Horse Treats

What treats are available for horses?

Horse treats serve as tasty support and, on a primary level, as understandable confirmation of desired behaviour. The reward food can be fed directly thanks to its handiness and enables the short reaction span of a horse to be utilised effectively, particularly during training. Long-lasting and rapid learning is best achieved through positive reinforcement - and treats are an important reinforcer for horses. Horse treats can also be given as a greeting or farewell or as a treat in between.
A few basic rules are helpful to ensure that giving treats does not provoke intrusive behaviour on the part of the horse. You can find these in our guide to horse treats.

As a general rule, horse treats should be easy to eat and handy so that the horse can pick them up easily. Horse treats are compressed feed components that can be portioned and are hygienic. This has the advantage that they do not cause any mess in the treat bag or in the pockets of riding gilets, riding jackets or breeches. In addition, the hard consistency means that the horse has to salivate and chew the treat first and will therefore not swallow it so greedily.
Horse treats come in different sizes and shapes, from small pellets and large cuboids to cute hearts, stars and drops.
Of course, the ingredients are even more important than the shape. Here, too, there is a colourful selection so that not only healthy horses but also horses with impaired insulin metabolism can enjoy treats. A critical eye should be kept on the composition of the treats, especially for horses with pre-existing illnesses.

At Kramer Equestrian you can buy treats for your horse from a wide range of treats. The in-house brand Original Landmühle offers reward feed without additives, consisting of pressed hay, grass, vegetables and herbs. Our Alpine Meadow and Natural Treats from Original Landmühle are particularly worth mentioning here, which are also suitable for overweight horses and horses with metabolic disorders.
You can also buy treats with additives such as minerals and vitamins in our range. These are suitable for field-kept horses that do not otherwise receive vitamin and mineral supplements. However, be careful with the quantity: Treats with added minerals must not be fed in excess, but must be regarded as a vitamin and mineral supplement. In this category, we recommend the SuperTreats from Original Landmühle.

What can horses eat as a treat?

If you want to buy horse treats, you should pay close attention to the ingredients. They should be as natural and untreated as possible. When choosing treats for horses, you should pay particular attention to the amount of sugar (molasses), minerals and vitamins they contain.
Grain and molasses-free treats are suitable for horses with impaired insulin metabolism, as well as for horses that are overweight and suffer from EMS, Cushing's disease or laminitis. The Natural Treats from Original Landmühle are available in different versions and flavours, but they do not contain any additives and are therefore ideal for sensitive horses or horses on a diet.
Fresh ingredients are also suitable as horse treats, especially carrots, apples and bananas. They are particularly suitable as "super treats" during training when the horse has completed a task with flying colours. However, due to their high moisture content, apples & co. are only suitable for training and transport in the bag to a limited extent. Only feed these juicy treats in moderation, as they have a high fructose content and are therefore considered a sweet. However, you can also buy fruit and vegetables in treat form from Original Landmühle, which are very popular with horses.
Dried bread has always been fed as a horse treat, but due to the yeast and sugar it is only suitable in small quantities. While wholemeal baked goods are fine, you should steer clear of light-coloured baked goods, pretzels and baked goods with salt, sugar, cheese, icing or mould.
Occasionally and in moderation, you can also feed your horse seasonal treats, such as Christmas treats or summer treats that smell of coconut or honeydew melon.
Concentrated feed or hay and meadow cobs, which do not need to be soaked, have also proved their worth as horse treats. They are inexpensive, can be easily portioned and transported in the treat bag and the horse has to salivate them well, which is why they are not greedily devoured.

Original Landmühle offers a large selection of different treats for horses, because horses also have different tastes. You have to try out what your horse likes best after you have checked the ingredients.

What is the healthiest treat for horses?

The more natural the treat, the healthier it is for the horse. That's why Original Landmühle concentrates on processing the feed components as gently as possible in the production of treats and uses molasses-free and additive-free ingredients for a wide range of treats. In addition to the Nature Treats, Original Landmühle also offers healthy crisps for horses, i.e. dried carrot, banana and apple crisps, which are not only ideal as a treat but also as a crunchy topping for mash.

You can find out what else you should look out for when buying horse treats in our horse feed guide in the chapter on treats for horses.