The Truth About Treats
- Jun 4
- 6 min read
"I'll admit, I do feed her treats, I hope that's okay." Time and time again, I have clients who are nervous to admit to me that they feed their horse (all sorts of) treats. Here's the thing - feeding treats is 100% okay with me! As someone who uses a lot of +R, force-free and clicker training methodology with my own animals, I'm never going to be anti-treat as a nutritionist. What matters when we're feeding treats are the same things that matter when we feed anything to our horse:
Safety - Does it contain irritating ingredients? Does it contain ingredients that can result in a positive drug test? Is it safe for equine consumption?
Composition - What are the ingredients? What is the sugar content?
Amount - How many treats are we feeding? Once we know the composition, how much of each nutrient are we actually providing? How many calories are we providing? Are there active ingredients in the treat that contain sufficient amounts to cause imbalances if left unchecked?
Suitability to your horse's needs - I can feed far different treats safely to my metabolically normal thoroughbred vs your metabolic quarter horse. Body condition, metabolic/insulin function and calorie needs all play a role in what treats - and how many - are suitable.
What impacts treat suitability?
Horses with metabolic conditions and sugar sensitivities (PPID, EMS, Insulin Dysfunction/Resistance, PSSM) do require careful monitoring of sugar + starch intake, which includes treats. These horses should be fed treats with a low glucose and insulin response (ie, low sugar and starch) to stay below their apparent threshold of 0.1g NSC per kg BW per meal (50g for an average-sized horse, 30g or less for a pony).
For healthy horses, a guideline around NSC content per feeding based on NSC levels (particularly starch) that cause acidosis offers a larger window of 1g NSC/kg BW per meal (500g), but this also varies based on the individual horse and feedstuff composition.
Don't forget that calories matter too even for horses who are metabolically normal - keeping your horse at an appropriate energy balance and healthy body condition score is crucial. If you can't feel your horse's ribs, that's a major red flag. Learn how to body condition score by feel here: Body Condition Score, Better: A Free Guide.
How do we stay within the NSC threshold?
Let's do some math - and by let's, I mean I'll do it and you can check it, don't worry :)
To understand the sugar and starch contents of the treats you're feeding your horse, we have to know the weight of the treat and the % sugar + starch.
Here are some examples:
1 Large Carrot = 133g.
According to the FDA, carrots are 6.4% sugar, so 1 large carrot will provide 8.5g of sugar. Cutting your carrots (length-wise so your horse remembers to chew them) can help you give your horse more pieces while controlling portions - great for carrot stretches! I personally do this with my horse for his stretches too because it doesn't take him as long to munch the quartered pieces :)
1 Large Apple = 205g.
FDA says that apples are 10.3% sugar, so this whole apple will provide 21.12g of sugar, which is rapidly approaching the threshold for a metabolically compromised pony.
It's also clear to see why horses with apple trees in their fields can give themselves digestive issues by overconsuming apples - even a metabolically normal horse could reach their 500g threshold by eating 23 apples. I don't know about you, but I definitely know some horses who could demolish 23 apples in 5 minutes.
1 Commercially Available Molasses/Grain-based Treat = 38g.
Sugar content will vary based on ingredients and brands, but some brands report a 17% sugar content, which equates to 6.5g per treat. Keeping an eye on how many treats you feed at once is very important. Since recipes vary by brand, contacting their team directly is recommended.
1 Scotch Mint = 4g.
According to the label, these hard mints are 13% sugar, providing 0.52g per mint. Of course, this will vary between brands and sizes of mints, so be cautious about interpreting mints as 'safe'.
Are specialty 'functional' treats worth it?
It depends on the concentration and amount fed, but a lot of the time - no.
These functional treats contain insufficient concentrations to provide target intakes of the "beneficial" ingredients, and oftentimes the ingredients included have minimal quality evidence even reporting benefits. Target your horse's health concerns with a strong base diet, not treats - I promise you will see better results.
EXM: Joint support treats.
Feeding directions: Feed 80g per day.
Label information: 20000 mg/lb MSM (9090.9mg per kg).
Fed at 80g (0.08kg) per day: 727 mg per day.
MSM reported to have benefits in research trials was fed in grams.
Will it hurt? Likely nothing but your wallet. Buy them for fun but don't rely on them.
EXM 2: Treats with added Biotin.
Feeding directions: Feed 80g per day.
Label information: 40000 mcg/lb Biotin (18,181.8 mcg/kg).
Fed at 80g (0.08kg) per day: 1454.5 mcg (~1.5mg per day).
Biotin recommended for hoof support at levels starting at 15 to 30mg.
Again, will it hurt? Again, nothing but your wallet, unless your horse is missing out on dietary interventions to support hoof health, as talked about in this previous blog article: Are Overconsumption Trends Impacting Your Horse's Nutrition?
Remember, "all natural" and "human-grade" are common buzzwords - it's largely unregulated depending on where you live. There's natural plants that could injure or kill a horse (ie garlic causes hemolytic anemia at certain doses, poisonous plants), and there's human food that I certainly would not feed to my horse - neither mean healthy, but both are used in marketing to make you feel better about buying that product. Human grade sometimes refers to the quality control involved in production, but does not tell us enough about suitability or nutritional value to purchase solely on this.
Horse treats in Canada require registration through CFIA - learn more here.
In Canada, the only guarantee that is allowed on the label is moisture % - any treats with more comprehensive guaranteed analyses will actually say 'Horse Feed' on them.
As per the CFIA, "horse treat labels may not make any nutritional or health claims (e.g. through the brand name, directions for use, or symbols on the label)". This regulation is, in theory, limited to the label, and you'll see many a treat brand claiming the 40g treat you feed will make your horse healthier than ever. While feeding a low-sugar treat to a horse with insulin dysfunction is lower risk than feeding a high-sugar one, whether you'll see an improvement in health rather than a continuation of current health is a speculation. I find better results by supporting my horses and my lovely client horses with evidence-based health-boosting strategies until the research on the health benefits of treats rolls up.
The CFIA also dictates "Because horse treats are intended to be fed occasionally as a treat or reward, they are not considered part of the normal balanced diet, and are not intended to provide a significant source of nutrition (i.e., crude protein, fat, fibre, vitamins or minerals)" and "As horse treats are not intended to be a source of nutrition, they may not contain supplemental (added) vitamins or minerals." Another reason why driving benefits through the base diet instead of relying on treats is recommended.
Don't forget about the rest of the diet!
Yes, treats matter, but at the end of the hay, treats are usually a small portion of our horse's daily ration - the largest being forage!
Hay testing and careful - or even limited - pasture consumption is crucial in controlling our horse's sugar intake, because hay and pasture can both be a GIANT source of sugar.
If you're worried about sugar in your horse's diet, make sure you're giving as much attention to forage as you do treats and concentrates. Use body condition scoring to assess your horse's risk of insulin dysfunction and laminitis. Work with your horse's care team to promote optimal body condition, while providing a diet that is suitable for your horse's metabolism.
Need help? As an independent equine nutrition professional, I give my clients advice on feeds, forages, supplements and treats to provide a fully individualized nutrition plan.
Book "The Forage Club" for full-service, gold-standard forage sampling and interpretation within SW Ontario.
Not local? Already have a hay test? Book a "Feed Club" consult and we can review your horse's needs and hay test results in a detailed evaluation process both virtually and on-farm, based on your location.
Book "The Feed & Forage Club" for an indepth nutrition consultation + forage sampling/interpretation/balancing. This service is valuable for all horses, but is highly recommended for horses with PPID, EMS, IR or PSSM to ensure their forage has safe levels of sugar for these sensitive horses.
To dive into your horse's unique needs, get started at www.honosnutrition.ca/nutrition.
Have a treat-related question? Get in touch, I'd love to help!
With love,
Isabelle & Honor (Honor would like to share that his fav treats are anything minty, thanks).
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