treats per day to a horse

Question
hello ma'am, how many treats can i give a horse per day, especially racehorses? what type of treats can i give, i mean a candy, a chocolate cadbury, carrots, apples?

Answer
Hi Rohit,

There are no hard and fast rules on how/when to feed treats to horses.  Horses don't need treats to survive, they need balanced diets.  Its more a handler thing to feed horses extras throughout the day...so it is something you can do at your discretion.  My one strong suggestion is to stick to what is natural for horses.  Apples and carrots are nutritionally best but I have seen horses fed bakery waste (muffins, bread, bagels), peppermints and chocolate without it creating any serious harm.  Think of the carrots and apples as though they are forages, and chocolate etc like they are grain...and make your feeding decision that way.  And remember, feeding treats from your hands teaches your horse(s) to nibble and bite.

Thanks, Corlena