TIME TO CELEBRATE with your horses!  If you are like me, you probably pamper your horses with a special bran or special treats!

I’ve assembled below a list of several types of horsey treats for the Holidays.  Lots to pick and choose!

(Low sugar/low starch for IR/Cushing horses recipe at the bottom!)

HAVE FUN! 

Organic Apple Oatmeal Horse Treats
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees.)

Ingredients:
3 cups organic uncooked old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup organic applesauce
¼ cup organic molasses
½ cup organic flour

Directions:

• Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Next, add the molasses and applesauce and stir until well-incorporated.
• Once mixed, form the thick batter into teaspoon-sized balls and place them close together (but not touching) on a sprayed* cookie tray.
• Bake the treats for 15 to 20 minutes and then remove from oven.
• Leave the treats on the tray for 5 minutes to allow time for the treats to cool and harden.
• Once completely cool, store the treats in an airtight container.
• *When making treats, spray the cookie trays with coconut oil, a substitute of your choice, or grease the pans with butter.

(Thanks go out to Mother Earth News for this recipe.)

Baked Carrot Crisp Horse Treats
(Preheat oven to 400 degrees.)

Ingredients:

2 carrots, shredded
1.5 apple, shredded
1/3 cup molasses
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup bran
3/4 cup oatmeal

Directions:

• Generously grease a muffin tin.
• Mix carrots and apples into a bowl with molasses, bran, water, flour and oatmeal. Mixture should have a thick and doughy consistency. Add more bran if needed.
• Scoop dough into a muffin tin and bake in the oven for 30-50 minutes or until well cooked.

20-Minute Horse Treats
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees.)

Ingredients:

4-5 cups of oatmeal
2 cups of molasses
3 cups of grain
2-3 cups of flour
1 cup of water
2 tbsp of corn oil

Directions:

• Mix all the dry ingredients together and then add the liquid ingredients.
• Mix thoroughly until the entire mixture is coated and moist.
• Add either liquid or solid until you’re able to form the mixture into small balls.
• Roll balls lightly in salt then press onto a cookie sheet. Or you can spread a layer of the mixture on the cookie sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Horse Cookies
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees.)

Ingredients:

4 cups whole oats
1 can pumpkin
2 cups water
2 tsp baking powder
1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp honey or molasses (optional)

Directions:

• Mix the pumpkin and water together well.
• Add the flour, oats, and spices.
• Add the optional honey or molasses.
• Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until done.

 

No-Bake Sweet Grain and Apple Horse Snack

Ingredients:

1 large apple (hollowed)
Sweet grain
Dry oats
Shredded carrots
Molasses
Honey

Directions:

• Hollow apple and set aside.
• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
• Fill the hollowed apple with the mixed ingredients.
• Store in refrigerator if not used right away.

Frozen Banana Mash Horse Treat
(Great for hot summer days.)

Ingredients:

4 Chopped frozen bananas (peel and all)
4 cups Shredded carrots
2 cups Grain
2 cups Oatmeal
1 cup Honey (optional)
Ice

Directions:

• This is a no-bake, frozen treat for summer days.
• Chop bananas and freeze for at least 1 hour.
• Shred Carrots and gather other ingredients.
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl for additional freezing.
• Decide on small frozen treats or a large frozen block for your horse to work.
• Divide and freeze accordingly, in plastic containers.
• Pry frozen treat from bowl and offer to horse on a warm day.
• This treat can be served frozen or thawed, it’s up to you and your horse!
• If served thawed, it can be a good delivery system for medication.

Stuffed Pumpkin Horse Treat
(Have leftover pumpkins?  Your horse would love one!)

Ingredients:

A whole pumpkin
Hay
Grain
Fruit of choice
Vegetables of choice

Directions:

• Cut a lid on your pumpkin.
• Do not remove insides.
• Stuff inside of pumpkin with ingredients.
• Put the lid back on and roll it to your horse.
• Watch her dive into the stuffed pumpkin horse treat with delight!

Aside from making your own homemade horse treats or buying nutritious horse snacks from a reliable source, there are other quick, fun ways to pamper your horse with a good horse treat.  These include…

1. Fresh fruits like apples, carrots, watermelon (including the rind), pineapple, pumpkin, strawberry and even kiwi are a nice occasional treats for horses.
2. Nutritious veggies like celery, sweet potato, lettuce, turnips, and so on are great for horses but be sure to avoid vegetables that are known to cause gastro-intestinal distress. When in doubt, skip it!

Will your horse love these tasty horse treat recipes and snacks?  We bet they will!  These ideas all deliver a combination of healthy, fresh, and wholesome ingredients that are sure to delight your favorite mounts.  The only problem you’ll have is running out too soon!

What kind of horse treats do you give your team?  We’d love to hear your favorites in the comments below!

Saratoga Stalls is a premium national supplier of horse and barn products. For more information on custom barns or horse stalls please contact Curtis Gardner, CEO, at (800) 918-6765.

 

Oat & Carrot Christmas Cookies

(Recipe Originally by Bijou)

Delicious Oat and Carrot Horse Cookies! (Photo courtesy of Bijou)

1.5 Cups of Oats

2 Whole Carrots

.5 Cups of Molasses

2 TBS of Water

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
2. Run the Oats and Carrots through a food processor to make into a fine, flour like meal
3. Combine in bowl with Molasses, sprinkle in water until moist and mix well
4. Form small balls of the mixture, size based on the size of the cookie you want (I try to keep my no larger than a spoonful)
5. Place the balls on an ungreased baking sheet, squashing them slightly flat as you go.
6. Bake in oven for approx. 25 minutes, or until the treats have dried out to your preference. 25 minutes should provide a dry, crunchy treat.
7. Wait to cool, serve to willing animals and people!

What I like about this recipe is that it uses no enriched flour, no corn syrup, and no sugar. It’s all natural!

Apple & Flax Horse Cookies

1 Cup Sweet Feed

2 – 3 Cups Wheat Bran

1 Cup Flax Seed

1 TSP Salt

4 Large Apples, Shredded

1 Cup Molasses

.5 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce

1. Mix molasses, brown sugar, apples and applesauce in bowl.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Gradually combine wet and dry ingredients together, only using enough of the wet ingredients to make a thick dough. Add more bran if necessary.
4. Line cookie sheet with foil and spray with oil.
5. Drop batter onto cookie sheet in tablespoon amounts. Flatten with a fork.
6. Bake slowly at 300° F. for 1 hour, turn cookies over and continue to bake for another 45 minutes until thoroughly dried.
7. Reduce heat if cookies begin to brown excessively or to burn.

I like these because of the Bran and Flax in the cookie, and because horses tend to like the apply flavor! (I may have tasted for myself as well….)

 

Easy No Cook “Apple Snaps”

(Recipe originally by Holistic Hoof and Horse Care)

4 Cups Bran (Wheat or otherwise)

4 Cups Unsweetened Applesauce

1. Mix ingredients together until batter is doughy
2. Roll out batter with rolling pin
3. Cut into squares or shapes
4. Allow dough to dry (takes about 24 hours) and serve

Obviously, I love these. They’re not as popular as the other cookies but they require significant less time and effort! A note, though…. If you live in a relatively humid climate, they can take a while to dry properly. I had sped up the process by putting the oven at it’s lowest setting and placing them on the center rack for about fifteen minutes.

Peppermint Patties

1/3 Cup Oats
1/3 Cup Grain (plain)
1/3 Cup Molasses
1/3 Cup Flour
Peppermints

1. Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees
2. If you prefer, use food processor to chop Oats and Grain into a finer texture
3. Mix together all ingredients except for peppermints.
4. Form cookies using spoon/scoop/hands and place on a lined cookie sheet
5. Take a peppermint and place it in the middle of each ball of the cookie dough, pressing down to flatten slightly.
6. Bake for 21 minutes or until golden brown. May need to let them dry out.

I real Horsie Favorite! The Peppermint adds just enough allure for the finicky eater.

Oat’n’Apple Chewies

(Recipe originally by Moniteau Saddle Club)

1.5 Cups Unsweetened Applesauce

1 Cup Oat Bran Cereal or Ground Oatmeal

.5 Cup All Purpose Flour (I prefer Wheat flour)

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Mix all ingrediants together until consistency is that of thick batter
3. Oil/grease a 9 inch X 9 inch square cake pan (metal)
4. Spread batter evenly in cake pan
5. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes. The batter will shrink away from the edges of the cake pan, and be firm to the touch.
6. Slice into squares while still warm. These chewies will not dry out and should be refrigerated

And Below is a new addition to my Recipe Box, recently posted by Professional’s Choice on their website! I haven’t had a chance to test these out, so if someone would like to give them a go, let me know how it works out!

Oat Molasses Cookies

(Recipe originally by Grullo Quarter Horses, via Professional’s Choice)

Oat Molasses Cookies look good enough to eat! (Photo Courtesy Professional’s Choice )

2 Cups Dry Oatmeal

.5 Cup Grated Carrots

3 TBS Molasses

.5 Cup Brown Sugar

Water to preference

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine all Ingredients
3. Add enough water to make a soft dough, Stirring well
4. Form cookie balls
5. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown

I hope everyone gets a chance to try out these great recipes, and that this holiday season is filled with love, laughter, and horses!

Go Eventing!

Peppermint-Stick Bran Mash
Ingredients:
1 cup crushed candy canes
3 to 5 cups bran
1 tablespoon salt
1 carrot, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups sweet feed

Dissolve crushed candy canes in 2 to 3 cups of boiling water and let water cool to warm. Then, mix all ingredients together except sweet feed in a feed bucket. Add more warm water to make it soupy, rather than crumbly. Cover with towel and let stand until cool. Right before serving, spread a thin layer of sweet feed over the top and sprinkle on a crushed candy cane to garnish.

Thanks to Nicole Fritzler, Mich.
(From The Ultimate Guide to Pampering Your Horse, by June V. Evers; Horse Hollow Press, Inc., go to horsehollowpress.com to purchase)

Apple & Carrot Pie
Ingredients:
Corn oil
Sugar
4 apples
4 carrots, diced
Cinnamon

Pour enough corn oil in the bottom of a pie pan to cover the bottom. Then, spread about 1/4 cup of sugar over the entire bottom. Slice apples horizontally in pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Lay them and the carrots down over the sugar. Pour a little more corn oil over the pie and sprinkle about 1/4 cup of sugar evenly over the entire top. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon. Use a large serving spoon to serve equal portions to several horses.

Thanks to Kelly Carlson, Wis.
(From The Ultimate Guide to Pampering Your Horse, by June V. Evers; Horse Hollow Press, Inc.)

Steamed Apple Pudding
Ingredients:
4 cups bran
2 apples, quartered
Water
Cinnamon

In a large pot, combine all ingredients with enough water to make a soupy mash. Simmer on low to medium heat until the apples are mushy. Remove from stove, cover and let cool. Serve warm. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

(From The Ultimate Guide to Pampering Your Horse, by June V. Evers; Horse Hollow Press, Inc.)

Applesauce Bundt Avec Corn Oil
Ingredients:
2 cups sweet feed
2 cups bran
1 cup molasses
1 cup apples, chopped
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup corn oil
1-1/2 cups water
1 alfalfa cube, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt cake pan and set aside.

Mix ingredients (except alfalfa cube) in a large bowl. Slowly add more or less water until mixture is a stiff consistency. Press mixture into a bundt cake pan and bake for one hour. When cooled completely, dribble an additional 1/2 cup of corn oil over the top and sprinkle on the crushed alfalfa cube for a garnish. Remove, let cool completely and serve to several horses.

Thanks to Tammy Goydich, N.Y.
(From The Ultimate Guide to Pampering Your Horse, by June V. Evers; Horse Hollow Press, Inc.)

Christmas Cake
Ingredients:
4 cups sweet feed
1 apple, chopped
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
Purple grapes
2 carrots, diced
Sugar cubes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a cake pan and set aside.

Mix sweet feed, apple, raisins, molasses, and eggs together well. Press into cake pan and bake for one hour. Remove and let cool completely. Top with grapes, carrots, and sugar cubes.

Thanks to Edie Larson of Fox Haven Farm, Va., and The Complete Horse Tack Shop, Richmond, Va.
(From The Ultimate Guide to Pampering Your Horse, by June V. Evers; Horse Hollow Press, Inc.)

VIDEO OF HOW TO MAKE LOW STARCH/LOW SUGAR TREATS FOR YOUR IR/CUSHINGS HORSE!

Here is a link to the video.  I watched it and this is simple to follow.  She does a great job of explaining it all!  And she posts the analysis she had done to make sure her Cushings/IR horse could eat them!