How many treats a day?

[SEL]

isn't it funny, they are all individuals -none of mine will eat swede.
My welsh bites apples perfectly in half, and then in half again, and again.. she's very good at sharing. The WB would yomp them down in one go

M loves swedes - that Ardennes jaw makes short work of them. His neighbour in the stable block loves bananas but both of mine thought I was mad when I presented them with one.

I'm very careful treating the Appy because she has food anxiety issues and it took me a long time to stop nasty mugging and nipping. She has to work for a treat now - if people on the yard tend to treat then i tell them to make her do one of her stretches for it.

My OH spoils M but luckily the worst he does is look at you like you are the meanest person ever if carrots don't appear.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Because we're not interested in giving treats? Treats are not relevant to the way I keep my horses, I don't use them, so no 'training' required.

In that case, I wasn't wondering about you! I was wondering about those who say they don't give food rewards because their horses/ponies mug them, if they do.

 

[Auslander]

I treat Alf all the time. He's very polite, and doesn't mug me, so I have no problem with him having something whenever I walk past him. He'll go anywhere I go, without a headcollar on, because he knows it's worth his while, so it's useful in that respect. I also like the nostril flutters when I walk up to him!

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I buy a sack of those Baileys Fibre Plus Nuggets, last months not expensive. Use them for carrot stretches and when they're being turned out, it means they don't gallop off and calmly walk off, if I forget they'll wait as if they're neglected. They never nip or 'mug' me for them apart from sulking if I forget at the gate, so have no problem with it.

Carrots or apples for mine is a bigggg treat which they get very occasionally. I do get a packet of mints sometimes with the shopping, thats their best thing ever.

I remember a old friend always had carrots, apples, mints, treats in her pocket she'd CONSTANTLY feed her gelding treats, constantly.. as she led him he'd get a supply of treats, farrier, when he was outside his stable and wondered why he would nip and get quite nasty to lead if you didn't give him any. He'd scrape the floor, kick the door if he wanted a treat. We all explained but she never changed her ways, grr.

 

[josie_s]

I'm a mean mammy!
In my book, every day is not a treat, its an expectation!
Mine get a couple of carrots in their feeds but very rarely anything from my hand unless as a reward - the one who's not great to catch gets a carrot if he doesn't give me the run around but otherwise I can't remember last time they had something from my hand

 

[Gloi]

I always have treats in my pocket when I'm riding and am pretty liberal with them. When I get on an organised he will stand still and wait for one. When opening and closing gates he will get one for standing still while I fiddle with the latch, for waiting nicely in a gateway while half the tractors in the county drive by. It's been quite useful to ensure he won't fidget if he knows stand stock still when told equals treat.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I give Baileys fibre nuts as treats and I used to treat my old guy all the time whenever I felt like it. Now I have two I find it isn’t practical. Neither are nasty but they get a bit in your face. New boy seems to engulf my hand instead of daintily taking a nugget off my palm.

I only tend to do it now occasionally after riding or if I think they are going to be naughty to turn out and it stops them rudely flinging head collar off and bogging off. They sometimes get a goodnight nugget if I’m checking on them before I leave the yard.

 

[scats]

On the occasion I have treated them to something, Polly doesn’t like anything sweet. She hates polos or sugar lumps. Spits them right out.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

On the occasion I have treated them to something, Polly doesn’t like anything sweet. She hates polos or sugar lumps. Spits them right out.

We had a mare on the yard who loved polo mints. She would take one and suck it. Then she would take another one, and another one and so on and so forth until she got to 7 in her mouth. If you offered her another one she would spit one out to take the new one. If you offered her another one again she would again spit one out to take one. Strange mare!

The horses at the yard get a shovel full (yes a shovel!) of carrots in winter over their doors every day.

 

[kathantoinette]

None. I’m not one for giving treats. Every now and again a carrot which has gone a bit soft for human consumption 😀

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Horse or owner?

Horse earns bits of carrot for random tricks such as carrot stretches, putting his own bridle on (his head is so big, I hold it out for him, he puts his head in and takes the bit, then keeps his head down while I do his ears), standing still at the mounting block, end of ride or lesson. He isn't ridden everyday so some days, no treats, busy days as much as 4 or 5 carrots (he weighs a tonne so it's a drop in the ocean in his feeding plan)

Owner gets treats for going to the supermarket and refilling the cupboard shelves. DIY is rewarded with tea and cake. Owner rarely gets treats and it is just one on each qualifying day, as many as one or two days a week. Owner would not be happy receiving a piece of carrot as a treat! Sugar has seemingly no impact on owners energy levels or behaviour. (No matter how much I try)

 

[rosiesowner]

Just like in every other aspect of horse care, every horse is different. Chilli gets lots of treats because she *touch wood* never gets snatchy and is always very delicate and careful when taking treats. She usually takes 4 bites to eat an average carrot and clears an apple up in about 8-10 bites. Very ladylike! However I have known horses who are total brats and get terrible after being given one treat. Needless to say if Chill was like that I wouldn't treat her at all.

She gets 2 carrots in her breakfast and dinner, low calorie fibre nugget things as treats fed from my hand and the same ones put in her treat ball (she ends up losing most of those anyhow as she insists on rolling it about in her shavings...)
Her most high value treat is a sugar cube. These are limited to one per day max and usually come straight after a schooling session when she's been really good.

Probably about twice a month she'll give me a really cute face while I'm eating something and maybe get a little try of that
Here is an example of how polite she is while taking treats. Took her four bites to eat a little malted milk biscuit...

 

[melbournesunrise]

I started to use carrots when I first bought my horse as a training tool, mainly because he was distrustful of me and wasn't easy to catch - at first I used a bit of carrot to encourage him to approach me. As he got better, it was delayed until his headcollar was on, or until we reached the gate, or until we reached the yard.

Now he knows to expect a carrot or similar fruit/vegetable treat from me before I leave, either in the paddock or in the stable. But he is very polite about it - the furthest he goes is to nudge me when I get distracted, but never in a nasty way! He's always been quite polite and friendly about it, and pretty patient. Although having said that, he was too impatient to wait for me to return the other day, and managed to eat the end of the carrot from the pocket of my jacket

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

How many treats a day is acceptable?
What treats do you use?
Can carrots and apples be a healthier option for treats?

I give mine a treat when they are good, and done well as other times just for the sake of it.. Use herbal ones and other horse treats.

 

[Winters100]

Oh goodness, I am obviously the worst owner ever! Mine gets plenty of treats every day and would be horrified if I turned up without a carrot in my pocket - truthfully I didn't realise that this was not the norm! Most days she gets a few carrots and maybe a beetroot or a kohlrabi in her supper. Luckily she is a very polite schoolmistress who wouldn't dream of mugging me!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Oh goodness, I am obviously the worst owner ever! Mine gets plenty of treats every day and would be horrified if I turned up without a carrot in my pocket - truthfully I didn't realise that this was not the norm! Most days she gets a few carrots and maybe a beetroot or a kohlrabi in her supper. Luckily she is a very polite schoolmistress who wouldn't dream of mugging me!

If it works for you and your horse, carry on doing exactly what you usually do!

 

[BOWS28]

Mine are very polite so i have no problem with letting her have a little sweetie! It's helpful for stretches too! She is such a good girl and would never mug me for food. She knows that she has to back up twice whenever i have food and stand and wait until i give it over.

 

[Leo Walker]

Tbf it's literally in the last week that we've seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Obviously I have never treated her if she's been pushy etc and have always been mindful of when she gets a treat to suit me rather than her. I try hard to not reward any bolshy behaviour, yet she would still lose self discipline now and then.

but I really think the clicker training has made the penny drop. I didn't expect that, perhaps the same applies to other people too?

Mine is a mugger. She was terrible when I first got her and for that reason she doesnt ever get random treats. We do clicker train though. It was the first thing I did when she arrived as I wanted to teach her "face away" to get her out of my space a bit. I then used it to teach her to line herself up in front of the carriage and stand still while I walked around her, which is a really useful thing for a driving pony to do.

I also taught one of mine a really stompy spanish walk which has no real purpose other than to get him thinking school work was fun. I keep meaning to teach Bobbie some tricks but life keeps getting in the way!

 

[pansymouse]

I use hay cobs as rewards and give them when I deem it appropriate. Many commercial 'treats' are full of sugar and rubbish.

Me too. A bag of Thunderbrooks hay cobs will last me a year and they are without a doubt the most popular treat with every horse I've given them to.

 

[Fluffypiglet]

I realized last night how effective treats are in training. Rode horse, back in stable, I put tack away and as walking back towards horse I get a sweet little hoofle (whicker) and turn around promptly to fetch the treats I'd forgotten! What a well trained human I am. 😁

 

[Cowpony]

Mine gets difficult to catch in summer, so she gets a small apple every time she is caught. Doesn't make any difference when the hormones are raging, but it gives me hope!

She goes loopy on carrots and doesn't like swede, so she never gets them. She gets a treat once I'm on board when she stands nicely at the mounting block and another when I turn her out, so she stands patiently without trying to gallop off. And she gets them for carrot stretches.

She is very polite - her way of asking for another is to nudge your arm gently with her nose, and she never gets one if she does that. And I did some clicker training, so she turns her head away if she sees me going to my pocket.

She never gets a treat just because I'm standing with her and feel generous!

 

[nikkimariet]

None.

They get a treat for being caught (as Bruce is a PITA for running off and it keeps him a bit sweeter), before and after work.

If I've got carrots or apples that need using up they get chopped up and added to their feed, I don't give them by hand.

 

[Quigleyandme]

My big Peppermint Loving Paddy would get a Trebor Extra Strong for looking winsome and fluttering his nostrils at me. I couldn't resist him and he was always polite and gentle. I've often noticed when watching top level esquestrian sport on telly that the horse is given a pat and polo by it's connections as soon as it has finished and frankly that makes me happy too.