How to Teach Your Horse to Eat Treats

Part of the fun of having horses is getting to spoil them by giving them treats. Treats can vary from carrots to apples to mints and even manufactured ones. Not all horses will automatically eat these tasty treats without being coerced.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Treats

1. Try to see if your horse will eat any treat.

2. Purchase manufactured treats and start with those first, because they are closest to horse feed which most horses are already accustomed to. Generally the treats that resemble feed, containing oats and molasses, work the best.

3. Feed your horse a little less that usual and mix a handful of these treats in your horse's feed.

4. Watch to see if they are eating the treats in the feed or if they are leaving them behind. If they are leaving them behind break the treat down into smaller pieces. Be careful that the treats are not deterring your horse from eating their regular feed. If this is the case then try a smaller amount of treats under the feed.

5. Begin to offer these same treats while working with your horse. Eventually you will find that your horse will start looking for you to offer the treats. Eventually start to use the treats as rewards.

6. Repeat this step with different types of goodies. Horses tend to like carrots over apples, but just like humans all horses have different tastes.

Tips & Warnings

• Most horses naturally like oats, sugar, and molasses. Use these to your advantage to encourage your horse to try different treats.
• Do not force the issue. Some horses are very picky eaters and will not eat treats.