Foal treats

carmenlucy123

carmenlucy123

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I took some apples/bananas and carrots down to the farm last night to share out the older horses obviously thought it was great but i bit a little bit of apple to give to Mabel and Marmalade (3 months and 6 months) and just rubbed it on their gums and bless them they seemed completely unimpressed and shook their heads lol

what age will they start enjoying treats? Its not that I want to start plying them with treats I just wondered the horse next door was pleased as she got most of them!
 
willow is still highly unimpressed when it comes to treats! :D and she's 16 months

she eats her feed from a bucket fine... but if there are any apples in there she eats around them and throws a strop at her bucket!

she'l take a treat, roll it around for a bit then fling it back out!
 
Faberge said:
I'd never feed foals/youngtock treats from my hands - makes them bite IME

I have a 4yo that still won't eat carrots, so I guess some never come round to the idea...
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:) yes i found that with willow once she had taken a tiny bit of treat. she got a bit pushy and mouthy that day. she got a swift telling off and she's never done it again.

i don't intend to start treating by hand on a regular basis, and certainly not really until she is much older! depends on her really. none of my older ones have become biters from being fed treats by hand- if willow starts that then she wont get, simple as that! ;)
 
I would never feed any horse from my hand, foals and youngstock especially. It can only lead to pushing, barging, biting and generally growing into the sort of horse that no one wants anything to do with.
 
elderlycoupleindevon said:
I would never feed any horse from my hand, foals and youngstock especially. It can only lead to pushing, barging, biting and generally growing into the sort of horse that no one wants anything to do with.
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I would normally agree however my foal had to be fed as she was quite poor and hand feeding was the only way to do this.
 
Maesfen said:
Couldn't agree more.
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So true. I took on a right little charmer once - 10 months old and had been spoilt rotten by his well-meaning owner/breeder who always took treats into the field. When I got him he kicked and bit but learnt the error of his ways . . . . .

I've had quite a few youngsters and a couple of older ones and never, ever feed treats from my hand.
 
i never feed my foals or youngsters treats, infact, none of my older ones get them either! if they get 'treats' as such they are fed from a bucket/from the ground.

One of this years foals is a wonderful friendly little thing, she loves to give kisses, will come over to anyone etc. at weekend, i was mortified that she tried to bite me - twice..... i was then FUMING when i found out 2 other liveries had that day started to give her bits of carrot and apples from their hands! No wonder she tried to bite me grrrr.... i'm still mad at the fellow liveries! i am lucky that this foal has the right attitude to not try it again once she was told off - had it have been my other foal.... i think i would have a different story to tell!
 
Oh dear :/ I was mor interested in making nice stable hangings of swede and bits homemade boredom breakers things like that. Mabel is already trying to suckle off me constantly- orphan foal only ever fed from a bucket?!? Can't understand why she try's to suckle me I must be the milk maid but I always fed and left her feeding usually fussing the older foal to distract her from milk stealing!
 
I think treats can be a useful training aid, but it's all in the timing and they shouldn't just get them for looking cute. The 'bribery and corruption' method of horse training hasn't done us far wrong yet. However, mugging, barging, biting or crowding.....rude.

Felix had never met carrots before. To keep him occupied on his first journey home, I had carrots with me and he kept looking at them closely first with each eye in turn and then sniffing them with each nostril.

He soon got the hang of carrots when we threw them out on the floor and the others started eating them. He takes the same scattergun approach to them as his bro though - eats half a carrot and then moves on to the next one.

Personally I find scritches work as better treats for foals. They are normally very very itchy.
 
carmenlucy123 said:
Oh dear :/ I was mor interested in making nice stable hangings of swede and bits homemade boredom breakers things like that. .......
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It may be that by the word treats, you've been misunderstood. Anything which alleviates boredom, is an excellent idea! The problem which can often arise with hand feeding tit bits to foals, is that you can all so often end up, with a badly mannered little toad!! To avoid that, you've wisely fed milk out of a bucket, though even with that, it wouldn't take long for them to work out how the milk gets there, I would imagine!

The problem with bottle feeding and hand held treats, or so it seems, is that maintaining respect, on the part of the foal, isn't easy.

I've never hand reared a foal, but I wonder if one of those plastic balls, with holes in, which they nose about the floor might be an idea. I suspect that swedes are a bit of an acquired taste, though you never know, they may get the hang of it! Give it a go, and good luck!! Let us know which system works.

Alec.
 
Lol scratches are a good bribe! I found that the easiest way to pick their feet up quickly scratch!
Thanks Alec! I will hang some bits up and see what happens as for the suckling she will be off milk now in a few weeks so I imagine shell grow out of it I just ignore her or try and stand in a way that she cannot reach me!
 
I don't feed tit bits at all to anyone but can Piper (18 month giant) have carrots and apples in his food now? I worry about him choking as hes such a gannet so never have.
 
Mine get lots of "treats" this time of year, I raid all the local roadside apple trees, chop them into 1/4's and spread them across the fields for them to forage for, they love it and the babies learn about apples and how tasty they are and how to give way to their elders!!!

I have had 6 large carrier bag fulls off one tree alone, otherwise they would all rot and as I am not having to feed them (loadsa grass) it's a nice way of getting them to come over and be checked out. Am running out a bit now just the stuff that is too high up to reach, so its back to carrots and a mineral lick soon before the haylage starts.
 
I think feeding treats from my hand could quite possibly be one of the worst things i've done whilst being a horse owner...

My mare had never ever tried to nip/get in my personal space until a friend suggested doing some stretchs (round to ribs each side)

now after a week she became very nippy/in my space

i stopped the treats and she's now learning my pockets no longer contain sweeties

Learnt from my mistake my foal will have to not have a sweet tooth
 
I would never feed ANY horse from the hand however old they were and especially not youngsters!! you are just asking for trouble
 
Mine do not get treats. In my opinion the only benefit is for the owner to feel 'nice'. What is wrong with a scratch? They wont 'love' you any more.
 
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