SNACKS!!!

[MindyLee]

PANCAKES! They go nuts over left over cinnaman pancakes from a Sunday breakfast at my farm.

And Honestly... They actually will eat anything you give them, including you fingers if you let them. Their like little garbage disposals.

LOL!

How about your minis???

 

[~Lisa~]

Most of mine will eat anything and a a horse show eat near them at your own risk. I have one who will steal hamburgers/ pizza/ whatever you are eating he feels should be fair game if you set it down for even one second. He LOVES to show cause it is like a big ol buffet for him

here at home there usual treats are candy hearts ( I wait till day after Valentines day and stock up once they go on half off sale) and jelly beans

 

[chandab]

For the most part I don't. Mine all love the Dumor treats that TSC sells, plus Applezz N Oats, Nicker Snax and a couple other commercial horse treats (I like them because they keep well, living out in the middle of nowhere, I can't just run to the store for stuff). Most of mine like carrots and apples. I had a Quarter Horse gelding that liked blueberry PopTarts.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Mine will eat just about anything too but they really dont get too many treats from me...its hubby I've got to watch..he lets them sample anything!! It drives me bonkers. What I do like to buy are those little tiny pastel colored mints...they are pretty small and I will even drop a couple in their feed on occasion or disolve them in their water bucket. Mine also love GoodnPlenty.

Heidi

 

[Sandee]

I find that each one has their own quirks about snacks. My stallion took those carrot flavored snacks from me at the breeders farm and his eager easy going way of accepting me was one of the things that made me decide to purchase him. However, I've found out that those carrot flavored snacks are the ONLY things that he will accept. He doesn't want any other flavor. He doesn't like candy and will acctually drop it out of his mouth. He doesn't even like the molassas "horse cookies". He had to "learn" to accept real carrots (and I only feed the tiny baby ones). He's very picky about what and who he'll accept things from.

My gelding is not so picky as long as it comes from a person's hand but put something different in a bucket of feed and he might not touch it for a whole day.

My filly on the other hand will eat anything that you offer her. She like the flavored treats, peppermint candy (I use the wrappers to crinkle for attention in halter), horse cookies, and at a show this summer where it was very hot and my daughter was eating ice -yup, filly even ate ice cubes.

That's what makes these guys so great - they each have their own personalities.

 

[LAZY J MINIS]

MINE LIKE NICKERMAKERS, I'VE LOST MY PANTS BY HAVING THEM IN MY POCKET. SOME LIKE CARROTS,APPLES,PEARS, AND ONE LIKES ICECREAM. I HAVE THE FUNNIEST PICTURE OF HIM WITH ICE CREAM RUNNING DOWN HIS CHIN. THEY ARE SUCH CLOWNS AND FUN TO BE WITH.

 

[TuffyLynn]

all of mine just go crazy for carrots (cut up)... just love them

 

[copperwood farm]

The ultimate snack of choice.....Candy Canes...of course. The challenge is to see how cheap you can get them after Xmas and if you can gauge how many to buy to get you through the year.lol

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

ALL of mine **love** animal crackers (some irony in that). 

I have some that are so picky that won't eat anything except the animal crackers and then there is my quarter horse Pistol - he will eat seafood, hotdogs, hamburgers, lasagna, spagetti, salads (with ranch only) and strawberry ice cream. 

He's a stinker 

 

[candycar]

Mine love animal crackers also

That is what they get when they do their tricks. They have perfected the "cookie face". I'm also with littleribbie, have to watch hubby, he feeds them MY corn chips and cheezit crackers

Another thing they adore is frozen applesauce, the little individual cups and watermelon. Great treat for those hot days!

 

[bonloubri]

The older horses get the apple wafer treats from TSC or carrots. The younger ones especially the weanlings get Teddy Grahams.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I feed vanilla flax treats. My guys mug me for them. It breaks into little pieces easily and I used to teach my guys to accept the bit. Worked great!

 

[Jean_B]

Nothing. It tends to encourage nibbling/ nipping. If they get anything it might be a nibble of grain and then only in a bucket as a reward for letting me catch the reluctant ones so they don't associate fingers with treats.

 

[jandjmc]

I got tired of spending money for horse treats, so I pick up a box of Frosted mini wheats while I'm at the grocery. The horses love them, my dogs will eat them (I'm not sure if "love" is the right word) and I enjoy them too.

Another recommendation-Bananas-They talked about feeding bananas for horses with stomach troubles in the Horse Journal recently. 1-3 are recommended for full sized horses (daily), adjust accordingly. Of my group of 5 minis, 2 loved them, 2 ate them and 1 wouldn't hear of it. I always have a banana around that's not going to be eaten so it's a good way to use them.

All of my minis also love watermelon rinds with a little of the pink stuff left on!

 

[Bess Kelly]

Nothing. It tends to encourage nibbling/ nipping. If they get anything it might be a nibble of grain and then only in a bucket as a reward for letting me catch the reluctant ones so they don't associate fingers with treats.

Same here. My hubbies grandkids used to be very disappointed that my horses generally didn't know what an apple or carrot was, didn't want to know and just preferred a good scratch.

Had a few older mares who had been given apples and knew what they were -- in a past farm.

 

[shorthorsemom]

For nibbling biting and searching for treats.... I do still give treats, but agree that the boys can drive you crazy if you hand feed treats... we typically put them in the feed tubs. If I want my boys to come when called... I call them, and from the other side of the fence "clink clink" the treats get dropped into their feed tubs. The boys come in rather quickly when they are called. I don't allow much hand feeding except during training, and never from my kids so the horses don't mug the kids looking for treats. I do use treats for bit training. During training the boys are more worried about the newness of the bit than biting and searching for the treats, but it does make the training more fun. I give treat tidbits to teach them to forget about the bit, learn to eat with it on, and maneuvering the treat around in their mouth while wearing the bit seems to help them learn not to put their tongue over the bit. Also, if I am giving medication or doing any type of vet treatment, that horse will get a treat to be caught and one after we are finished. It cut down on my boy giving me the "hairy eyeball" and running away when he saw me with the dosing syringe. Everybody gets a treat after worming too. That is about all, they do come in handy to keep my boys from playing "keep away" when they anticipate medication or training. My guys see the training bucket come out they are standing in line wanting to go next. Keeps it positive, but I do agree, just to treat them from the pocket for no particular reason except that you love them, can encourage unwanted biting behavior. cheers.

 

[Margo_C-T]

I seldom give treats, for the reasons others have mentioned, but occasionally and randomly will 'surprise' them with what my friend Julie (jandjmc) suggested to me...frosted mini wheats! I bought the 'generic' last time; they like them JUST as well as the 'name brand'!

I tried banana; it was actually listed as one of the top taste preferences of horses in some horse mag I read fairly recently...but so far, nobody wanted it! They tend to be suspicious of anything they haven't tasted before, even when it is something that 'everyone' thinks that a horse should 'automatically' love! Just goes to show; most tastes are acquired!

Margo

 

[AppyLover2]

Honey-nut mini wheats are much preferred over the "plain" ones. I don't eat the frosted ones so they've never been offered those. They also love animal crackers. My farrier gives each one a peppermint as he finishes with them....they definitely remind him if he seems to "forget". LOL Love the idea of the little valentine hearts. Those would be great for clicker training treats.