look to him for the treats and do not bother with me.

Apart from the fact my riding horse now LIKES cream dougnuts! I have no problem with it, they certainly have never tried to bite anyone.
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This made me smile. Memories of my late very non-horsey dad, nearly 40 years ago, doing similar daft stuff with my old lad when he put him out for me on his way to work. :rolleyes:

Dad said he didn't think Bamber had enough water in his stable at night. I told him he does, it's a ball-cock device. Dad said, "Well he gallops straight to his trough in the field when I let him go. He drinks, plays with the water... he's desperate for water."

"Do you give him any treats on the way to the field Dad?"

"A few mints..."

"Polos?"

"Trebor Extra Strong..."

"How many's a few?!"

"Just the one packet...." :eek::eek::eek:
 
I use treats a lot when training as I find they help to make youngsters especially more attentive. We have several of our 14 that came with issues, all dealt with by rewarding good behaviour with treats from the hand, a particularly bargy mare that bolted when turning out was 'cured' within a couple of days and has never done it since. A couple of the un-handled youngsters were having head collars on and off in the field within a few sessions over a couple of days following problems catching them. None of ours bite or are bolshy around us, all catch and come in (and out) perfectly. I don't hand feed treats in general other than training sessions but do think it is the way it is done that can cause problems for some. With one of ours we always knew if walkers had been feeding him because he started nipping, something we dealt with immediately and has never been a problem since.
 
I have a theory (and it's only a theory mind) that it tends to be horses that mug people and then get treats sometimes but other times get a slap across the chops, are the ones that start to nip.
I always have stuff in my pockets, but if a horse starts to mug me, i flap my arms a bit everytime they try it. When they stop mugging they get a treat. I also 'clicker' train to a degree, using a tongue cluck as a marker. They soon get it, and then the focus is off mugging you and working out what to do instead. Clever beasties.

Most people treat dogs, but rarely do you get a dog that bites because of treats but i think it's often because we like a 'trick' first, 'sit' 'beg' 'paw' - so the dog associates action with treat. I certainly never just randomly give my dogs treats, they have to do something - even if it's to come when called (for the treat). Horses are the same in my opinion. Just never 'train' them that mugging you gets them anywhere - or if you do be consistant and treat everytime, or you end up with a very confused and frustrated horse.

I like this...
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:D

Trina x
 
I feel right stingy as I don't treat except in the field hopefully so horsey pants will start coming over to me to save me trudging across the field - I'm a lazy so and so :rolleyes: so I call his name and treat, walk on a bit and call his name and treat again. Also I only treat in the field now because I was occasionally treating in the stable and he got a bit nudgy which I think is a bit rude.
My mum and sister take bags of carrots and treats nearly every day and treat thiers like it's going out of fashion :rolleyes: None of their horses nip but they do lip wiggle/nudge your shoulder when you go to speak to them.
Slightly jealous of my sister tho (I call her the carrot lady in the field) as my boy will go to her rather than me because he knows she's usually got something on her :o
 
I always have mints in my pocket, Markie gets them at certain points in his routine. Eg, he'll come to call, has his head collar on, comes out of the field, then has a treat whilst I fiddle doing up the heavy chain. He's a headstrong cob, I can't do up the gate if he decides he's going in, so, the treat works wonders! He also gets a treat when he's turned out, I stay outside of the field (avoiding muddy gateway), he goes through and sort of twirls round whilst I put the gate to behind him. He comes right around to get his treat and I keep clean feet!
My friend that rides him and helps out never carries treats, and he never looks for them from her. However, he does tend to be a bolshy cobnobasaurus with her and tends to walk right through her! He thinks with his stomach!
I don't give treats to other horses unless I've got permission from the owner. Sometimes, after teaching, the riders are begging for a mint more than the horses!
 
I think they should get their ' wages'.

However it depends on the animal, my old TB always got treats, pony.... Hardly ever, it turns him into a proper little mugger. So he has to do something incredibly special to get fed from my hand
 
I rarely feed carrots as routine, but I have found them useful when training my youngster. She learned "stand" really quickly when I was leading her out as every time she had to stand she got a small piece of carrot. In fact I was doing the same with her today. I tend to use them as rewards for good behaviour - not just all the time, and I rarely have them in my pockets. I don't feed mints or sugar generally - in fact I had some fudge which a friend had given me a couple of weeks ago and tried both of mine with a teeny tiny piece. Neither would touch it! I tried honey on my youngsters bit to get her to accept it, but she hated the taste!
 
I know if my pony has been fed tidbits by anyone,he get pishy into my hand and pockets.
I tell people no usually if they ask, and I give the odd treat when I feel like it, but it isn't a daily occurance.
 
Oh. My dad used to air in the car and he'd give him extra strong Mints out if the window, he's bit had anything this way for three years, but still tries to stick his head in an open car window!!
 
I think that it has been well proven by research that horses learn better with treats. I don't do formal clicker training other than a few 'tricks' (target, and kissing, a bit of backing up and things like that), but actually find that it makes horse far less 'snatchy'.

My 6 year old daughter was shocked and horrified when her new non clicker trained pony just snatched treats out of her hand - 'but she didn't do anything to ask for them mummy! She was rude!'. I had to explain that we would need to teach her how to ask nicely!

My 16.3hh kisses her gently on the cheek or nuzzles her hair, than stands back and waits for the treat. I know that it a much stronger tool than we use it for, but just posting to dispel the myth of treats = mugging.
 
one thing thats a bit disconcerting with feeding my pretty much unhandled horse titbits by hand, is that shes not really got much spacial awareness of where her mouth is in relation to my hand, and starts flapping her lips way off :D shes careful to not get my whole arm in her mouth at least.

The difference in her is pretty awesome though and I know some of it is down to having equine and human contact now, but shes one that thinks with her belly and titbits
= good...ok I'll try to do what you want.
 
Lucyad said:
I think that it has been well proven by research that horses learn better with treats.
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And yet Monty Roberts says, "Horses do not regard food from the hand as reward, but connect food to the human body and are thus trained to bite."

Having said that, I feed Mollie treats often. :D
 
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