Feeding Treats to a Horse

It’s natural to want to offer your horse a tasty treat now and again – perhaps after a particularly successful training session in the paddock or maybe as a simple, spur-of-the-moment decision. However, as with any treat, it should not become the norm as an inappropriate diet can play havoc with a horse’s digestive system. To learn more about horse treats, read the information below.

Horse Treats and Equine Nutrition Advice

•    Try and avoid feeding your horse unhealthy foodstuffs – you may enjoy edible treats that are sickly sweet, but your horse may not be of the same opinion. A horse has a fragile digestive system, so while the occasional sugary treat will do no harm, regularly adding these types of treat to daily equine feedis not recommended.

•    Therefore, try and stick to healthy horse feeds and treats – your horse will appreciate them just as much! Carrots, apples and molasses are all healthy alternatives that will go down a storm after your horse has excelled in training or followed your instructions without hesitation.

•    However, as with normal feeding processes, don’t let your horse run the risk of overindulgence. A small treat on a regular basis is far better for the horse than a large treat every now and then. Equine nutrition techniques need to be considered; the amount of food provided and the time of day should all be in your process before you offer a treat.

•    Younger horses in the early stages of training may accidentally bite when they try and consume the treat. Stay patient as you offer up the treat – it should sit flat on the palm of your hand where the horse can easily spot it. Avoid the temptation of using treats as a regular means of rewarding a young horse - this may eventually make training harder in the long term as the horse begins to dismiss the significance of a treat.

•    Be cautious when young children come to visit your horse. Children will be naturally curious about the animal, and inevitably, many will ask you whether it’s possible to feed the horse. It’s perfectly acceptable for a child to offer a treat to a horse – providing the scenario is closely monitored. A horse may act a little erratically when offered the food, so it’s essential to keep a close eye on events to ensure a child is not put in any danger when holding the horse treats.