What Treats Do You Give To Your Horses?

Wagtail said:
I was spending a fortune on treats. Now I just buy a 20 kg sack of bailey's high fibre nuggets. They are the same size as the expensive herbal treats and last an absolute age.
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This!! ^^ I also use them as a sole feed for the trotter as he flings his food everywhere and at least these don't get wasted, they don't heat him up either!

I also feed carrots, tangerines, brown bread, and those uncle jimmy's licky things as a treat now and again.
 
I am mean.....unless its Christmas where they get a carrot each none of mine get treats.....one gets colic from apples, one is an ems horse so I don't see the point in giving to the others and not those two....plus it saves money and mine don't nip asking for food
 
They get carrots in feed, so treats are apples, polos and those home made type treats you can get with a haribo type sweet on top. Occasionally if I'm having coffee and a biscuit they get a hob nob or a Jaffa cake.
 
AprilBlue said:
i was just looking at a recent thread about whether you do give your horses any treats ect. i was wondering, what treats do you give your horses? and what are your horses favourite treats?
whenever i try to teach my pony tricks, i use likit snacks as they are very small and can be used as a small reward for doing something. here is a link:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Likit-Snaks-500g-Apple-Cinnamon-Horse-Pony-Stable-Toys-Treats-Reward-/181042287667?pt=UK_SportingGoods_StableAccessories_SM&hash=item2a26f61433 i think they come in 2 flavours: apple and cinnamon, and mint and eucalyptus. my pony LOVES them lol :P
i always give my pony a small carrot when i finish riding as a reward also.
i heard that apparently, if you give your horse too many apples, it may get colic? is that true, and if it is, then why?
so what do you give your horse?
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Mainly carrots, apples and a swede, which he loves. He gets Polos occasionally when I remember to buy them. He only gets treats as a reward for good behaviour and working well (and, ahem, sometimes as a reward for being just gorgeous).

He isn't allowed to mug people for goodies and seems mostly to understand this.

As for colic, too much of anything can give them colic but how much is too much? How long is a piece of string! NEVER, give cooking apples or very tart eating apples such as Grannie Smiths, or apples that are not ripe. The occasional apple as a treat won't do much harm (unless your horse/pony is very colic prone, in which case I'd probably not give them). I give one or two chopped up in his feed when the greengrocer in the village has a box of "horse apples" going cheap but these are good quality apples (I often pinch them for me!). Again, it isn't a good idea to give apples that are "going over" but the days windfalls are usually ok
 
Zargon_91 said:
Sugar free polos!! A tube fits nicely in my pocket and he doesnt make lots of nasty coloured slime when he gets them when he is ridden- ive found giving him polos from the saddle helps him to relax- chewing and saliva stimulates endorphin release and keeps him calm in sticky situation- especially in the warm up at shows :)
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Sugar-free polos!!!! Definitely not. They have chemicals in them in order to give a sweet taste. If your horse can't take polos with sugar because they fry his brains then best not to give "sugar-free" mints either.

Incidently, if you give those round extra strong mints break them in half as you horse can choke on the discs.
 
Why give treats? Seems to me a great way to waste money,the whole thing is just marketing ,I think. No, ours never gets treats and havent for many years. A 'treat' is surely a human concept, and totaly irrelevant to the horse.
 
Cortez said:
I don't feed treats, or anything from the hand at all. I don't feed them hard feed either, just hay, straw and a balancer in the winter. They all look grand and aren't pushy, nippy, rude or spoiled.
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It's something of a fallacy that feeding treats by hand makes them pushy, nippy,rude or spoiled. As in most problems with horses it's the owner who allows them to be pushy and bad-mannered not the treats.

Mine isn't allowed to mug for treats and seems to understand this, probably because from the beginning he was never given anything if he fussed about pockets or tried to nibble hands that were stroking him. A stern "No!" and walking away did the trick.

Over the 60 years (well, 60 years next August 5th!) I've spent with horses I've always found that the judicial use of treats is part of the bonding process.
 
AprilBlue said:
these replies are great! i might go and try out a few:p
do any of you get anything special for your horse for example: their birthday or xmas, or easter day ect.
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Errm....horses don't know what their birthday is, or Christmas or Easter, etc. A little too much anthropomorphism here I think.

If you buy him a new numnah or give him a special dinner remember that this is really a gift to yourself (and in the case of special food which he isn't used to, it could give him colic).
 
Celery sticks to do some stretches with :D. She's a cushings lady so only gets chop, soaked hay and the occasional celery stick. You should see her face when she spots them!:p
And very rarely a swede on a rope to keep her entertained too!
 
Littlelegs said:
. Daughters pony also gets 1/4 cup of hot choc after a ride when daughter has it. Daughter also tends to have picnics/ teaparties with the pony & share whatever she's eating. And if we ride through McDonald's drive-thru, both get mcflurrys, & they know it!
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Please, please do not give your horse chocolate or chocolate products. Theobromine, the chemical in chocolate is poisonous to horses and dogs and other animals. Doggy chocs are a synthetic treat specially formulated without theobromine (I'm not suggesting you can give them to horses).
 
Oh it's only a bit of fun! Yes I do get them treats for birthday and Christmas. A bottle of Guinness each xmas day and st Patrick's day. And some sort of special treat on their birthday. Usually a new rug or 2 at Xmas too.
 
Only treats they ever get is carrots in their feed in winter when grass is scarse other than that nothing as hate it when they start nudging and nipping at you
 
I agree with Merlin11, my evener is bonkers about the Spillers meadow herb treats, about £3 for a 1kg bag, or £10 for 3.5kg bag. They smell so lovely im often tempted to try them too!
I cant give them very often though, as otherwise all he does is paw the ground or try to rifle through my pockets! :D
 
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