My mom and aunt did the same thing!
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My horse likes a Coke every now and then. He also likes any kind of mint. All you have to do is crinkle plastic and he starts nickering. He used to pound his hoof on his stall door or paw the ground when he heard plastic tearing-- it was very challenging to break him of that habit!
He loves apples and carrots, but he won’t eat baby carrots, which makes me wonder how they manufacture baby carrots. Maybe he knows something I don’t. :lol: Nearly any kind of commercial treat is fine with him, except for the original Nicker Makers, which he absolutely hates and will spit out if offered. He also likes just about any sort of granola bar, especially the jam-filled ones.
He tried to drink my coffee at a show once, but I needed the caffeine myself, so that was a no-go. I did give him part of my pumpkin bar, which he liked, cream cheese frosting and all.
My youngest great-nephew thought horses live on carrots and apples, which I thought was sort of cute.
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Mine is a sucker for treats, but weirdly doesn’t really want to swallow unfamiliar foods. Like granola bars. He goes crazy for the smell of them, and is desperate to try, but as soon as it goes in his mouth he just lets it fall out again. He’s never wanted wanted to chew a boiled sweet, even peppermint. Loves the smell, slurps them up, doesn’t seem to know what to do and spits them out.
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When mine was imported from Europe he had no clue how to eat a mint. Would snatch it right up, but then roll it around in his mouth and drop it all confused. He finally figured it out but was hilarious and sort of sad to watch for a while. 
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This is such a fun thread!! My first horse loved peanut M&Ms, but he wouldn’t wan the peanut. He would roll the candy in his mouth then spit the perfectly whole and cleaned off peanut into my hand! Strangely didn’t enjoy the regular M&Ms as much!
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Hmmmmm… Might try this for a change.
Although I’ve read - on COTH - about horses who looooove bananas & my 3 unanimously voted NOPE!
Same for Peeps - the Treat of Choice for one departed COTHer’s horse (DressageGeek).
Their regular treats are DuMor cookies from TSC & Dollar Tree gingersnaps.
Occasional favorites are cutup raw sweet potatoes & pears.
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I was out trail riding and my guy made a beeline for two guys out hiking in the park who had a bag of peanuts. He almost ran them over begging to get some. Fortunately, they thought it was hilarious. He also liked cajun peanuts in the shell thanks to the barn worker who decided to give him some.
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One barn I boarded at used uncooked pasta as treats (think ziti/penne noodles). I thought it was kind of odd but their horses enjoyed them and seemed no worse for wear.
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I usually bring carrots or apples to the barn. I like them for stretches since I can break them into small chunks. The trainers daughter started making cute cinnamon/ginger horse treats with pet safe icing on them this summer, I’ve probably spent over $100 buying them :lol: the horses love them!
I keep black licorice (only black since I think it’s gross, otherwise I would eat all of it) and mints in my locker in case I forget the regular treats at home.
The only time they get “people food” is at horse shows. If i’m eating by the ring or by the stalls I’ll offer a bite if they’re begging. Popcorn, fries, granola bars, etc. 99% of the time it gets spit out.
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Mine do not like COTH peanut favorite so clearly yours and mine have not bothered to keep up on their forum reading.
(Thankfully Mr. Trub likes peanuts that he was happy to get a bag of peanuts in the shell to snack on when the horses refused to eat them.)
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In the parks where I ride, we sometimes come across people picking blackberries into plastic buckets. My horse associates buckets with dinner mash and wants to mob berry pickers. But she also likes the berries and will eat them off the vines. Or from your hand
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I have a few others to add… One gelding who loved green grapes, another (who was bitey in general) who snatched part of my soft taco, meat cheese, tomatoes & LOVED it. We also have a gelding at current barn who not only likes bananas, he loves the peels!
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:rolleyes: So, of course I picked up a big bag of unsalted peanuts in the shell today while grocery shopping.
All is not lost.
If horses say Pfooey! my Driving club has a GTG Sunday with a potluck & peanuts will go there.
@CWNSF I have used dry pasta & they do like to crunch it up. Shape does not seem to matter, & Dollar Tree 2 for $1 is fine.
I keep a box of spaghetti for little kids to offer so little fingers don’t get chomped.
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All 5 of my horses won’t eat apples or carrots (bummer, I always have left over baby carrots) they are suckers for those German horse cookies… that’s usually how I catch my hard to catch horse.
I had a horse who liked donuts, hot Cheetos, those soft mints. Another boarders horse reallllly loved bananas.
When I was a kid, we used to go trail riding at a place that had fantastic berry bushes along the trails, so it was a snacking paradise. But my pony and I would often set our sights on the same berry. :lol:
Dried bread is still wildly popular in this country. I was very surprised, as I’d never seen it before as a horse food/treat, but each place I’ve been to has a literal wheelbarrow full of dried bread to give the horses. (I imagine it’s more pure than American bread). All the horses love it.
Well, the Jury is in.
2 of my 3 say peanuts are a Good Treat.
Pony is not so sure.
TWH & mini say Bring them on!
ETA:
:mad: Horses are fickle beasts.
Walker is now Nuh-Uh to peanuts :ambivalence:
Mini still a fan.
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹
My baby TB was that way when I got her a few months ago–couldn’t quite figure out what to do with treats. And tried to eat everything with just her front teeth :lol: She’s finally figured out mints and lifesavers (which I prefer, along with the soft peppermints, because they don’t get melty in the summer), carrots, and granola bars. She got a Nature Valley bar after loading nicely the last time, and was so enthusiastic about it I’m pretty sure this weekend I’ll just have to wave one from the front of the trailer and she’ll run right on!
My prior mare hated bananas, and butterscotch. I found that out because I grabbed a big handful of the hard candies from our waiting room basket at work–mints were obviously a hit, cinnamon was surprisingly OK, but she spit that butterscotch out after making a horribly offended face!
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I once was holding my horse in the aisle to dry after a bath. He was an 18HH Hanoverian who always wanted to eat what I was eating. I happened to be eating a bagel for lunch. I set my bagel down, reached to get my soda from the ground and when I came back up my bagel was gone, he looked guilty and had crumbs on his chin.
We never spoke of it to each other again. But I was more careful around him from then on.
His favorite “treat” was bananas, and the more ripe the better! I could give him bute by crushing it up and rolling a banana in it. He also would eat his mush excruciatingly slow… unless I put banana in it. Then I had to make sure he didn’t eat it too quickly!
He was a silly old man, and I loved his personality. He was a GP dressage schoolmaster type and I learned so much from him. I think he and Willem would have gotten along great
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My guy goes crazy for apple sauce…he starts kicking with his front feet against the stall door when he sees me emptying the little containers into his treat tub! Then he loudly slurps it all up like a baby does, ending with it all over his nose 😂😂
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