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Making your own horse treats can be economical and fun, plus your horse will love you for them!
Horse treats add to your horse's over all health and well being...along with satisfying his need for something great to snack on. Giving your horse a treat even strengthens the bond between horse and treat giver! Halloween Horse Treats Get a small pumpkin and remove all of the insides being careful to get all of the seeds. Then fill it with a mixture of sliced apples, carrots, grain and whatever other kind of fruit you have on hand. Put the top back on it and give each horse their own pumpkin. They will have fun squishing the pumpkin to get the treats out. Most horses will even eat the pumpkin. How to Safely Feed Treats to Your Horse or Pony Most of us feed our horses and ponies treats as a reward, or just because we love them. Treats that are close to a horse's natural foods are healthiest but a very small amount of almost any food item is safe to feed as a treat. Safe horse treats include:
You'll find horses have different tastes too. Some may love peppermints or sugar cubes, some prefer carrots or hay cubes. The safest way to feed treats is to put them in a bucket or feeder. Some treats can be a choking hazard. Apples and carrots are best cut into pieces. Only feed a very small amount of any hard foods like mints and hay cubes. A greedy horse may not chew the treat completely and bolt a treat down. The food can then become lodged in the horse's throat, causing them choke. Trust me, this is not a pretty sight! Some things are not good for treats:
Horses will eat surprisingly weird foods-from roast beef sandwiches to ice cream. Historically horses have been fed some strange things to survive--like fish. But horses are herbivores-animals whose digestive system is geared to digesting grass and soft plant matter. Although some horses can eat these things with no apparent ill effects, it is always better to stick to treats similar to their natural foodstuffs. Horse Lover Gift Basket Idea Fill a grooming tote or feed bucket with a main and tail comb, hoof pick, bottle of homemade hoof polish, bottle of homemade fly spray, fresh baked horse treats, Great Gift Idea: Green Cleaning Basket Fill a plastic tote with homemade carpet shampoo, dry carpet cleaner and deodorizer, all purpose cleaner, laundry soap, window and glass cleaner If you like my free recipes and would like to contribute, please leave a donation so you can enjoy the spirit of giving too. |