Many horse owners create homemade treats for the dogs and cats in their lives. But have you made healthy treats for your horse? If you’re not ready to heat up the oven yet, here is a great recipe for an easy, no-bake horse treat.
Why Homemade Horse Treats?
Many animal lovers have turned to making their own homemade treats for the pets in their lives. Home-baked treats offer extra nutrition and healthy, natural supplements over the mass-produced treats sold in stores. Making your own treats can also help save money over store-bought options.
Horse treats are a simple way to add nutritional benefits without changing a regular feeding program. Let’s dive in with the recipe.
A Healthy, No-Bake Horse Treat
From the pages of the Savvy Horse Woman website, here is an easy, no-bake treat recipe for horses. Coconut oil, chia seeds, apple cider vinegar, and Himalayan salt make up the majority of the healthy ingredients. Keep reading to learn the benefits of each.
Coconut Oil
In contrast to traditionally used vegetable oils, coconut oil is easier to digest, absorb, and convert to energy. It is also reported to assist with ulcers, acidosis, colic, and dysbiosis, and is helpful for equines on a grain-based feed.
Chia Seeds
Proper Omega-3s and Omega-6s leave horses with a shiny coat and improved hoof growth. More beneficial than flax and fish oils, chia seeds contain higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids which offer natural anti-inflammatory properties, an alternative for maintenance or recovery, and a USEF-sanctioned supplement option for performance horses.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Also known as ACV, apple cider vinegar helps acidify a horse’s stomach for better digestion and mineral absorption. It also prevents intestinal stones from forming and is particularly helpful for horses on hard water or heavy alfalfa hay.
ACV also helps protect horses against bacteria and parasites, waterborne diseases, fast sugar absorption for sugar-sensitive horses, and degenerative joint health issues including arthritis pain and stiffness.
Himalayan Salt
Mined from the Himalayas in Pakistan, Himalayan salt is regarded as one of the purest salts with its natural minerals and trace elements intact, unlike traditional table salt which is highly processed and contains mostly sodium chloride. Most horses love and prefer it. It can be fed in block form or added to feed.
No-Bake Horse Treat Recipe
Mix all ingredients and roll into balls, 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Store in the refrigerator to maintain shape. Then share with your horse.
From Coat Nutrition to Coat Condition: What Grooming Reveals
The chia seeds and coconut oil in this recipe do more than make a treat your horse will love. Omega-3 fatty acids directly improve coat quality by reducing dullness, supporting skin health, and reducing the inflammatory response that can cause itching and sensitivity during shedding season. If you are feeding these ingredients consistently, you will see the results in the coat over time.
Grooming is how you see those results and keep them. A horse on a good nutritional program whose coat is not being groomed regularly will still carry dead undercoat through the shedding cycle, sweat more under saddle, and look rougher than the nutrition underneath would suggest. The coat has to be physically managed as well as fed.
During spring shedding especially, the dead winter coat does not release on its own quickly enough. It sits against the skin, traps heat and moisture, and masks the new coat coming in underneath. Removing it efficiently takes a tool that gets below the topcoat without cutting or scraping.
The 8″ EquiGroomer pulls dead and loose coat from the full body (topline, legs, belly, and face) with light strokes in the direction of coat growth. The micro-barbed blade grabs the undercoat without disturbing the topcoat or irritating skin. Horses that are sensitive to grooming tools during shedding season typically relax within the first few passes because there is no pulling or catching. Most owners complete a full-body session in under 15 minutes and see an immediate difference in coat appearance.
If the nutrition is already working, give it the best possible surface to show on.
