Horse Treats That Are Safe

Many of us give our horses and ponies gifts as a reward for training or simply because we adore them. The healthiest treats are closer to a horse’s natural diet. There is a safe technique to offer goodies, so make sure your horse isn’t pushy or snappy when doing so.

Many horse owners are adamant about not providing goodies to their horses. This is your choice, and you should consider your horse’s or pony’s demeanor and attitude before making it. If your horse is nippy or has other bad ground manners, you may decide that the risk of offering goodies to your horse is too big and that it might put your horse in danger. Horse bites are painful, and if little children reward the horse, fingers can be bitten, pockets ripped, and your horse might mow you down in his haste.

So, use caution regardless of how you feel about treating feeding, especially hand-feeding goodies.

Horse treats that are safe include:

• Raisins
• cubes of sugar
• Dates with pits
• Cubes of hay
• Pieces of apple
• bits of carrots
• Sunflower seeds are a kind of sunflower (with or without shells)
• Peppermints
• Pre-made horse treats were purchased.
• A percentage of the grain or concentrates is regular grain.

Horses, like people, have diverse tastes. Peppermints or sugar cubes may appeal to some, while carrots or hay cubes may appeal to others.

You may be teaching your harmful horse behavior if you frequently carry goodies in your pockets or feed on your hands. He may conclude that all of your bags and fingers are full of delicacies and nip at your clothing and fingers. A horse insistent on receiving goodies might be harmful, and a greedy horse may easily bite you or pull your clothes apart. Putting goodies in a bucket or feeder is the safest way to feed them.

Choking hazards exist in several delicacies. Cutting apples and carrots into pieces is the safest way to feed them. Hard items, such as mints and hay cubes, should be modestly provided. A hungry horse may not entirely chew the treat and bolt it down, and food can become trapped in the horse’s throat and cause choking.

Margaret Greely recalls the Bedouin habit of giving entire dates to horses in her book “Arabian Exodus.” The trough would be covered in pits after their feed. While ingesting a few date pits should not be a concern, any fruit you serve should have the pit or stone removed if it is large enough to induce choking.

Some items should not be eaten as treats:

• Clippings from the lawn, hedge, or garden.
• Broccoli, cabbage leaves, kale, and cauliflower are all mustard greens.
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Acorns

If you’re competing, chocolate can lead to a positive drug test. Feeding goodies to an unfamiliar horse is not a good idea. The horse may have a medical problem that prevents him from eating specific foods. Some pet owners do not believe in giving treats to their pets. Keep food wrappings out of your horse’s reach. Ingestion of a bag smelling like sticky peppermints might result in a blockage that could be fatal. 1

Horses will consume a wide variety of meals, including roast beef sandwiches and ice cream. Horses have been given weird foods to live in, such as fish. On the other hand, horses are herbivores or animals whose digestive systems are designed to break down grass and other soft plant stuff. Although some horses appear to be unaffected by these meals, it is usually best to stick to rewards comparable to their normal diets.