What lickable treats for carrot stretches?

[Crazydancer]

I am helping to bring a brood mare back into work. She is 12 and it's been 4 or 5 years since she was in regular work.
I had a physio out to check her over before we started just to make sure there were no underlying issues.
The mare is fine, but generally stiff in every direction you can think of, so as well as some in-hand exercises (and if you have any useful ones please let me know!!) she recommended carrot stretches.
She said using a lick treat makes it a more useful exercise as the horse stays in the stretch and doesn't just move back once the carrot is taken. So any lick-treat recommendations? The local tack shop only had an apple flavoured Lickit, which I wasn't keen on as I know how high they are in sugar, and actually the mare doesn't seem that interested in it!
So, what licky treats do you use?

 

[Brightbay]

I use clicker training instead - train the horse what you want them to do, rather than luring them. Arm yourself with chopped up carrots, and something to use as a target for the horse to touch with their nose (the lid of a supplement container can work well). Get a piece of carrot in your hand, then ask the horse to touch the lid with their nose by holding it out - most horses will instinctively to go sniff something like this. As their nose touches it, make a click sound with your mouth and immediately offer the piece of carrot in front of the horse but out away from your body. Repeat a few times until the horse is reliably touching the lid, then, standing at the horse's shoulder, ask them to bend around to touch the lid. Click, and then offer the food in front of the horse (so they have to move their head back centred). Increase the distance of the bend until they have stretched where you want - you can also hold the target high so the horse stretches upwards toward their croup, and down lower so the stretch is towards the stifle. In between stretches around, hold the lid in front of the horse, ask them to touch but wait for a count of one (then two, then three) with their nose still touching before you click. That way, you teach them to touch and hold - and you then introduce this for when they bend around as well.

I don't know why physios aren't taught this - it's a much safer method of teaching stretches, as the horse is never stretching towards food, but doing the stretch as an action that is rewarded with food in a safe place - i.e. discouraging mugging or snatching that can result from luring. Also, you only need a few pieces of low calorie treat, rather than having the horse getting lots of sugary stuff (which they then slobber all over you...)

 

[shetland pony]

Horselyx do some but think they are quite high in sugar too, I think nettex do some too called supa licks or simmilar, not sure on sugar content though. If your horse doesn't nip could you hold the treat in your hand for a few seconds and then give them it. Or use longer carrots and hold your end for a few seconds?

 

[Nevergrewup]

My boy has learnt that he gets a polo every 2 or 3 stretches. I scratch as an interim reward then use the command 'and again' so he goes back to the start position and repeats it. He doesn't nip so I can keep the polo in my hand for smell incentivisation.