Best Horse Treats For Training & Rewards
Here we round up our top 6 of the best horse treats on the market. Horse treats are available in a wide range of flavors and are made from various ingredients that horses love.
You can even find several healthy options. But how do you, as a horse owner, know which are the best quality treats to buy your horse?
Are you looking for a soft treat to hide medicine in? Something with health benefits? Rewards for training, or just an alternative to sugar cubes? We have something on this list for you.
Roundup Of Our Top 6 Horse Treats
Mrs. Pastures Cookies For Horses
A well-trusted brand and a firm favorite amongst horses and horse owners. These Mrs. Pastures Cookie treats aren’t sticky to touch and don’t crumble in your pocket. They have a simple ingredient list without any colorants and are not overly processed. The cookies keep well in the bag and don’t get sweaty with heat.
These horse cookies do however have a relatively high sugar content so it’s not a good idea to feed your horse too many treats. Good treats to feed your horse as a reward for a job well done. If you keep feeding him thee, your horse won’t even mind a visit from the vet or farrier!
Pros
- Stay fresh for long
- All-natural ingredients
- Approved by picky eaters
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- More expensive
- Contain a lot of sugar
Manna Pro Bite-Sized Nuggets
A delicious treat that is available in carrot and spice, peppermint, and apple flavors. The bag is huge with loads of bite-sized treats inside. Manna Pro Bite-Sized Nuggets are available at a low price compared to other commercially available horse treats.
These are some of the best horse treats to use for clicker training and trick training.
Apple flavor (our favorite) smells like licorice and gives your horse fresh breath.
The treats do contain quite a few preservatives and artificial flavors but are safe to feed in small quantities. The treats are soft enough for senior horses to chew.
Pros
- Added vitamins and minerals
- Great value for money
- Easy for horses to chew
- Store well
Cons
- Contain preservatives and artificial flavors
- Small and easy to drop
A-Z Original Molasses Flavor Horse Cookies
These healthy Original Molasses Flavored Cookies are low in sugar which makes them suitable for horses with equine metabolic syndrome. Horse owners often struggle to feed their horse medication and you can use this soft treat to hide a pill inside. Just press a pill in and squeeze gently shut.
These cookies are rather large in size. We suggest you break them into smaller pieces when feeding treats to avoid creating a choking hazard. The soft texture is easy to chew, even by older horses. We like that these treats don’t contain certain foods including wheat, corn, and soy which some horses are allergic to.
Pros
- Low in sugar and carbs
- Can be used as a pill popper
- Suitable for horse’s with Cushing’s
- Human-grade ingredients
Cons
- Crumble easily
- On the pricey side
Uncle Jimmy’s Hanging Balls
- Uncle Jimmy's Hangin' Balls Molasses. Horses will spend hours trying to lick and grab this ball
- Great Value for Money
- Made in England
- Item package quantity: 1
Uncle Jimmy's Hanging Balls is a super product to keep your horse entertained if they are on stall rest recovering from an injury. Ingredients include grains, sunflower seeds, and corn syrup. The balls are available in carrot, apple, peppermint, sweet and salty, and even a low sugar variety.
Most horses like to occasionally lick the sweet treat and it can last for a couple of weeks. Hang the ball somewhere your horse wont be able to pin it against a wall to take a bite as the hard and sticky texture can damage teeth.
Be advised that in hot and humid weather the ball starts to melt and can come right off the string. This horse treat is best kept for winter, cold weather, or inside cool stalls.
Pros
- Added vitamins and minerals
- Combats boredom
- Horses love the taste
- Lasts a long time
Cons
- Doesn’t hold up in the heat
- Some horses ignore it
Aloe Advantage Poppermints Horse Treat
Bite-sized treats made with fortified grains and bursting with peppermint flavor! The perfect size to take along on a ride. You can even break these treats smaller to use in training as an encouragement to stretch. These treats have a soft texture that is easy to chew and gives your horse minty fresh breath.
Just like other treats for horses, Poppermints should be fed in moderation. These treats are enriched with vitamins and minerals that help boost immunity and keep your horse healthy. The cylinder-shaped treats are really small and horses love the minty flavor. Be sure to use a flat hand for treat feeding!
Pros
- Enriched with vitamins and minerals
- Suitable for horses of all ages
- Smell Great
- Cost-effective
Cons
- Relatively high in calories
- Small for extra-big horses
Manna Pro FlaxSnax
We love the brewer’s yeast and flaxseeds in these treats that help keep your horse’s coat healthy and shiny. The ingredients are also good for the digestive system. Your horse will enjoy these Manna Pro FlaxSnax treats and they are a good addition to a normal diet.
These are not ideal treats for senior horses as the cookies are quite hard for an older horse’s mouth to chew. Compared to other sugary snacks, these cookies are a healthy treat and a good choice of reward for clicker training.
The treats have a strong cinnamon smell that most horses love but some are skeptical of until they get a taste, then there is no going back.
Pros
- Low in sugar
- Contain Omega 3 fatty acids
- Not sticky to touch
- Stay fresh and crispy
Cons
- Hard to chew
- Some horses don’t like the cinnamon smell
How To Choose The Best Horse Treats (A Buyer’s Guide)
Ingredients
When choosing treats for horses, your biggest consideration should be what they are made of. Most commercially available treats have been stringently tested to be safe for horses to eat. Look for natural ingredients that you already feed as a treat or are found in horse food.
Healthy ingredients in a treat include real carrots and apples, oats, seeds, and other fruit, vegetables, and grains that are safe for horses to eat.
A very small amount of natural sweetener is okay but If your horse has metabolic issues, avoid treats with too much sugar. You should also check for and steer clear of anything that your horse has an allergy to.
Health Benefits
Even though you are giving your horses a treat, it is an added bonus if a treat is also good for their health. Certain treats for horses contain ingredients like flaxseed, apple cider vinegar, soybean hulls, chia, and Omega 3 fatty acid. These and other ingredients are good for the digestive tract as well as coats, hooves, and overall condition.
Some companies go as far as fortifying their products with extra vitamins and minerals. This means that some treats act as healthy supplements to the food that your horses already eat.
Just be careful not to buy products with too many unnecessary additives, preservatives, and added sugar. Simpler is better when it comes to treats. Alternatively, you could consider making your own horse treats.
Horse Preferences
Horses, just like people, have their own taste when it comes to the food they like. Some horses might prefer carrots, apple slices, and hay cubes while others will do just about anything for a peppermint cookie.
It is important to find a treat variety that your horse goes crazy for. The more interest your horse has in the treat, the better it will work as a reward for training or as a distraction when the vet or farrier comes to visit.