10 Best Treats for Horses in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

All horse owners know just how much your equines enjoy a good snack. You may want to add a variety to their daily feed, use a treat for medication distribution, or spoil them with something new. After all, a daily dose of carrots can get kind of boring after a while.

No matter your reason, commercial snacks can cater to virtually any purpose. We have compiled the top 10 best horse treats we could find and share reviews of our findings below. Some are for all ages, others are for joint support, and some are even specifically for senior horses to enjoy.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites

The 10 Best Treats for Horses – Reviews 2024

If your horse is anything like most we know, they love the taste of apples. These treats don’t seem to disappoint, as they’re gobbled up as quickly as you can dish them out. If you’re trying to limit your horse’s sugar intake while giving them the goodies, this is ideal as well because there is no added sugar to the recipe.

This bag has 12% crude protein, 5% crude fat, and 10% crude fiber. The first two ingredients are ground wheat and dried apple pomace with healthy ingredients to follow.

The only real downfall is that the treats are quite small. It may not be a big enough bite to appeal to your big guy or gal. Plus, if you offer more at a time, it can make the bag go quickly. Otherwise, there are no complaints about this tasty treat. It’s horse-approved!

---

These muffins are molasses flavored, which seems to be a great hit in the equine world. Each muffin is soft and fluffy, so they’re fresh and easy to chew. These treats are especially convenient if you have to give your horse medication since they’re easy to stuff.

This bag contains 9% crude protein, 3% crude fat, and 3.5% crude fiber. Each scrumptious muffin is fortified with vitamins E, A, D, and B12.

What makes this treat really convenient is the resealable top. If left to the elements, these muffins would get stale quickly, so the sealable top helps keep out that moisture.

---

These molasses treats come in original, cake, and peppermint flavors. Even if you have one particular picky eater, you’ll probably find at least one they love.

This bag contains 12% crude fiber, 15% crude fat, and 2.9% crude fiber. Each muffin is fortified with flaxseed to aid in healthy digestion. They also have healthy ingredients like cane molasses, oats, corn, and barley. Each treat is 92 calories in total.

We found really interesting about these muffins because they are all handmade by a family-owned company in Canada. It really makes the entire snack experience seem more personal.

---

The ingredients are 100% traceable, so you won’t have to worry that your hooves buddy is eating potentially harmful additives. The first three ingredients are rolled oats, wheat middlings, and ground wheat, so your horse gets the full-grain experience.

This package contains 12% crude protein, 3.5% crude fat, and 5% crude fiber. These treats are packed with extra good stuff like calcium, vitamin A, vitamin E, and thiamin.

These treats are molasses-free, highly digestible, and palate-pleasing. They are a little harder than some other treats, so certain horses may have a little trouble chewing. Aside from that one downfall, these treats really do improve their overall movement.

---

This supplemental treat creates a natural balance of good bacteria in the gut. These treats aren’t intended for everyday use—but rather as an occasional bite when they are irregular. It helps keep your hooved buddy healthy in addition to a regular diet.

These treats contain 8.5% crude fat, 12% crude fat, and 2% crude fiber. The first few main ingredients are oat flour, cane molasses, and barley flour.

These bite-sized snacks work wonders for your horse’s digestion, as long as they agree with the flavor, which was a hit or miss with horses. Some loved the taste and came back for seconds while others didn’t seem interested—so it’s up to the tastebuds of your horse.

---

These treats come in four flavors—apple, peppermint, carrot & spice, and butterscotch. We had our horses try the apple, and our equine friends loved the taste. The first three ingredients are wheat middlings, soybean hulls, and cane molasses.

This bag of treats contains a whopping 19% crude protein, 1.5% crude fat, and 18% crude fat. There are other incredibly healthy additives like copper, zinc, B12, vitamin A, and vitamin E.

Some horses might not enjoy the taste, but we think yours will love them. If not, Manna Pro also offers a Happy Horse guarantee in case you aren’t fully satisfied with the product—so you can have a worry-free purchase.

---

These treats are packed with glucosamine for joint health, flaxseed for coat quality, and biotin for healthy hooves. They are softly baked and easy to chew, so you won’t have to worry about difficulty getting them down.

This bag contains 12% crude protein, 5% crude fat, and 10% crude fiber. The first three ingredients are ground oats, wheat flour, and ground flaxseed.

This is the only treat on the market for seniors at this time. So, with that comes high expectations. These treats can be a little hard, despite their easy-to-chew quality. And some horses may snub their noses at the taste.

---

These treats have a very nice nutritional balance, managing to be both tasty and healthy. The first few ingredients are ground oats, wheat middlings, whole wheat, and cane molasses. It gives a great grain serving with a kick of sweet apple.

Each Apple & Oat treat contains 10% crude protein, 3% crude fat, and 13% crude fiber. These treats are also fortified with vitamins E, D3, and A.

These treats are a bit rough, so it might be hard for some horses to chew. Make sure to only offer these snacks to equines that have no trouble with their teeth.

---

Each batch is made with all-natural ingredients so you know your buddy is getting only the best nutrition. They are the ideal size for a quick bite or training tool. The treats are firm, so they won’t fall apart before your horse munches down.

These cookies have 11.5% crude protein, 2% crude fat, and 5% crude fiber. The ingredients are few and simple: oats, wheat middlings, cane molasses, rolled barley, apples, and water.

Not only did our horses love the taste, but equines adore these treats all over the US. If you’re aren’t satisfied, there is a full money-back guarantee. They are pricier than some other horse treats, but having a company that stands behind their products with a hometown vibe is worth the few extra dollars.

---

These treats are the ideal size for training since they are just enough to offer a motivational reward. They are tightly baked, so you won’t have to worry about them crumbling up in your pockets while you’re in action.

Each treat contains 8% crude protein, 5.6% crude fat, and .02% crude fiber. They contain horse-friendly ingredients like wheat flour, feeding oatmeal, dried spinach, and ground alfalfa. This recipe also has natural peppermint oil added for a crunchy kick.

These snacks are non-GMO, multi-grain, and preservative-free. Some picky horses might not enjoy the taste much, but we didn’t run into that issue. They seem to be a big hit with the hooved clan.

Buyer’s Guide – Choosing the Best Horse Treats

If you’re a horse owner, you are no stranger to giving your horses delicious snacks. But what constitutes the best treats? Here, we will explore the benefits and risks associated with organic snacks, commercial treats, and human foods to get a grasp of exactly what your horse needs to stay fit and happy.

The Best Snacks for Horses

Every horse will have their own favorites when you bring them goodies. Two hits are likely apples and carrots because of their sweet taste and crunchy texture.

Treats to Avoid Giving to Your Horse

Horses can have sensitive bellies. Because of that, certain foods aren’t toxic, but not healthy for your horse either.

Be Mindful of a Few Things:

Many fruits have pits in them. While the actual fruit is fine, the centers can be another story. Many pits are large and hard to chew, so they can pose a choking hazard. Also, even though a horse would have to eat extremely high quantities of apple seeds to be affected, they can be poisonous.

Lawn clippings are another thing you should never feed your horse. While grass-grazing is fine, if you mesh all the grass together, it can contain toxic plants that horses wouldn’t eat independently. It might be an easy way to get rid of loose grass, but it’s not worth the risk to your horse.

Toxic Snacks for Horses

Some foods that are totally safe for humans can be lethal for horses.

If you aren’t sure about something you want to offer your horse, always make sure to do your research. Since horses can’t physically throw up (unless their stomach ruptures), it’s imperative to keep anything toxic completely away from them.

Commercial Snacks vs. Organic Snacks

Both organic snacks like fruits and veggies or commercial snacks have a lot to offer. Giving the appropriate amount of both in your horse’s routine diet can provide them with well-rounded nutrition and provide lots of variety for their taste buds.

Commercial Snacks

Organic Snacks

How to Appease Picky Horses

Some horses will be finicky about what they eat. It may be that you need to offer your horse a variety of foods before they develop a favorite.

Your horse might also just be a really deriding forager and show less interest in store-bought grain or snacks.

• Additional Tip: Some horses may be picky if they have underlying health issues. If you see no cause for your horse’s sudden pickiness or loss of appetite, always consult your veterinarian. 

How Often to Offer Snacks

Most of the time, horses are voracious eaters. The saying, “eats like a horse,” didn’t come out of thin air. Limiting snacks is the best idea so that your horse doesn’t get too spoiled. You can offer snacks every other day, or only during training.

Also, try to avoid setting a snack routine where your horse expects one every time you come out to see them. That is especially true if you’re training them. If you’re teaching, always make sure to limit snacks to a job well done.

Feeding Other Horses

You should never offer food to someone else’s horse without permission. Certain equines can have very specific dietary needs or have sensitivities to certain ingredients. It can certainly do more harm than good if you don’t know the horse and decide to take matters into your own hands.

So, while it may be tempting to pass off a snack across a neighboring fence—try to resist the urge. Horses can be quite nutritionally temperamental. You would never want to cause an issue where there need not be one.

Always check with the owner first to get the green light before you decide to share a snack.

Conclusion

Overall, we stand by our top pick—Buckeye Nutrition All-Natural Apple Horse Treats—for its texture, taste, and versatility. Horses of all ages can enjoy these completely all-natural snacks, so you can feed them to any horse that you own.

If you’re looking to save a buck or two, don’t forget these Equus Magnificus Horse Muffin Horse Treats. They smell wonderful and have a soft texture. Not only are they easy to chew—they are ideal for hiding medication, so your horse least expects it.

Hopefully, our reviews led you to a new snack for your equine to try out with any luck.

---

Featured Image Credit: touristgirl, Shutterstock