Treats for horses — when to use and how to give?

Treats for horses are quite a controversial topic. However, using them reasonably could bring you many advantages and will cause your steed joy. What to remember before you introduce treats in your training?

Even though we give our dogs and cats treats all the time, almost mindlessly, giving them to horses causes doubts of the more experienced riders. It should not be surprising - they surely have seen horses that were getting too many snacks for no reason and they learned to demand them rudely.

You should remember that giving your horse treats should be thought through. Then they can become an attractive reward and a way to gain the horse's trust. Otherwise - they can reinforce bad behavior, which is why you should always be eager to learn and search for the golden mean.

Which horse treats to choose and what to remember?

Sometimes it happens that beginning riders bring treats to the stable - whole bags of apples or carrots. If they leave it for the horses' owner's distribution - everything is alright. The case is worse when they try feeding them in hiding or through the pasture's fence. Do not make such a mistake. Remember that if you want to give a treat to a horse that is not yours, you must ask the owner for permission. Sometimes animals have ailments that do not show - giving them a treat might have fatal consequences then.

If you have your own horse or the owner allowed you to give their horse treats - which to choose? First and foremost carrots and apples - most natural and healthy snacks for horses. You should always give them clean, fresh, and in the case of carrots - cleaned from the sand. You do not have to cut the core from apples.

From time to time you can give your horse small bits of sugar beets, bananas, blackberries, pears, raspberries (also the leaves and shoots). Such snacks are a great way to supplement important vitamins, macro- and micro-nutrients in your horse's diet.

Two snacks that are adored by horses are especially controversial - dry bread and sugar cubes. Giving them (in small amounts!) to healthy horses will not do any harm. However, you should pay attention that the bread is well dried (not only slightly stale) and has no other additives or mold. Sugar cubes could be useful during training sessions - it is an easy way to reward your horse even when he has a bit in his mouth. Additionally, it encourages the horse to chew on the mouthpiece. However, it is not a healthy snack, so you can use it only in special situations.

Ready treats for horses - jackpot!

A very convenient solution would be to buy ready treats for horses available in equestrian shops. The producers are racing against each other with coming up with compositions that would be healthy for your horses, give them valuable nutrients, at the same time being tasty and easy to store. Remember to pay attention to the natural composition of the product while buying snacks.

Horse treats Effol

One of the brands whose snacks are worth trying is Effol. Their small snacks will be perfect for rewarding horses and ponies as they are easy to keep in your pockets since they do not leave a mess and do not crumble (thus would be perfect for competitions, rides, in the field). Your horse will surely love the occasional surprise and would become better motivated during training or lessons from the ground. It is also a cheap and nice present that you could give to a horse lover or add as a reward during competition.

It is good to use treats during training sessions or lessons (also for young horses that are learning basic skills such as raising legs, walking with a girth). They are irreplaceable while learning new tricks, they could also be useful when you want to teach the horse how to come when called. You should always give your horse treats in an open hand to avoid getting bitten or pinched by the horse.

If you want to enrich your horse's diet and give him joy with small treats but you are not sure if giving him snacks from the hand would be a good idea, you can simply add them to your horse's meals.

Do you want to buy treats for your horse? Check our offer.

Do you have any questions? Call us or leave a mail.

Equestrian store: +48 784 039 784

Saddle department: +48 606 914 300

E-mail: kontakt@equishop.com

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