Trick or Treat: Things to Think About when Giving Your Horse a Treat

Introduction
Treats can be given to horses for many different reasons. Horse treats can be helpful with training since they can be given as a reward for a specific behavior that a horse performs. By giving a treat the horse learns that behavior is encouraged. Horse owners also typically use treats to show their affection and love for their horses. Giving a few treats can be a way that a person and a horse can bond. There are many different options for treats from commercial products to homemade to even just a simple apple or carrot.

Using treats with training
When working with horses there are several different behavioral training methods that can be used. Using treats in training is an example of training with positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is a training method during which a horse is rewarded for a behavior to increase the likelihood of repeating that behavior in the future.
In this situation treats are the reward for a behavior. Some research has shown that horses trained with positive reinforcements have a more positive perception of humans. When used correctly treats can be a useful training tool. By giving your horse a treat after doing a correct behavior your horse will start to associate that good behavior with something that we as owners want them to continue to do. For example positive reinforcement can be used for teaching ground manners. If the horse is standing still on the crossties a treat can be given as a reward for showing positive behavior. It is important when using treats as part of positive reinforcement training that you give your horse the treat immediately after performing the askedfor behavior. If you wait too long to give the treat you may confuse your horse as to what behavior you are rewarding.
While positive reinforcement with treats

can be an effective training tool with horses owners should be aware of some possible bad habits that can arise when giving treats. For example some horses may become nippy or pushy if they know they will get food as a reward for correct behavior. If a horse is being nippy instead of feeding treats by hand you can offer treats in a bucket Figure 1. If you are offering treats by hand make sure you place the treat in the center of your palm with your hand wide open and flat. This will reduce the risk of your fingers