Featured Treat:Paddock Cakes: Made with natural ingredients and with care the old fashioned.

Teaching How to Smile

This trick usually brings roars of laughter from people, and will even bring a smile to your face. Many horses curl up their upper lips when they smell something strange, or when a stallion, for example, smells a mare in heat. It appears when they turn up their upper lip that they are smiling or laughing.

Equipment needed: halter, lead rope, onion, feather, treats. Paddocks would work wonderfully!

First, outfit your horse in a halter and lead rope, standing him in a stall, aisle, or next to a fence. Stand directly in front of him, and place a strange-smelling odor, a cut onion under his nostrils, and tell him, “Smile!” Generally, with most horses, this strong odor will achieve the desired effect. If he does not react to the strong odor, try tickling him on the upper lip with a feather or your finger to get it to curl.

Now reward your horse with a treat when he rolls up his upper lip, even ever so slightly in the beginning, and generously praise him, telling him, “Good boy!” (Some horses have very agile lips, and others will only grin.

Now do it over and over again for as many BRIEF sessions as it takes, dispensing with the ammonia, until your horse is conditioned to roll back his lip whenever your finger approaches his muzzle and you say the word, “Smile!”

Featured Treat: Stud Muffins: hand made with care and devotion.

Why teach tricks?

You may be thinking “Tricks are entertaining, but what does that have to do with riding or showing?” When you train your horse to do a trick, even the simplest one, you’re doing two things: First, you’re opening the lines of communication between you and your horse. Your horse learns that by paying attention to you, something is gained. That can be either a treat or praise. In this way, your horse becomes more responsive to your other commands as well, and pays better attention to you. Secondly, you’re teaching your horse to learn. With each trick, it becomes easier for your horse to learn new tricks. You learn many different things in school but it all started with learning the alphabet and counting to ten. The more you learn, the easier it becomes to learn more difficult things.

Teaching how to bow.

Arguably the simplest trick you can teach your horse, bowing isn’t nearly as complicated as it looks, but it certainly puts on a show. I recommend teaching your horse to bow on the ground before trying it while in the saddle. You’ll need a horse treat, I might suggest Stud Muffins, and plenty of time to practice.

Start by putting the treat in front of your horse’s nose so that he can smell it. The trick starts with a basic conditioning response: He wants the treat, but he doesn’t get it until he does what you ask. After he’s smelled the treat, slowly draw it down toward the ground. When he lowers his nose below his chest, let him lip up the treat. Remember that teaching your horse to bow (or perform any other trick) must happen in small steps.

Next, perform the same steps again, but make your horse bend his head inward toward his chest before he can take the treat. Continue to increase the amount he has to bend until he’s bowing the way you’d like. Once you’ve accomplished this, add the cue to bow with the treat. My daughter used tickling her horse’s nose with the tips of her fingers, but any cue will work. After a few days, he’ll respond to the cue just the same as he responds to the treat.

Featured Treat: Woodland Horsetreats.

Here at Horsetreats.com we know from personal experience that sometimes life can get busy and the horses we love don’t always get the attention they need. Teaching your horse tricks is a great way to build a special bond with your horse, and the great thing is it only takes 10 minutes a day!

Teaching your horse to kiss, and perform other cool tricks is a matter of patience. It doesn’t matter what cues you use or how often you reward him for correct responses; it’s going to take time and energy to get the tricks down pat.

Teaching How to Kiss

Hold a treat, a Woodland Horsetreat would do just fine, in your hand and put that hand close to your cheek, tapping it and say ‘kiss’ (or whatever cue words you’d like to use). The horse will nudge your hand for the treat, and in doing so touch your cheek. Each time the horse touches your face, now feed the treat away from your face. As the horse gets the idea that it is targeting on your face you can dispense with the treat in your hand. Your horse will get the idea that the treat comes after it has touched your cheek with its nose. Don’t feed the treat up close to your face. You might end up teaching your horse to bite you.

Keep your training sessions brief–10 minutes or so at a time. If you are working in the stable, go clean a stall, come back and work again for a few minutes. Then go and do another chore before working with the horse again.

If your normally respectful horse does get pushy, do not reward the behavior. Simply stand back for about 10 seconds and calmly begin again. That the behavior is done respectfully is more important than if it is done perfectly. I would reward a bussing of the ear in the beginning, as long as I felt the horse was trying and being obedient. As the training advances, I would strive for more accuracy–the perfect kiss.

Featured Treat: Withers and Withers: Sweet Horse Treats or Insulin Resistant Treats.

All work and no play makes anyone feel dull and bored; it’s no different for a horse. Horses are highly intelligent, curious animals, and teaching them to play games and to carry a rider can be a rewarding experience for both the horse and its human companion. Fetch is generally thought of as a game that dogs play, but you can treat train a horse to play fetch, too.

Teaching How to Fetch.

First, select an item to use to teach your horse how to fetch. The item should be something that is easy for them to hold onto and pick up, and one that will be safe for them to have in their mouth. Then teach your horse to touch the object. Put the object in front of your horse, and reward them with a treat, Withers and Withers are a good choice, when they touch the object.

By now, they probably caught on and are touching the target like a maniac to get their treat. The next step is to teach them that they are going to have to do something more for their reward. Don’t reward for the first touch, but make them touch the target a couple of times. Then reward. This will encourage them to try different ways of getting their reward.

Now start choosing the touches you want. They already know they’re going to have to work on this, so watch closely what they do with the target. If they simply brush it, wait. If they grab for the target to pick it up, reward with a treat. Continue until you see them grab onto the object and pick it up. This is a special step–don’t just treat them with the normal reward, but with a whole handful of carrots, a peppermint, or your special reward of choice. You want to get their attention, and let them know that this is what you want them to do.

The next thing you want them to do is lift the target off the ground. When they do this, it’s time for another special reward. Get your horse to hand you the item. Before they drop the item, reach out and take it from them, then reward. It won’t take them long to get the idea that dropping something in your hand puts their mouth right next to the treat.

Establish the distance part of the game of fetch. Set the target down, and back away several steps so that your horse has to turn and take a step to give you the item. Once they have that down, back up several more steps. Always reward, and keep increasing the distance between you and the target. Before you know it, your horse will be going the length of the arena to pick up a target you’ve tossed for them.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry oatmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup molasses

Directions:

Mix ingredients in a bowl in the order listed. Make small balls and place on cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. Bake 350º for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Ingredients:

2 sticks vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup applesauce
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 cups dry oatmeal
• 1 cup alfalfa pellets

Directions:

Mix shortening with sugar and applesauce until smooth. Add dry ingredients slowly. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350º.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup molasses
• 1 cup whole oats or cracked corn
• 2 quartered apples
• 3 diced carrots

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease cookie sheet and set aside. Pour molasses into a bowl and spread oats or cracked corn onto a plate. Dip pieces of apple and carrot into the molasses to coat entire piece and then roll them in oats or cracked corn. Place them on the cookie sheet  and bake until warm. Let cool and serve.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups sweet feed
• 3 cups molasses
• ½ cup flour
• 2 apples, grated
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400º. Mix all ingredients except for powdered sugar. Form into 1 ½ inch balls and then press flat onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-30 minutes. Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

On the first day of Christmas my Barn Buddy gave to me….a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy!

On the second day of Christmas my Barn Buddy gave to me Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy

On the third day of Christmas my Barn Buddy gave to me three Hilton Herballs, Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy.

On the fourth day of Christmas my Barn Buddy gave to me four Stud Muffins, three Hilton Herballs, Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy.

On the fifth day of Christmas my Barn Buddy gave to me….five Pad…ddy  Cakes….(bum, bum, bum ,bum), four Stud Muffins, three Hilton Herballs, Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my Barn Buddy gave to me six Oatmeal Crunchers, five Pad…ddy  Cakes….(bum, bum, bum ,bum), four Stud Muffins, three Hilton Herballs, Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy

On seventh day of Christmas my Barn Buddy gave to me, seven Licky Things, six Oatmeal Crunchers, five Pad…ddy  Cakes….(bum, bum, bum ,bum), four Stud Muffins, three Hilton Herballs, Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy.

On the eighth day of Christmas my Barn Buddy gave to me, eight Licorice Beet Treats, seven Licky Things, six Oatmeal Crunchers, five Pad…ddy  Cakes….(bum, bum, bum ,bum), four Stud Muffins, three Hilton Herballs, Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy.

ON the ninth day of Christmas my Barn Buddy gave to me, nine Omega Nibblers, eight Licorice Beet Treats, seven Licky Things, six Oatmeal Crunchers, five Pad…ddy  Cakes….(bum, bum, bum ,bum), four Stud Muffins, three Hilton Herballs, Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my Barn Buddy gave to me, ten Super Mashes, nine Omega Nibblers, eight Licorice Beet Treats, seven Licky Things, six Oatmeal Crunchers, five Pad…ddy  Cakes….(bum, bum, bum ,bum), four Stud Muffins, three Hilton Herballs, Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my Barn Buddy gave to me eleven Giddap Biscuits, ten Super Mashes, nine Omega Nibblers, eight Licorice Beet Treats, seven Licky Things, six Oatmeal Crunchers, five Pad…ddy  Cakes….(bum, bum, bum ,bum), four Stud Muffins, three Hilton Herballs, Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my Barn Buddy gave to me, twelve Squeezy Buns,  eleven Giddap Biscuits, ten Super Mashes, nine Omega Nibblers, eight Licorice Beet Treats, seven Licky Things, six Oatmeal Crunchers, five Pad…ddy  Cakes….(bum, bum, bum ,bum), four Stud Muffins, three Hilton Herballs, Two Nutra-Treats and a hanging ball from Uncle Jimmy.

Welcome to our new blog at HorseTreats.com!

Our goal is to share and build content that is interesting to horse owners and the equine community.  One of our first projects with our new blog is to build a Horse Treats Recipe directory, so look for that soon!