How to Choose Healthy Horse Treats

Finally, giving a horse a treat is fun for the caretaker as well. The giving and receiving of treats is a bonding experience that will enhance the emotional connection and feeling of well-being in both parties.

What Treats Are Tasty for Horses?

What is your favorite food? When you brought it to mind, you probably didn’t just think about the taste; you probably also focused on things like smell and texture. Horses are the same as humans, dogs, and cats: The smell of something helps determine if it is worth tasting.1 

Horses love the taste of something sweet. Commercially made treats for horses usually have a lot of sweetening agents to take advantage of a horse’s sweet tooth. There are also many good recipes available to make homemade horse treats with ingredients such as molasses, honey, and oats. If you don’t feel like baking, sugar cubes and peppermints are favorite treats and can be given in moderation, one or two per day.

Fruits like apples and bananas and vegetables that are high in sugar like carrots are often given as positive reinforcement. Pumpkin, celery, and melons may also be preferred by some horses and are safe to give.

Raisins and grapes are safe for horses but are toxic for dogs, so it’s best to keep them out of stables if there are also canine friends. Similarly, a small piece of chocolate may not hurt a horse, but is certainly toxic for dogs, and feeding chocolate could result in a caffeine or theobromine positive if the horse is being tested for drugs at a race or show.