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When I was a kid, The treats I fed my horse was sugar cubes, carrots and apples.
Now the apples and carrots are great, however the sugar cubes leave me cringing at the memory.
I'm sure this is was a very tasty treat for them, however not something I would ever recommend for any horse. Ever. Let alone a horse that is experiencing a metabolic issues that are so common in the modern horse.
Not only is this sugar going to have potential to impact them metabolically, it offers no nutritional benefits at all. What is even the point?!
Most horses appreciate a nice bit of apple or carrot. or a bit of your muesli bar or even your cookie.
Treats can be a reward as you are teaching a trick, or even just a positive reinforcement for being caught.
A small amount of these foods very occasionally is perfectly fine for most horses.
Metabolic horses need more care around what treats they get.
For the horses that can be a little more metabolically sensitive, safe treats can be a bit more tricky to find. Many horse treats are based on rolled oats and some have molasses or honey as a binder. These are all ingredients that are best avoided in metabolic horses.
Apples and carrots given in small amounts can be safe for metabolic horses that are well controlled, and have an appropriate diet that keeps their dietary sugars to a minimum. Although fresh carrot and apple have natural sugars, they are also predominantly water.
Safe treats for metabolic horses on box rest
Treats can be especially rewarding for horses on box rest, but need to be appropriate for the metabolically sensitive horse.
Safe treats for horses that are restricted to box rest, especially those with laminitis that are on a very strict emergency diet can be challenging.
Exercise can help to improve insulin sensitivity. In horses on box rest, they are not getting this exercise.
Treats can be especially appreciated by the horses that have been confined to stall rest, and doing some trick training, or giving them a treat can make them (and you) feel so much better about the situation.
These do have some apple in the recipe, and if you are only feeding small amounts, this will be ok. If you are feeding your horse a great quantity, or they are extremely sensitive and their insulin dysregulation is not well controlled, replace apple sauce with another half cup of hot water.
These can be made in the oven or in the dehydrator. I prefer to use the dehydrator, using a low heat. You can dehydrate in the oven, or cook on a higher temperature which will decrease the cooking time.
cooking times are all estimates, and this will vary significantly based on the thickness you press the sheets
Treats that offer nutritional benefits!
These treats are not only a safe food for sensitive horses, they offer nutritional benefits too.
Linseeds are rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids, protein and phytochemicals such as lignans. Linseeds help to support normal digestion with a good fibre content and are quite palatable.
Cinnamon is not only yummy, this can have beneficial effects on blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity. I only use the Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, or ceylon Cinnamon rather than the Cassia cinnamon, due to the coumarin content. It doesn't matter much for small amounts, however if they are having a lot of cinnamon, over a period of time, the cassia is best avoided.
Pepitas or Pumpkin seeds, rich in antioxidants, magnesium, zinc, and protein.
Here is my recipe for metabolic horse friendly treats.
Linseed and Cinnamon nibbles
Ingredients
1 cup of linseeds (freshly ground)
1 jar of apple baby food (110g- I use baby food instead of apple sauce as the baby food is added sugar free)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup ground pepitas
Method
OVEN- Preheat oven to 150 degree Celsius of a fan forced oven. Line 2 oven trays with brown paper.
DEHYDRATOR- use a layer of baking paper, or sheets available for fruit paste.
Grind the linseeds to a coarse mill.
Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and mix together.
Add apple sauce and hot water and mix well. This will become a thick sludgy mixture, that is very tacky.
spread this over the dehydrator sheet, or the baking paper and spread into a very fine layer. Add more water if this is too thick.
We want it to be pliable to spread easily, but still holding together.
cut into small squares and put in oven or dehydrator
In the oven, this can take 40-60 minutes. in the dehydrator it can take several hours. Cooking time depends on how think you press the sheets.
You can take out when at the chewy stage, or you can cook for longer and allow them to get nice and crispy.
You can feed as little crackers, or break up further and have as little morsels for stretches or trick training.
If your horse has no teeth, or tends to swallow without adequate chewing, make sure the pieces are very small so they don't swallow large chunks.
What are your horses favourite treats? Let me know in the comments below.
Give your horse a pat for me.
Kerrie x
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