While we might enjoy sneaking our horses peppermints and other sweet treats, we need to understand how it can reinforce good and bad behavior. | Photo: iStock

Mindful feeding makes rewarding horses a treat

Every time he leaves his favorite restaurant, Jack Dinoffri fills his pockets with peppermint candies for his niece’s horse. And he encourages his dinner guests to do the same.

“We have to have treats for the horse, you know,” he tells them.

Even though he doesn’t own a horse himself, Dinoffri knows most horses have a pretty tough time turning down something sweet. He also assumes that most people who do own horses can’t resist feeding them treats from time to time