TREATS: More Than Meets the Eye 

TREATS: More Than Meets the Eye   Let’s address a big issue right away: this isn’t an opinion article about feeding…or not feeding…treats to your horse. Whether you choose to give your horse treats or not, you are absolutely right. Giving treats is personal business and I’m not going to tell you that you should or shouldn’t. Treats aren’t right for all horses, and some aren’t even motivated by food. They can turn horses into muggers or dangerous animals. Treats aren’t suitable at all for horses that are food aggressive. Horses don’t equate treats with love- that is a human trait. On the other hand, they can aid in training, provide a distraction, and convince your horse to stay in one place and to come when called. If you choose to treat, you should not hand out goodies without reason. The one opinion that I’ll insert is that a horse should earn it, either by doing something or not doing something as the situation demands. Having said all that, the purpose of this article is to show you that not all treats are equal. They differ in nutrition, size, ease of handling, and…most importantly to your horse…value. By value, I’m not referring to the number of dollar bills that you pull from your wallet. I’m talking about the value that your horse places on them. And believe me, he knows the difference! Any good dog trainer knows the importance of high-value treats, and anyone who rewards horses with treats should know too. Of course, if you don’t believe in treats, you could stop reading right here. But if you choose to continue, I hope you’ll find the information interesting. It is not intended to change your mind about treating. I’m not trying to convince you to follow one path or the other. Some parts of this article will touch on training, but I want to emphasize that this isn’t an article about training. To me, treats are a tool. Like other tools, they have different sizes, shapes, and uses. My goal is to get you thinking about the treats that you give and how some may be more beneficial than others in both nutrition and use. If you use treats, I encourage you to do research into how horses perceive rewards and how you can safely give treats without turning your horse into a mugger. There are natural treats, such as apples, carrots, bananas…all sorts of fruits and veggies that horses like. You might think that these are the healthiest treats but that isn’t always the case. Fruits and veggies contain vitamins and minerals, and they also contain carbohydrates in the forms of sugars, starches, and fiber. If your horse is sensitive to sugars or is prone to laminitis or on a low-carb diet, these may not be the best choices for him. While it’s true that a couple small pieces of apple probably won’t harm him, you should limit the amount that he gets. Remember too that an excessive amount of starch can overload the horse’s hindgut and cause colic and laminitis. Too much time spent under an apple tree can leave you with a vet bill. There are some vegetables that horses shouldn’t eat in great quantities or should not eat at all. Veggies from the brassica family, which include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnip, and Brussel sprouts, can cause gas and make a horse uncomfortable or lead to colic. Plants in the nightshade family, such as tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and potatoes, are thought to be dangerous to horses because they contain alkaloids, which can cause poisoning. I couldn’t find a lot of information on this in my research, so it’s best to avoid giving these to your horse. One important point to keep in mind when giving fruits and veggies is that they aren’t manufactured to be a safe size for your horse, and they may be sprayed with pesticides. Give them a good scrubbing and cut them up into small pieces so your horse doesn’t choke. Human food: yeah, you know what I’m talking about. Potato chips, Cheetos, peppermints, bread, soda…if you like it, your horse probably does too. But human food isn’t meant for him so enjoy it yourself, away from him. Granted, a chip or too likely won’t hurt him, but it doesn’t have anything in it that is good for him either. Horses with sugar sensitivity shouldn’t have candy, and especially not any sugar-free candies. We don’t know what long-term effects the sugar substitute has on people, let alone horses. And please don’t give chocolate to your horse, even if he begs. It contains theobromine, caffeine, and sugar, all of which can be detrimental and even dangerous to your horse. Chocolate can also cause your horse to test positive for certain banned performance-enhancing drugs. Manufactured horse treats are big business. There are probably hundreds of choices that vary in flavor, size, ingredients, and nutritional content. You may think they are similar, but they are not. The range is wide, from healthy treats to supplements masquerading as treats to flavored sugar. They also vary in how many or how much you should allow your horse to have in a day. There has been an interesting increase in “healthy” treats over the past several years. Feed companies realize that there is a market for horses with dietary needs or restrictions and that make the owner feel good about treating. But you still need to be an educated consumer and you should read the guaranteed analysis on the back of the bag. I looked at a bag of “healthy” horse treats made by a European company and was surprised to see that it contained 39% sugars and starches! You’ll recall from past articles that this means that 39% of the ingredients in this little bag are sugars. If you have a horse that is laminitic, insulin resistant, has PPID (Cushings) or other sugar sensitivities, this is not the treat for him. Granted, one isn’t likely to do