Treats, Please! Readers Share Their Favorite Horse Treats

More than 1,900 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, “What treats do you give your horses?”

<P
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

More than 1,900 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, “What treats do you give your horses?”






results of poll on giving horse treats

Results were as follows: 

  • Carrots 79.53% (1,570)
  • Horse biscuits/packaged treats 59.73% (1,179)
  • Apples 68.64% (1,355)
  • Mints 35.31% (697)
  • Other 25.38% (501)
  • None 4.15% (82)

Readers shared what their favorite treat to give their horses are in the comments below.

Results of weekly polls from TheHorse.com are published in The Horse Health E-Newsletter. Published every week, this e-newsletter offers news on diseases, veterinary research, health events, and in-depth articles on common equine health conditions and what you can do to recognize, avoid, or treat them. Sign up for our e-newsletters using the form above or on our e-newsletter page.  

Look for a new poll on TheHorse.com every week!




  • apples
  • mints
  • corn on the cob
  • Herbal packaged treats
  • apples
  • insulin resistance minimizes the treats and is limited to vegetables only, no more cookies or candy
  • carrots
  • Apples
  • bread, watermelon, strawberries, an occasional glazed yeast donut or cinnamon swirl/bun/bread
  • Low sugar/starch horse cookies.
  • Apples
  • nature vallet sweet and salty peanut butter bars
  • Pepermint
  • sweet feed
  • sometimes stud muffins
  • Holllowed apples filled with honey
  • carrots, we do carrot stretches- gv
  • bread oatd
  • flaxsnacks
  • handful of Triple Crown Lite or sunflower seeds
  • sugar cubes
  • complete feed rolls
  • Carrots with every meal; 2 small cookies when leaving at the gate
  • carrots
  • Carrots
  • Diva is a sucker for Sour Skittles.
  • Skodes horse cookies
  • Apples
  • grapes, watermelon, corn cobs.
  • My horse LOVES Uncle Jimmy’s Hangin Horse Balls!!
  • Watermellon, cereals, etc
  • Apples and carrots
  • apples
  • apples
  • Appleez & Oats
  • oranges
  • mints
  • Pears, bananas, peaches, etc.
  • crackers, bread, potatoe chips, bananas, candy, toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwich
  • licorice
  • apples
  • Winnie’s Cookies
  • Carrots
  • the occasional cattle cube and grapes. The LOVE grapes.
  • peppermints!
  • fresh corn shucks (one or two) in the summer
  • Alfalfa cubes
  • I share whatever I’m eating with them. they’ll eat anything that won’t eat them first!
  • Apples!!!!
  • Their favorite treat? Whatever yummy thing lands in their feed bucket! It’s all good….
  • Very sparingly, but for “celebration” purposes I have given a whole watermelon, corncobs etc.
  • 1/2 apple most nights
  • apples
  • peppermints
  • peppermint or apple
  • Bananas
  • crackers, cereal, nuts
  • Alphalpa cubes
  • silver regent
  • winnies cookies
  • apples
  • carrots
  • Fruit & Nut Chewy Granola Bars
  • Pears, my thoroughbred LOVES pears
  • alfalfa cubes
  • Purina NickerMakers
  • carrots
  • apples
  • Apples & carrots
  • My horses love apple flavored treats
  • They love gingersnap cookies.
  • My horses LOVE watermelon; the boys also like apples, girls prefer the carrots & cookies
  • My Tennesee Walker’s favorite treat is a sip of beer in the summer
  • carrots
  • home-made treats
  • apples
  • Honey and Oats Granola bars
  • hugs with apples
  • It has to be apples. My horses can smell them in my coat pockets when I walk in the barn.
  • Peppermints, molasses, ginger snaps
  • canteloupe melons
  • peppermints
  • apples
  • ANYTHING!
  • hay stretcher
  • Peaches,Pineapple,Strawberries
  • bran mash with goodies
  • POPSICKLES
  • Unbridled Horse Treats Oats/Apple & Oats/Molasses Falvors
  • carrots in the morning and apples in the agternoon and trimmings from what ever fresh veggies we eat
  • Winnie’s supplement cookies
  • apples
  • apples
  • any treat
  • molasses
  • peppermint flavored treats
  • apple nuggets
  • licorice flavor treats
  • Apples
  • Fuji apples
  • purpose treat? My “treat” is a “Good boy!!” to reward, LOUD “(horses name) BAD!!! as “punishment”.
  • Homemade & Molasses!
  • I feed Forage First from ADM my horse is hooked on these treats.
  • flax snacks
  • carrots
  • rubs and pets
  • apples
  • apple juice
  • coffee
  • Raisins!!!
  • they really like beets and turnips and things like that
  • chocolate
  • carrots
  • We make our own treats
  • watermelon
  • alfafa cubes
  • mints
  • black oil sunflower seeds
  • Bananas and black licorice! oh, and clove cookies!!
  • Blueberry bagels !
  • Omalene 100
  • carrots
  • they really like dates, and my Arab loves mentholated cough drops
  • pancakes
  • fresh apples!
  • pears/parsley/radish greens
  • both
  • alfalfa cubes
  • oatmeal cookies 1 or 2
  • bread
  • corn chips, banannas, cookies, grapes, watermelon, strawberries,candy,cantalope
  • carrots
  • A very rare animal cracker. My horse is insulin resistant.
  • Bananas
  • frosted mini wheats (cereal)
  • sugar cubes
  • homemade treats & peanut butter sandwich
  • carrots
  • homemade granola
  • They’re horses! They like it all.
  • oats and sugarcubes
  • My horses like apples, carrots, and other fruits like oranges, watermelon, honeydew melon, etc.
  • carrots
  • peppermints
  • mints
  • animal crackers
  • alfalfa cubes
  • Apples from our orchard
  • carrots and apples
  • Nickermakers
  • sweet potatoes
  • bananas, pears, peeled canteloupe
  • Dumor oatmeal, honey, raisin cookies
  • mints or apples
  • Ginger Snaps, I’ll share a piece of NutraGrain Bar
  • 16 percent horse crunchies work great
  • Cheese crackers with peanut cente, maple nut candy
  • I use mint flavored prebought treats cause its the only one they will eat
  • various fruit so I make fruit salad
  • apples
  • carrots
  • apples I think
  • peppermint flavored snacks
  • alfalfa pellets
  • carrots
  • winnies cookies
  • all 3 ive picked. ive also tried cabbage which they seem 2 like : )
  • LICORICE BISCUITS
  • grapes
  • Almost everything
  • He loves his carrots!!
  • I also make homemade cookies for my horses
  • carrots
  • apples
  • Watermelon…LOVES watermelon!! 🙂
  • homemade horse cookies
  • Carrots, apples and a lot of attention
  • pears
  • Home made non sugar cookies
  • Carrots
  • Share a Peanut Butter and jelly sandwich out on the trail…
  • We rescue Cushings and IR horses, so no treats!
  • peppermints
  • apples
  • apples
  • oversized complete feed pellets
  • werther’s butterscotch
  • Apples, carrots, apple wafers
  • bran mash twice over the winter months!
  • packaged treats
  • SUGAR CUBES AND ORANGE SLICES THE CANDY
  • bananas
  • Home made treats
  • he loves ’em like a junkie!
  • Make sugar free/insulin resistant
  • all of the above plus ginger snaps
  • I bake my own horse treats
  • Sugar Cube
  • nickerbites
  • sweet potatoes
  • horse cookies
  • my horses will eat most anything offered by hand, but they prefer carrots.
  • Licorice
  • mints
  • long carrots
  • Everything! nothing that will hurt them though!
  • black liquorice
  • carrots
  • CARROTS
  • animal crackers, ginger snaps, cheez-it’s, strawberry licorce, sugar cookies
  • apples
  • peppermints
  • Our thoroughbred adores peanut butter!
  • We found out he likes Pizza Hut mints quite by accident…he smelled them on our breath!
  • Handful of sweetfeed or pellets
  • APPLES!!
  • sugar cubes 1x a week
  • Cracklin’ Oat Bran (Cereal) They are great little bites for positive behavior in training.
  • Blaze loves peppermints
  • homemade applesauce cookies
  • carrots
  • mana pro apple
  • ginger snaps too
  • bananas; oranges;
  • fovorite is stud muffinsbut he does like tictacs and they are low in calories
  • alfalfa cubes
  • I prepare for them a veggy salad,with beets,patatoes,apples,turnips,carrots,tell really love it.
  • My horses go crazy for licorice treats
  • my horse get a carrot a day, and an occasional peppermint
  • Oranges, watermelon, bananas
  • Organic Fig Newtons
  • apples & pears
  • homemade treats
  • Apple Wafers!!!
  • sugar cubes
  • White Candy mints!
  • watermelon
  • Green Apples! They make her mouth foamy!
  • apples
  • watermelon
  • Apple Wafer Treats
  • my ponies love everyting!
  • Homemade biscuits
  • alfalfa cubes
  • grass!
  • Nicker Makers
  • Mints
  • carrots
  • Mine love beer, smarties and pears.
  • grapes
  • perrermint
  • apples
  • PEARS!! and Watermelon
  • cookies
  • apples
  • starlight peppermints
  • chopped lettuce, celery, molasses cookies, grapes and sweet corn are other treats. No favorites
  • carrots, gingersnap cookies
  • sugarcubes, old hard bread
  • homemade and not too sweet
  • carrotts
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Apples
  • i give my horse prunes:low on the glycemic index (so it is good for IR and cushings horses)
  • crackers/ salty stuff
  • nabisco applebars, doritos,almost anything they want to try, my one horse likes yellow veggie curry!
  • apple horse biscuits
  • I also give a handful occasionally of human product sunflower seeds in shell.
  • sugar cubes! 🙂
  • apples
  • watermelon, cantalope, honeydew, peaches, pears,
  • mints
  • Hay stretcher or hay cubes
  • Treats teach horses to bite
  • pumkin seeds – I have an IR/ Cushnoid horse that can’t have sugar, molasses, or carrots, apples etc.
  • Mini Wheats w/brown sugar
  • They love dried bread
  • packaged treats but I hear they love bananas!
  • Only during 40 mile+ competition carrots coreless apples, Mini Marshmellows, odd choc chip
  • marshmallow, but I no longer give that
  • he’s IR – tums make a great treat
  • Loves his “cookies” & knows that treats go in his feed tub
  • dumor apple and carrot treats
  • Dry pasta chunks
  • apple
  • Blue Seal “pig noses” (Rounders)
  • One of my Mules likes Banana peals!!
  • alfalfa soup – soaked cubes in hot water w/carrots and apples cubed into it
  • lettuce.parsley,hay cubes
  • watermelon pears grapes and oranges
  • black licorace
  • pop tarts, peanut butter crackers!
  • just an extra handful of grain
  • Good ole carrots and apples.
  • carrots
  • apples and carrots
  • licorice
  • Ginger snaps
  • Alfalfa cubes, Mrs. Pastures, Probios Treats, Vive Treats
  • carrots
  • bananna peels
  • Pineapple, watermelon, grapes, raisins, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, etc.!
  • Mints are their favorite, followed by apples
  • Oatmill cream pies
  • carrots
  • mints
  • human cereal is a small but inexpensive treat
  • potato chips,ice cream,etc.
  • carrots/apple treat
  • carrots they are OTTB and I think that is why they like carrots so much.
  • peppermint candies which I sometimes carry in my chore coat – they sniff and try to ferrot them out
  • nicker makers
  • Our horse loves bananas, oranges & melons in addition to the “normal” treats.
  • bananas, raisins, avocados…..
  • apples
  • Kellogg’s Cracklin Oat Bran–but beware, it’s addictive
  • either a handful of plain steamed oats or a handful of steam-dried alfalfa leaves!
  • whipping cream
  • sugar cubes
  • apple bars
  • They are treat pigs and will eat anything!
  • alfalfa cubes with oats
  • they LOVE watermelon
  • Hard to pick a favorite. They like them all!
  • alfalfa pellets occasionally
  • bread
  • Nickermakers, Dumor horse treats
  • carrots
  • pastry and granola bars
  • Beet treats – flavored compressed beet pulp with sugar removed – they love them!
  • sugar cubes
  • mints
  • whole grain bread
  • carrots
  • carrots
  • Other=raisins. Favorite treat, peppermint
  • some home baked treats
  • crunchies
  • Peppermints are the all time favorite!
  • Carrots
  • peppermint treats
  • My horses love the pre-packaged iced oatmeal cookies
  • oatmeal cookies, vanilla wafers
  • carrots, but they are happy to recieve any of them
  • granola bars-oats n honey seem 2b favs
  • apples
  • apples
  • And Skittles they love the fruit flavor great for trainning over a spookie thing!
  • carrots!!!!
  • candy canes! we buy a huge box at Christmas just for them
  • junk food, soda, chips, popcorn, beer
  • anything with molasses!
  • Carrots & Berry Treats
  • carrots
  • grain or pelleted feed
  • Pears
  • Pears from our pear trees.
  • Carrots
  • Any treat given is a fav! I also give oranges and no-molasses timothy/alfalfa pellets as treats.
  • Our horses eat poptarts and anything that are willing to eat
  • carrots – although sugar cubes are always a nice treat
  • Mrs pastures cookies
  • Apple Jacks cereal
  • occasionally bread (just like Icelandic Horses get) or bits of my protein bars
  • soaked alfalfa cubes, sugar,
  • My horse loves peanutbutter & crackers, potato chips, twinkies, pears, apples, butterscotch treats,.
  • Peppermints rule!
  • 1/2 banana and also occasionally watermelon
  • Apples and Carrots
  • Horse need succulent fruits & veggies.
  • oranges,sliced,rind too! & pears
  • grain apples and carrots and mints
  • grapes, raisins
  • peppermint
  • packaged apple treats
  • sweet potatoes
  • watermelon rinds, oranges,bananas,figs,dates
  • Peppermints. They open their mouths and take the bridle themselves when one is offered.
  • Carrots
  • feed beet pulp and enrich 32 plus bermuda hay and pasture is enough
  • Cattle feed cubes – all natural feed ingredients
  • carrots
  • alfalfa cubes
  • apples, mints are favs.
  • all
  • Grated carrots for the one missing a lot of teeth
  • rolled oats, corn, and pellets mixed together; sweet feed
  • Carrots
  • Actually loves hay cubes and molasses treats
  • carrots!
  • hay stretcher nuggetd
  • peppermints
  • Cucumbers, potato peelings
  • carrots
  • Some also love banannas and oranges
  • I pet them between the eyes as reward
  • horse treats
  • oats or apple flavoured horse nuggets
  • McVities Ginger Biscuits
  • carrots
  • I don’t think they have a favorite. They like them all.
  • Salt & Vinegar Pringles
  • Hay cubes
  • rarely, whatever, in feedtubs only—-pony ride ‘ponies’ get ‘bad’ otherwise!!!No ‘nippers’ needed!
  • My horses love all of the above choices but I like to think that carrots are healthier
  • licorice and winnies cookies
  • pears from my tree are their favorite
  • Oranges;grapes;strawberries;bananas;peaches;Oatmeal/Rasin Power Bar-good for hiding meds;ricecakes.
  • humans
  • Nickermakers
  • Bananas
  • apple wafers
  • Winnies and peppermint
  • apple(peeled)
  • a tiny handful of feed after a good ride
  • carrots
  • oatmeal cream pies
  • stud muffins
  • carrots
  • hay cubes and pack horse cubes
  • watermelon rinds
  • my horses love a banana more than any other treat.
  • my horses love little debbie oatmeal creme pies!!! its a fav.
  • cosequan HA/ASU treats
  • carrots
  • fruits
  • apples&carrots
  • Carrots!
  • I also use Purina Strategy Ovals as treats
  • beet treats for IR horse
  • apple treats
  • sugar-free peppernints (gelding has cushings)
  • carrots
  • sugar free mints
  • Apples are their favorite, although due to expense they don’t get that treat very often!
  • ginger snaps
  • alfalfa cubes
  • apples
  • fries
  • They also love cereal such as corn pops, apple jacks, etc
  • range cubes
  • The crackle of a mint wrapper brings him to me from half way across the pasture!
  • apples
  • “packer pellets” alfalfa based complete feed pellets
  • Carrots first, then apples.
  • home made peanutbutter cookies – the Stallion loves them!!
  • carrots
  • They fight over carrots!
  • apples
  • peppermints
  • carrots
  • apples
  • Apple wafers
  • apples! Nothing like what nature gave us!
  • a pat on the neck
  • horse cookies
  • carrots
  • Apples cut up and peppermint horse treats.
  • Nickermakers
  • Minnie Cookies
  • apples
  • once in a while cut up apples in their beat pulp
  • liquorice
  • Mrs. Pastures cookies
  • apples
  • peanuts (in the shell)
  • apples, carrots & horse biscuits
  • homemade horse cookies
  • They pretty much get a wide variety. Love raspberries, grapes & watermelon
  • bananas
  • bananas
  • anything peppermint flavored
  • don’t know
  • molasses or oatmeal cookies
  • apples
  • Sugar Cubes, Frosted Oatmeal Cookies
  • Oreos!
  • Love
  • apples
  • besides the horse treats, apples and carrots my horses love bananas
  • homemade treats
  • corn husks
  • My horse will eat pretty much anything 😉 She also likes bananas, citrus, and berries.
  • My older horses love pumpkin. My younger horses are not used to treats. I’m getting wiser:-)
  • Oranges, bananas and pretzels too
  • carrots
  • carrots
  • Romaine lettuce and other vegetables
  • Dates
  • bananas-love the over-ripe ones
  • Applesauce from a syringe & bananas!!!
  • apples
  • watermelon
  • peanuts
  • alfalfa cubes
  • watermelon,slober all the way. Only in the bucket!!!
  • Apples
  • carrots
  • apples
  • homemade horse cookies
  • pelleted feed
  • Giddyap Cookies
  • apples
  • I rarely give treats. when I do it is in their buckets. Apples or carrots is what I give.
  • bananas
  • Carrots hands down
  • bread, instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal, little debbie oatmeal cream treats
  • My 4 horses love weetbix, dry as a treat which encourages them to drink, and wet on their feed.
  • Apples
  • sugar cubes. All SPARINGLY, reward for good performance
  • alfalfa cubes, broken up into smaller sections, also make an economical treat
  • orange skins
  • apples
  • apples
  • peppermint horse treats. Tried licorice but she doesn’t like them
  • I also use frosted mini wheat cerals
  • ginger biscuits, veg peelings, bread
  • grapes, pears, whatever fresh fruit or veg I am eating.
  • oatmeal cookies, cantalopes, water melon, tortillas, corn ships. fresh lettuce
  • Bananas
  • My horses are stabled all winter so try to give them succulents every day
  • Watermelon rinds
  • No more sugar after the last dental clinic! Carrots and sometimes watermelon
  • Watermellon, occassional PopTart, and Granola Bars
  • Apples
  • pears
  • they are like.. pepperminty 😛 sometimes apples, rarely carrots
  • apples
  • sugar cubes
  • BRI LOVES WATERMELLON!
  • carrots
  • we grow lucerne for the extra minerals etc
  • Ginger Snap cookies for the Dollar Store!
  • Pears
  • Warm Alfalfa Pellet Soup on Cold Mornings
  • Stud Muffins
  • Horse cookies
  • biscuits/packaged treats
  • Watermelon
  • Insulin res. horse – Granny Smith apples only – less sugar
  • Red Apples
  • My friend saves the carrot and apple pulp from juicing. I put it intheir beet pulp for flavoring
  • both of he above
  • any kind of packaged treats
  • Dr. Pepper
  • apples
  • Peppermint treats with vitamins in them
  • black licorice bites
  • carrots during the cool months, pack horse pellets when it’s too warm for carrots to keep fresh.
  • everything
  • McDonald’s apple pies every now and then
  • oats
  • With two Cushing’s/IR horses, I only feed Skode’s Horse Treats–guaranteed low-sugar.
  • One of my horses loves spirulina tablets! Also give other fruits-pineapples, pears, melons.
  • Mrs pasture’s cookies
  • apples are a big favorite
  • horse krunch
  • All of them
  • Skodes brownies
  • homemade treats with apple
  • carrots
  • Hemp cookies – contain no sugars
  • their fave is anything they don’t get on a regular basis!
  • Carrots
  • Also hay or alfalfa pellets as a treat
  • bananas
  • Altoids
  • He loves them all! I was giving him too many…first time horse owner. Now he earns his treats!
  • Watermelon and bananas are their favorite
  • pepermint snacks
  • tahitian noni juice
  • Skode’s low carb treats
  • apples
  • cold cucumbers!
  • stud muffins and mints
  • alfalfa and berry
  • Lickits
  • My horse is insulin resistant so he gets no sweets; only organic celery and romaine lettuce
  • dried fruit, cookies, candy cane, berries, tomatoes, pop tarts, pies, chocolate, cereal, bread
  • good veggies & fruits
  • pepermint horse treats and fireballs. they go looking for them.
  • Home made cookies
  • apple treats
  • insulin resistant horses LOVE their Skode’s cookies!
  • Dry stale bread
  • peppermint
  • Apple Wafers by Calf Manna
  • bananas
  • apples
  • pears from the neighbor’s pear tree
  • Lick Its:mint, banana, etc.
  • one horse loves dog biscuits
  • mints
  • carrots & apples
  • apple waffers

carrots



  • My horse loves apples more than life itself.
  • Our mare eats anything. She loves pumpkins from the garden and corn on the cob too. She is part pig.
  • treats inly make horses disrespectful
  • carrots from my garden are their fav
  • soaked and rinsed beet pulp
  • cantaloupe, green grapes, homemade treats
  • big fat marshmallows!
  • Manna Pro Apple Treats (large size)
  • Plain alfalfa cubes
  • Equine Apple Smacks, peppermint treats, candy kanes, butterscotch treats
  • watermelon
  • keeps all of them coming when you call them up
  • Yams, tangerines, oranges
  • Cherry life savers and Peeps(R)
  • carrots- hands down # one favorite!
  • oranges
  • oats
  • sugar cubes
  • apples
  • anything he wants.
  • peppermint swirls
  • My horses love whole wheat bread!
  • lemon drops
  • sweet fresh apples from my tree!
  • apples are a big fave, carrots a plus some like pears others do not small oranges also are loved s
  • apple/oats cookies, carrotchips,molasses oatmeal cookies
  • carrots
  • home made barley molassos herbal tea cubes.
  • apples
  • manna pro apple wafers
  • horse cookies-can bring them from the far pasture just shaking the jar 🙂
  • Gala Apples
  • Cowboy loves Golden Delicious Apples. If I give him another type of apple, he spits it out.
  • frozen grapes
  • Various fruits depenant on horse’s preference.
  • pears, nectarines
  • Apple and oat treats
  • horse cookies
  • apples, applesauce
  • apples
  • candy canes
  • whatever is in their mouths
  • Sugar cubes
  • granola bars
  • GRANNY SMITH APPLES
  • granola bars
  • Apples, have to be #1
  • Bread buns and slices too
  • Horse is Insulin Resistance-Diet for horses should not include sugar-apples carrots mints ,molasses
  • the hands down favorite is mrs. Pastures Cookies they will do all sorts of tricks for them.
  • my mare loves cheerios.my gelding likes hard treats
  • peppermints
  • all the above, moderatio is the key on the mints and biscuit/packaged treats
  • Ice Cream believe it or not.
  • I manly feed cubed suger
  • cherry licorice
  • sugar cubes
  • all of the above!
  • Mrs. Pasture’s Cookies
  • carrots
  • Stud Muffins
  • apples
  • horse cookies
  • As far as he’s concerned, if we’re eating it, he’d like some, too, please 🙂
  • carrots
  • bananas and pears
  • My paint and my mini LOVE dog discuits. Either plain and the variety flavors!
  • alfalfa cubes
  • Cookies!! Mine will do anythign for one of my homemade “horse cookies”!
  • I don’t want my horses using their mouths with me and have had biters in the past.
  • Jelly Beans!
  • oranges,grapefruits all fruit we grow:) and a cheesecracker now and again lol
  • manna pro apple treats
  • if treats at all, they are pieces of ODTB cubes due to IR
  • Carrots!
  • Bananas
  • bananas, donuts
  • my horse LOVES pears!
  • mints, use pieces of them for training
  • carrots
  • apples
  • Mints!
  • my three horses FAVORITE treat that they would rather have before anything else, is stale bread.
  • home made.Louie’s fav are apples
  • watermellon rind- cut small
  • They also like watermelon and bananas
  • pears apples carrots grapfruit any fruit
  • “Wild Berry Delights” by Haystack Horse Treats
  • mrs pastures
  • he love them all
  • apples
  • apples
  • hay cubes
  • peppermint horsey bits…like stud muffins but better
  • 10% Protien Oat-based grain
  • Nature Valley granola bars
  • Magic loves spice drops! He can smell them at 20 paces.
  • Favorite: carrots
  • bananas
  • My horses get treats once in a while
  • p-nut butter cheese crackers
  • 1 apple 1 carrot cut up daily split / 2
  • winnies cookies
  • every once in a blue moon my horse Texas loves cheetos cheese puffs!
  • I feed Triple Crown Lite feed as a treat to avoid giving my easy-keepers
  • CARROTS
  • Snicker Snacks – I make & market them. They know the bucket and will pass up most anything for them
  • peppermints
  • Ginger Snaps
  • Home made cookies..
  • I BAKE THEM TREATS WITH OATMEAL, CARROTS AND MOLASSES
  • I also use alfalfa cubes broken into smaller pieces
  • carrots
  • balanced hay cubes only
  • Prunes (no seeds), my MFT Curly is crazy for them
  • our homemade low-carb cookies!
  • some like bananas,oranges & melon
  • apple and oats
  • PEPPERMINT!
  • nilla wafers
  • all of them
  • Peppermints!!!
  • WINNIES COOKIES
  • orange leaf candy
  • Dry bread (great for medicines)
  • Carrots given daily, broken up into pieces added to their grain and suppliments.
  • Either Manna Pro’s Appleafers or fresh apples in season
  • alfalfa cubes
  • mints
  • Two of 3 horses are IR, so all treats are sugar-free or homemade with flax meal
  • mostly given by the neighborhood kids
  • i feed treats only once in a while
  • My horses like pears, not apples, green or ripe! The donk likes bananas!
  • anything edible
  • peanuts in the shell
  • carrots
  • any food offered
  • pears
  • My daughter’s horse really likes Lucky Charms Cereal
  • alfalfa pellets
  • Home baked horse cookies based on beet pulp, whole wheat flour and canola oil with some cinnamon
  • all
  • All types of treats. Our OTTB usually go for the carrots first then gradually try the others.
  • apple flavored biscuits/cookies
  • i either buy a 2pd bag on sale or make my own
  • apple/molasses/honey
  • They love ’em all!
  • I also do, celery, pears, and other salad greens. My horses love them. Celery is their favorite!
  • apples
  • stale home made bread
  • Banana Chips/Oranges/Watermelon/Pears
  • Apple/oat treat
  • generally just apples and carrots from the garden
  • Extra Strong Mints
  • Mints!
  • Re prepared treats, I stick to low sugar high fat for my PSSM guy.
  • all of the above
  • Apples
  • Apples! My gelding drools with delight when he eats them!
  • Feed mostly in ‘grain’ bin, as they are lippy… not very often though. Apples mostly.
  • carrots
  • In their buckets with feedings, not by hand
  • wheaties
  • dogfood
  • horse biscuits
  • spearmint starlight mints
  • Carrots
  • bananas
  • Apples
  • a palm full of grain now and then, and 50/50 Alfalfa/Grass pellets mid day. NO sugar treats
  • candy apple treats
  • carrots
  • Omega Nibblers
  • fig newtons, golden oreos
  • mints
  • round flat peppermints that come individually wrapped
  • apple
  • they enoy the occassional molasses cookie.
  • Mints and home-made horse cookies
  • My babes love their daily carrots…apple/oat treats are good too
  • bread
  • pony pops
  • Bananas & iced tea ( with lemon, of course)
  • Various fruits & vegetables, especially peels, etc.
  • mints
  • stud muffins
  • protein mineral chunks, oranges, watermelon, apples, mulberreis off the trees, wild blackberries
  • Peppermints, but we give them homemade treats too
  • I grow the pears, apples & carrots.
  • alpha cubes
  • carrots
  • My old guy loves PopTarts, Frosted MiniWheats, PB&J, granola bars, cookies…
  • apples
  • baby carrots
  • apples
  • Mrs.Pastures
  • Grapes, Peaches, Plums, Lots of petting.
  • My geldings are too mouthy for treats… but they get inconsistent apples.
  • carrots
  • home made treats
  • watermelon and strawberries
  • donuts
  • raisins/grapes
  • Mine love peppermints, but I am careful I don’t give them too much, just on occasion.
  • Peppermints, hands (or hooves) down.
  • a little bit of sweet feed
  • also watermelon, corn cobs, pears
  • winnie cookies
  • Horse cookies – my Morgans will do a spin that puts a quarter horse to shame when they hear bag open
  • Apple Bitz
  • Captain loves apples and the others will happily take any treat offered them.
  • Low sugar/starch treats
  • carrots. Some won’t eat apples at all.
  • carrots
  • ‘Horse Cookies’ which we make from bread, apple sauce and molasses. Yum!
  • sugar cubes
  • Give them in a bucket so they don’t get a biting habit
  • carrots
  • carrots
  • carrots and sugar cubes
  • carrots
  • I use their regular grain as “treats” mostly
  • carrots, and sugar cubes if I give them to them.
  • celery
  • apples
  • apple
  • my horse loves ginger snap cookies! It’s her absolute favorite.
  • carrots
  • They love’em. Great pos. reinforcer’s. Don’t over it tho.
  • granola bars
  • Apples and Mrs Pasture’s Cookies
  • Never by hand, only in the feed tub. They will eat almost anything !
  • carrots
  • My donkey loves bread, and left over pancakes
  • My clyde LOVES peppermint!
  • candy canes
  • bananas
  • Apples/carrots cut up in feed
  • apples
  • All my horses are CRAZY for peppermints! And one loves bread!
  • carrots
  • apples
  • winn treats
  • carrots
  • Any treat!!
  • My mare likes Hot Tamales candies
  • carrots
  • I have a couple of old mares that “go ape” for bananas
  • In feed only. no treats over stable door or in pasture.
  • peppermint horse treats
  • Doesn’t matter – they like them all.
  • carrots
  • Small bits of alfalfa cubes
  • bread- we get out dated bread at a nearby bakery the horses love it more than sweet feed
  • carrots
  • bananas and their peels, oranges and anything else that comes from our hands!
  • stud muffins
  • Alfalfa cube pieces
  • on a really hot day she likes a little ice cream
  • home made horse biscuits
  • above all else, appleasses
  • winnies cookies
  • bananas, pears, black licorice
  • alfalfa cubes or pretzels
  • homemade treats
  • grain
  • FlaxSnax
  • mineral or senior feed pelletsHad to stop carrots/fruit after insulin resistance diagnosis
  • Peppermints
  • Spiced Wafer cookies
  • watermelon, pears
  • Peppermints
  • apples
  • Bananas!!! :oD
  • Bananas are a favorite in our barn. No HYPP horses here! peppermints
  • wild pears
  • raisens
  • Horse cookies!!!!!
  • carrots
  • one loves mints, one loves carrots and apples. I use them for nightly stretches after training
  • peppermint candy
  • fresh carrits
  • Apples & carrots is normal, Guinnes in thier oats for birthdays, holidays & after competitions
  • Carrots
  • carrots
  • carrots
  • bananas, oranges, granola bars
  • Skodes low NSC treats only (one C/IR, one IR)
  • His favorite is apples but for clicker training, I just use hay stretcher pellets

    Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

    TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

    Start your free account today!

    Already have an account?
    and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Megan Arszman received a Bachelor of Science In print journalism and equine science from Murray State University in Murray, Ky., and loves combining her love of horses, photography, and writing. In her “free time,” when she’s not busy working as a horse show secretary or riding her American Quarter Horses on her parents’ Indiana farm, she’s training and competing her Pembroke Welsh Corgi and Swedish Vallhund in dog agility and running.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
328 votes · 328 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!