Carrots, apples and peppermint candies will pique the interest of most horses who like treats, but there’s no reason to stop there. Just for fun, try experimenting with other tasty tidbits your horse might like as an occasional snack.
Fruits: bananas, watermelon rinds, mangoes without the seeds, grapes, raisins, fruit juice
Vegetables: peas, green beans, lettuce, celery, pumpkins
Other: bread, bagels, cake or pastries (without chocolate, cinnamon or poppy seeds). Also, pretzels, corn chips or potato chips; pasta; eggs; dried pinto, red or fava beans (but these are better cooked); beer
To be safe, cut or break treats into pieces of two inches or less. Offer no more than one or two bites of a new snack on the first try, and then never feed more than two pounds at once. Also avoid offering sweet treats to obese horses or those with insulin resistance.
Click here to learn about the different ways horses are fed around the world.
This article first appeared in EQUUS issue #427.
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