Horse Treats: Can they have more than carrots and apples?

Giving treats to horses has advanced beyond carrots, apples and sugar cubes.  We love to give our horses treats so why not offer them a variety of flavors.  You may find that by trying a few different kinds of treats, you will discover the flavor your horse truly loves. Here is some helpful information to use when selecting a new treat flavor for your horse. 

#1:  Select an appropriate treat size and quantity.  It is important to remember that no matter how healthy the treat may be...it is still a treat!  You can safely give your horse a few carrots a day without disrupting his very delicate intestinal system but please avoid the 5lb bag-o-carrots as this could bring on an unwanted bout of colic.  Also keep in mind that treat has to be easily chewed into small pieces to avoid a choke episode.  Always feed a very small quantity to your horse initially to make sure that the new treat does not cause and allergic reaction in your horse. 


#2:  Select safe healthy treats.  As you experiment with new treat items it is important to check to make sure your new treat is healthy and non-toxic.  In general it is best to stick with fruits and vegetables for treat choices as they are going to be healthy for your horse.  Here are some suggestions for safe fruits and vegetable choices:
Safe FRUITS:

• Apple
• Apricot
• Banana (can be fed with the peel)
• Blackberry
• Blueberry
• Cantaloupe
• Cherry
• Coconut
• Grapes
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Pears
• Pineapple
• Plum
• Strawberry
• Watermelon + rind

Safe VEGETABLES:

• Beets
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Celery
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Lettuce
• Parsnip
• Pumpkin
• Squash
• Turnip  

 

•  Unsafe FRUIT:
  • Avocado
  • Persimmons
   
• Unsafe VEGETABLES:
  • Broccoli (?) can cause gas, otherwise feed in tiny portions
  • Cauliflower (?) can cause gas, otherwise feed in tiny portions
  • Any member of nightshade family (peppers, etc.)
  • Onion
  • Pickle
  • Potato (peels are said to be toxic)
  • Sweet potato (?)
  • Tomato

#3: What flavors do horses prefer?  
This is a very interesting part of picking new treats as horses actually have some surprising flavor preferences. According to a study from England, at the University of Southampton, fenugreek (an herb often used in curry dishes), banana and cherry topped the list of flavors preferred by horses, ahead of the usual suspects (carrots and peppermint).
In the first phase of the study, which lasted for 16 days, eight horses received their usual forage every day along with six small portions of feed, each infused with a different flavor. How much of each flavored feed was consumed and over what period of time was observed and recorded.
Of the 15 flavors, only 12 were eaten by all the horses. In the study's second phase, the eight flavored meals that had been eaten most quickly were then presented to the horses two at a time in all combinations to discern which they liked best.
Analysis of the final data showed that the top eight flavors were, in order of preference, fenugreek, banana, cherry, rosemary, cumin, carrot, peppermint and oregano.
While the results are rather surprising, you will be interested to know that in India horses are routinely offered bananas, and that historically the Greeks and Romans fed fenugreek to horses. There are also reports of people adding fenugreek and cumin to horse rations to encourage increased consumption of regular rations.

Here is a recipe for some homemade horse treats.  Use this recipe as a base for creating your own special flavor of treats.  If you already have a favorite recipe feel free to share it on our facebook page.

Ingredients 

• 2cups Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup Apple Juice
• 2 chopped Apples (substitute any kind of crunchy fruit or veggie here)
• 1/2 cup dried Mango
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Molasses
• 1cup Rice/wheat bran

Instructions:
Mix everything together. Make teaspoon size cookies on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes at 375.  Store in the fridge.  Not suitable for horses with Metabolic syndrome.    

Funny Horse Race

Check out this horse race.  This is an actual race from Monmouth park.  It could not have been scripted any better.  Somehow it always works out that the wife knowing everything always wins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVMY-VX7NyA

A real life "Charlotte's Web"...only Charlotte is a Duck named "Slapjack"

This is an interesting story in Dr. Oman's home town newspaper (actually it is from the Klamath Falls newspaper as his town is too small to have its own newspaper).  Please stay tuned to find out what happened to the duck after end of the fair.

H&N photo by Andrew Mariman The Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair was buzzing with rumors of an inseparable duck owned by Zane Burrier and a pig owned by Hayden Staub just hanging out in the same pen. Sure enough the rumors were true.

Posted: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 6:13 pm | Updated: 6:22 pm, Tue Sep 14, 2010.

By JOEL ASCHBRENNER H&N Staff Reporter | 0 comments

TULELAKE - Milling through livestock pens at the Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair Sunday, many people came to a stop in front of one of the hog pens.
"Is that a duck?" one person wondered aloud.
"Maybe it got loose and flew in here," someone else guessed later.
Yes, there was a duck sitting calmly in a pen with Hayden Staub's 230-pound hog. And no, that was no accident.
"Most people think it's pretty funny," said Staub, 11.
At home Staub keeps the duck, Slapjack, with Pork Chop, his hog. Pork Chop is his only hog, and when a hog does not have to compete with another animal for food it eats less. The more Pork Chop eats, the more weight he gains, the more he brings at auction.
Even having a duck in the pen motivates the hog to eat more, the Tulelake resident said.
Staub was one of 90 4-H and FFA members who sold their animals at the Tulelake Rotary's Junior Livestock Auction Sunday in Jock's Sale Pavilion. The participants sold steers, hogs, sheep, goats and rabbits, some for thousands of dollars.
Before the auction Sunday Slapjack was nursing a sore foot. Pork Chop had stepped on it earlier in the week, but the two animals usually got along well, Staub said.
A family friend, who was staying with the Staubs, had Slapjack, so Staub decided to try penning it with his hog.

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Go to this link to see a video of the pig and duck in their pen at the fair.  
http://www.heraldandnews.com/#vmix_media_id=15466608

September 23, 2010:  Pig and Duck Update

Well it turns out the Slapjack was not able to save Pork Chop as Charlotte saved Wilbur.  However the duck was able to save himself.  It turned out that Dr. Oman's cousin just happened to catch a black and white pig (in a greased pig contest) that looked very similar to Pork Chop.  Now the duck has a new home and seems to have settle in nicely with his new pig friend.   

Article from the Horse Magazine

Here is an article in the recent "the Horse Magazine".  This situation stresses the importance of having a prepurchase examination prior to bring your horse home.  As more and more horses are being sold off the internet it is as important as every to make sure that every deal is legitimate.  Every person selling a horse should be reachable via the telephone and should be able to give you a reference. 

California Horse Dealer Accused of Fraud

by: Pat Raia
August 30 2010, Article # 16879

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A California woman accused of misrepresenting horses she offered for sale on equine-related websites pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge under a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles last week.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph N. Akrotirianakis said that between Nov. 2004 and June 2008, Trina Lee Kenney of Wrightwood, Calif., allegedly made false claims about the breed, registration status, health, abilities, and temperaments of horses she offered for sale on equine-focused websites including horsetopia.com, equine.com, agdirect.com, equinenow.com, and dreamhorse.com.
“In one case she drugged a horse that she claimed was safe for a child or a timid rider and painted other horses to the color horse she advertised," Akrotirianakis said. "In some cases buyers never received the horses they purchased."
Kenney's advertisements, some of which were placed under aliases, offered buyers a money back satisfaction guarantee. But she allegedly did not return calls or emails from dissatisfied customers and refused to return payments on misrepresented or undelivered horses, he said.
Kenney's alleged activities came to light after some dissatisfied customers filed complaints with the FBI's Internet Crimes Division. During an investigation, Kenney allegedly attempted to sell a nonexistant Friesian mare to both an undercover FBI agent and a U.S. Postal Inspector. After receiving $5,000 in payments for the mare, she allegedly did not respond to their emails and other inquiries about the transaction.
"So far we know of 61 prospective buyers in 23 states and in Canada that were defrauded, but there could be more," Akrotirianakis said.
Kenney agreed to plead guilty to a mail fraud charge on Aug. 26. Her attorney, Joseph Shemaria, said the accusations stem from a neighbor intent on discrediting Kenney. Kenney will be arraigned on the charge Sept. 7.
Though the case highlights risks connected with Internet horse sales, Kentucky attorney Milt Toby said prospective horse buyers should not assume all web sellers are dishonest.
"But the anonymity of the web invites unscrupulous behavior," he said. "It's also important to remember that dishonesty is not a one-way street, and that honest sellers can get cheated in an Internet deal."
To avoid potential online purchase pitfalls, Toby said buyers should request a written sales contract and bill of sale that contain a complete identification of the horse and the details of any warranty offered by the seller.
"If the seller insists on an 'as is' sale, which means no warranty at all, it should be a serious red flag for the buyer," he said.
Contracts should also stipulate which party pays shipment costs and when loss risk transfers from the seller to the buyer.
"Buyers should also require a prepurchase veterinarian exam by a veterinarian not associated with the seller and insist on a trial period before the sale becomes final," he said.