We all love to spoil our equine partners and that can involve carrots, apples, bananas, watermelon and even store-bought treats such as Stud Muffins. But why not have some fun in the kitchen and make your own? With everyone asked to stay home as much as possible you likely can find the time and your horse will thank you. So show him or her some extra love and get baking!

We’ve scoured the internet for homemade horse treats ‒ here are five of our faves:

(Note: because most of these recipes contain sugar or molasses, they should only be fed sparingly as a special treat, and not if your horse has metabolic issues or insulin resistance.)

Horse Cookie Crunchies:

Horse Cookie Crunchies.

Ingredients:
1 large Carrot
1 large Apple
1 cup Molasses
2 1/2 cups old fashioned Oats
2 Tablespoons Oil

Directions:

  • Shred the carrot and the apple into a large bowl.
  • Add in the oil, oats, and molasses. Stir to combine well so that all the oats are covered in the molasses.
  • Pour the mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Pat the treats down with a spoon or with your fingers so they are flattened into the pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until they begin to get crispy.
  • Remove the treats from the oven and let them cool for a while. The treats will harden slightly as they cool. Once they are hardened you can score into pieces.

 

The Ultimate Horse Cookie Recipe

Honey can be substituted for molasses.

Ingredients:
1 carrot
1 apple
1/2 cup molasses (or honey)
2 cups oats
1/2-3/4 cup flour (or make oat flour by throwing some oats into a blender/food processor)
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or coconut oil
1 tablespoon water (optional)

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 300-325 degrees
  • Grate the carrot and finely chop the apple
  • Mix together all of the ingredients. Please keep in mind that depending on variations such as the size/type of apple, what kind of oats you use (rolled or steel-cut oats don’t absorb as much moisture as quickly as quick oats), whether you use honey or molasses, etc. you may need to tweak the amounts of the ingredients. You should be able to squeeze a ball of dough in your hand and it shouldn’t fall apart.)
  • Roll and press into balls with your hands and place them on a greased baking sheet. If the dough is too sticky add more flour and/or water
  • Bake for about 28-32 minutes on the middle rack, checking on them often, until golden brown
  • Cool and store in a sealed container and use within a week. They’ll stay the freshest stored in the fridge.

 

Earth Muffins

Oatmeal for Earth Muffins.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill ground flax seed (or substitute brand)
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup organic sugar
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill oat flour
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill oatmeal
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup frozen blackberries

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Soak ground flaxseed in warm water for 10 minutes until it turns a gelatinous consistency.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine flax-and-water mixture with sugar.
  • Stir in oat flour, oatmeal, salt, and cinnamon until well-combined.
  • Pour batter into a greased mini-muffin pan.
  • Firmly press one berry thick side down into each muffin.
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Organic Apple Oatmeal Horse Treats

Organic Apple Oatmeal Horse Treats

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

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • 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.

Easy Jet No Bake Horse Cookies

Apples and peanut butter for no-bake cookies.

This one comes courtesy of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum. As a nice treat, American Horse Daily says that you can actually have some of this tasty horse treat yourself!

Ingredients:
½ cup peanut butter or sun butter (for peanut allergies)
¾ cup powdered sugar
¾ cup milk
1 cup quick or old fashioned uncooked oats
¾ cup unsweetened puffed wheat or granola
¼ apple chips crunched into small pieces

Directions:

  • Measure out ingredients into a large bowl.
  • Combine peanut butter, sugar and milk, mixing well.
  • Stir in oats and remaining ingredients.
  • Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let stand until firm.