Best Horse Treats

Horses are well-known for being extremely food-motivated, so having some of the best horse treats on hand is essential for rewarding excellent behavior. One of my mares is quite intelligent, which sometimes causes me problems, but she’ll do anything for a treat! Horses have been shown to prefer a tasty treat to verbal praise, so if your “good boy!” isn’t getting the job done, try bribery. Many people reach for peppermints or apple and carrot slices right away, but what if you’re searching for something a little more convenient or safer? Not sure what the greatest horse treat is?

We all like a snack now and then, perhaps even as a guilty pleasure. Even the most dedicated sportsmen have cheat days from time to time. Horses are in the same boat. You enjoy feeding him unique nibbles as much as he enjoys the normal, daily food. It’s a lot of fun to give your horse goodies. He devours it and begs for more. We do it as part of our training as a reward, and sometimes we simply do it for fun.

Horses are intended to eat little amounts of food on a regular basis. Instead of three massive meals, humans should, in theory, do the same. Some horse owners believe that horse treats bring out the worst in a horse, generating a negative reaction. We’ve got your back, continue reading we’ve chosen the top five horse treats:

Manna Pro Bite-Size Peppermint Flavored Nuggets:

Horse biscuits in Bite-Size Nuggets are a wonderful reward or training tool for horses. Bite-Size Nuggets horse treats are sure to make your horse happy! Our bite-size nuggets are popular with horse owners all around the world. We’re so convinced that your horse will like these sweet treats that we’re offering our happy horse guarantee on them.

Specifications:

• If your horse doesn’t like our Bite-Size Nuggets, we’ll refund your money.
• Each bag contains around 300 horse treats.
• Vitamins and minerals abound.
• The small size is ideal for rewarding and training.

Pros:

• It guarantees great taste.
• It gives excellent value.
• It provides minerals and vitamins.
• It can easily fit in your pocket.
• It’s flavored with peppermint.

Cons:

• The size is very small.

Mrs. Pastures Horse Cookies & Treats:

Mrs. Pastures Horse Cookies are baked with a lot of compassion! Our cookies are passionately handcrafted in the United States, so you can be assured that you’re providing your horse with high-quality, all-natural ingredients that are free of toxins.

Specifications:

• Michael Plumb’s Horse Journal and John Lyons’ Perfect Horse both named it the “Number one Horse Treat” and the ‘‘Product of the Year”.
• We use only natural ingredients in our products and do not use any preservatives. Oats, wheat bran, cane molasses, rolled barley, fresh apples, and water are used to make our cookies.
• Lightheaded for a firm and crispy texture that won’t crumble in your pocket.
• We are a 100% shareholder company that has been in business since 1986, providing us with complete control over quality and customer service.

Pros:

• Perfect size & Texture.
• Contains natural ingredients.
• Hundred percent customer satisfaction.
• USA’s number one horse treat.

Cons:

• Crispy texture

Purina Apple and Oat Flavored Horse Treats:

Purina Horse Treats are an excellent nutritional supplement to any horse feed, so you can feel good about rewarding or simply pampering all of your equine offspring.

Purina Apple & Oat Flavored Horse Treats are a perfect way to demonstrate to your horse how much you care. These tasty treats will delight your horses with their size, shape, and flavor, and you will delight in their reaction.

Specifications:

• It’s simple to feed.
• It’s very easy to eat.
• The sizes and shapes are fantastic.
• Horse treats with delicious flavors that your horses will like.

Pros:

• A healthy and much-desired treat.
• Ideal size to eat.
• Irresistible taste.

Cons:

• Only two flavors.

The German Horse Muffin All Natural Horse Treats – 1 Pound:

Give your hoofed pal instead of sugar cubes. The German horse muffin is a tasty treat for horses. This delectable delicacy is produced with a healthy combination of ingredients and is vitamin-fortified. This Muffin has a soft, ultra-chewable texture that makes it easy to eat and conceal drugs. In addition, the bag has a resealable lid to keep horse muffins fresh.

Specifications:

• The German horse muffin is a tasty treat for your hoofed family member that is both entertaining and healthful.
• This horse treat is made with natural ingredients and is vitamin-fortified.
• Horse muffins are soft and chewy, making them easy to eat.
• Ideal for dispensing medications;
• Freshness is maintained by using a resealable bag.

Pros:

• Ingredients are all-natural.
• Molasses-dense
• Sweet and chewy sweets have a distinct flavor and chewing sensation.
• This is ideal for administering medications.
• Made in the United States of America.

Cons:

• Extra soft muffins

Winding Way Farms Llc Dimples Horse Treats with Pill Dimples 3 LB:

Administering drugs to your horse is quick and uncomplicated but thanks to the irresistible flavor, soft texture, and unique dimple form.

Specifications:

• Yummy and healthful rewards.
• Ground flax, beet pulp, molasses, and whole grain are all included.
• You can administer medicine with ease because of the soft texture.
• Anti-inflammatory properties of ground flax.
• It contains a 3-pound bag and 60 snacks.

Pros:

• Pocket friendly.
• Very healthful rewards.
• Irresistible Flavour.
• Soft Texture.

Cons:

• Very soft texture.

Purina Nicker Makers Horse Treats -15 Pound:

Purina Horse Treats are a nutritious addition to any horse feed, so you can feel good about rewarding or simply pampering all of your equine offspring! Your horses will like the crunch and molasses flavor, and you will enjoy their reaction.

Specifications:

• Feeding is simple.
• Simple to eat.
• Exceptionally tasty.
• Biotin has been added to help support hoof integrity.
• Antioxidant Vitamin E supplementation.
• In the case of mature horses.
• Feeding a free-choice diet is not a good idea.
• Do not use it as a sole source of nutrition.
• Properly reward the horse.
• The taste of molasses.
• 15-pound bag.

Pros:

• Very fun shapes and sizes.
• These horse treats are very easy to feed and easy to eat.
• Horses love the great taste.
• Best flavors.

Cons:

• Few flavors

Nutrigood Senior Snax Horse Treats:

Nutrigood Older Snax is a baked treat that is easy to chew and designed specifically for senior horses. It’s not only a delightful apple-flavored treat, but it also contains unique ingredients that you can feel good about giving to your senior horse after everything he’s done for you. Senior Snax provides a natural supply of Glucosamine to support healthy joints and connective tissues, as well as Omega 3 Fatty Acids from Flaxseed to promote healthy skin and a vivid coat, Biotin to promote strong, healthy hooves, and Vitamins C and E, which are key anti-oxidant elements. Feel keen on giving Nutrigood Senior Snax to your senior horse.

Specifications:

• Nutrigood Senior Snax are easy-to-chew baked horse treats that are perfect for elders with weak tooth quality.
• Senior Snax has a natural supply of glucosamine to maintain healthy joints and connective tissues.
• Ground flaxseed is high in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which promote healthy skin and a lustrous coat.
• The addition of Biotin to Senior Snax aids in the upkeep of strong, healthy hooves.
• Horses adore the flavour of apples.

Pros:

• Glucosamine from a natural source promotes joint health.
• Flaxseed, a source of Omega-3 fatty acids, improves coat condition for a more vivid coat.
• Biotin in the hoof supports healthy hooves.
• The baked cookie that is easy to chew.

Cons:

• Heart-shaped.

Is it better to treat or not to treat?

Almost every horse owner confesses to offering their horse treats, which is quite understandable. Almost as much as the horses like being fed, people enjoy indulging their equine counterparts. In contrast, several training approaches, including clicker training, involve modest food rewards. Treats can also be used to persuade a horse to tolerate something unpleasant or uncomfortable, such as vaccinations or cutting. Make sure you’re treating your horse with care before you go out and shower him with cookies and cupcakes!

Giving horses treats carries with it certain risks. When horses are hungry and haven’t been taught proper boundaries, they might become pushy or even hostile. Nobody appreciates a horse that nips at their hands or attempts to pick their wallets! Some people have dietary limitations and are unable to consume particular foods. Even if you’re only giving them a modest amount (ideally), it is a part of their diet and should be considered. Laminitis-prone horses, horses with insulin resistance or equine metabolic syndrome, and obese horses should all be approached with caution. Even yet, there are treats on the market for horses with special requirements.

Horse Treats: How to Give Them?

Treats are frequently offered by hand, and the first thing people learn is to place the treat in the center of their palm power to assist fingers out of the danger zone. It’s ideal to move your hand toward the horse’s mouth rather than away from it because drawing your hand back encourages the horse to lunge and grip. You should also avoid feeding the horse sweets on a regular basis or TOO frequently following certain occurrences. If the handler does not react appropriately, the anticipation of a food reward can occasionally lead to undesirable behavior. Treats should be provided in the horse’s bucket rather than by hand, according to many persons and institutions. This prevents behavioral issues from occurring when treats are offered inappropriately.

What Are the Benefits of Clicker Training?

I’m not going to go into too much detail about clicker training because there’s enough information to fill a book. Food rewards are used in clicker training to condition a horse to respond to the sound of the clicker. When you first begin clicker training, you should learn how to give your horse treats safely and how to avoid unwittingly causing pushiness and other behavioral difficulties.

Nutritional Risks in Horse Treats

Even the finest horse treats can provide nutritional problems, but these dangers are mostly aimed at owners of horses with medical issues. If your horse develops insulin resistance, you should avoid giving him starchy or sugary snacks since this can induce laminitis. Manufactured treats with low sugar and low starch are available, although most of them are made with cereal grains as a base. Cereal grains like corn, oats, and wheat can trigger insulin spikes, which can be harmful to some horses. If your horse has HYPP, you should avoid any treats that contain a lot of potassium such as bananas. Pumpkin is a hidden risky ingredient because, while it is generally thought to be nutritious and harmless, it does have some risks.

Horse Treats: What Are the Alternatives?

There are options if you fear you’re feeding too much or are concerned about your horse’s health but still want to reward them for a job well done. You can try hand grazing horses because they enjoy eating so much. You might also give them a handful of hay, hay cubes, or pellets, but the latter may need to be soaked first. Just remember that eating is a reward, thus their regular diet could be really beneficial.

Is there such a thing as too much?

It can be difficult to tell whether you’ve been giving your dog too many goodies. Horses, after all, are enormous creatures that can certainly eat quite a few before becoming an issue, right? Treats aren’t part of a horse’s balanced diet, and they’re certainly not safe to provide in large quantities. Many delicacies have a lot of sugar and flavor added to them to make them more appealing, but this makes them harmful in big quantities. Horses are designed to eat nonstop, so they’ll be ready for another treat at any time. You don’t have to give it to your horse just because he wants one. Many commercial treats will list a recommended serving size, especially if they include vitamins or nutrients, but the rule of thumb is one serving per day.

Conclusion:

The German Horse Muffins are the perfect choice if you’re looking for an excellent overall treat for your horse or one that will convert them into putty in your hands! They’re generally adored, may be used to administer drugs, and can be fed whole as a pleasant treat or cut up into smaller bits for training sessions! While they may not be the greatest choice for horses suffering from insulin resistance, they are soft enough for elderly horses to chew and large enough to be administered by hand if desired. The German Horse Muffins should be fine as long as you treat every interaction with your horse as a training session.

FAQs:

Is it okay to feed apples to horses?

Apples are a fantastic source of fiber and vitamins, and you can feed them to your horse, but you should be aware that there are some risks involved with doing so. The main issue is that apples are strong in sugar and high in pectin, both of which can cause diarrhea. If your horse has an apple sensitivity, the danger is increased because apples are more likely to induce diarrhea. In addition, feeding your horse too many apples in one sitting can cause colic. If your horse has already suffered from colic, you should be extra cautious when offering him any type of fruit.

How often should you provide treats to your horses?

The importance of unpredictability cannot be overstated. Don’t give him a reward every day; if you do, it won’t be particularly memorable. Also, don’t make it a practice to do it after specific activities, as this will develop an expectation. If he expects it, you might be setting the stage for misconduct. Instead, do it at different times and with a lot of variety.

Treats should not be given to horses that are not yours?

Others should never offer treats to a horse that isn’t theirs. As previously stated, you may be promoting unpleasant behavior, but the bigger concern is his health — he may have a medical condition that prevents him from eating specific foods. You also don’t want someone to be held accountable for choking. Always applaud well-intentioned bystanders.

How many goodies do you think you should give them?

A huge mound of apple slices could be considered a supper. Instead, as previously stated, moderation is essential. This means that 1-2 slices of any treat will suffice. He’ll plead for more, but teach him to say no. Horses definitely require a lot of modest, consistent meals, but you don’t want to overfeed him. Furthermore, you risk upsetting his digestive system, which has a delicate balance of microorganisms that must be maintained if his intestines are to work properly. By dilution, a big amount of treat-type food could have a detrimental impact on his protein, starch, and vitamin levels.

How to provide treats to horses?

We’ve already discussed how particular foods might impact one’s demeanor. If you give them too many treats, they may get greedy. However, keep in mind that horses might bite people – especially little children – if they offer food from their hands. If you insist on feeding by hand, place it in the center of your flat hand and gently guide it toward his mouth rather than yanking your hand away as he reaches – the latter stimulates the horse to shove toward the food. If you keep the goodies in your pockets, you might be teaching him an unwelcome lesson: he’ll rip your clothes to access the food.