Are Treats Always Evil???

flump1967

flump1967

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2005
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I am one of natures feeders ( of myself and others :p) and I have to wrok hard to restrict myself from feeding Arnie too many treats.
He is not a nippy boy at all but is very food orientated, likes to investigate people in a whiffly way and rather plumptious so he does not get treats as such, only the couple he has to do his carrot (or in this case Hilton Herb Ball) stretches.
He is MOST skilled at these :D:cool:

MIL unknowingly bought Arns a multipack of Polos for his christmas stocking which languishes in the cupboard at home as I don't want him to have the sugar.

It got me thinking about how things were years and years ago when I worked at a RS back in the 80's. We would reguarly feed treats of all sorts to the ponies, polos being favourite but also lumps of sugar, extra strong mints, all sorts really and nobody seemed to get "muggy" or become bad mannered.

Got me wondering how many peeps feed treats these days- and if so is it all special horse stuff or does the odd polo still slip in? :)
 
my horse gets whatever I find in my pockets at the time, extra strong mints, polos, tic tacs and 'regular' horse treats too! Then sometimes she'll get nothing for weeks because I've eaten them all before she gets a chance! She isnt pushy and is quite happy with a good scratch if I dont have anything. I really dont have to think about it at all!

Maybe if I had a different horse I'd think differently but with her it really doesnt matter, simples :D
 
You know that mine don't get anything treatwise from me. Not even in their bucket of chaff and LoCal. With my 2 fatties I don't want them having the expectation or the calories.

When my yardmate was checking on them in the evenings too over the bad weather it took Joy just one treat from my YM to then start up that air of expectation from her. For my 2 regular treats are a no no.
 
I don't give treats by hand,if they get them it is in a bucket.

I think it's only natural for a horse to start associating people hands with treats if they are regularly fed them,and I don't want nippy ponies!!

I agree that some are fine with it (my big mare would never have nipped no matter how many treats she was fed,just wouldn't have occured to her),but having recently had good doer native types I find they are much more food orientated,and quick to catch on,so treats would be asking for trouble IMO.

You are right thought that years ago I would have been regularly feeding polos etc without a second thought!! Guess it's just that we are all far too sensible now and worry a lot more lol:eek::D
 
I worried about this as well, didn't want to end up with a nippy pony. I tend to stick to fruit and veg, Flip doesn't like polos (and neither do I) so just have to be careful of natural sugars.
I use rewards for our hoof lifting training but otherwise I try not to make it a given that he gets a treat. If I give him a carrot every time I see him for a week I tend to end up getting frisked and he sticks his nose in my pocket expectantly (even chooses the pocket I always put them in).
Sporadic treats are a nice surprise and allows him to remain a gentleman. Based on Flip's two horsey next door neighbours I think it depends on the pony, nippy highland would bite you if he got more, where as the arab takes a polo mint from his mammy's lips very politely.
 
All of mine get a treat of a slice of bread before I go home, Jess has her yeast tablets wrapped up in a slice. I clean at a school and they save me all the left over fruit, kids take one bite out of an apple or carrot and throw it in my bin (it's rubbish/organic fruit,,,,, tasteless) the animals love it though, and as bread is so expensive it saves me money. I don't give titbits otherwise and have only ever had one nippy pony, he was nippy when we got him and his slice of bread/apple/orange at home time didn't make him any worse.. ...it didn't make him any better either..
 
Uh oh i think mine are spoilt!:p

The odd polo?! We do a packet in one sitting! I am rather liberal with treating mine although do make a point some days of not feeding any. If i leave the tack room door open Scruff will stand with her head in the door looking at the treat pots :D

I feed most different mints - softmints are mine and Indies faves! Also bread, fruit, vegetables and specific horsey treats too! We go through a lot of the Badminton treats in the big green tubs as they are nothingness really (no vits or mins) as not to unbalance a diet and my guys love them - the tubs also make great buckets/ sugarbeet soakers and air tight storage containers!!

The only time i do get mugged is by Indie if i am eating a pear hence i found he adores them :rolleyes: Scruff on the other hand will eat anything but prefers likit bars!

I have also found advantages of feeding by hand - Indie had what we thought was a reaction and needed antihistamines so i hand fed them with some polos! Worked a treat :D

As kids, my friends pony would share her sandwiches, crisps, sausage rolls :rolleyes: and pretty much anything offered! Whilst the RS ponies regularly got polos and sugar lumps
 
I do occasionally give 'treats' but my two are very Young and can be
a bit overly 'PUSHY' so I tend to ask anybody else NOT to give them.

They too are very 'food orientated' but get a bit 'argy bargy' with each other
when I first arrive (because its 'food time') and around treats, so its something I tend to give as a 'reward' or when they have been fed and
are more 'chilled' out.

I too am of the age where I remember feeding SUGAR LUMPS, lol, as a treat
etc. and can never remember having problems. I WOULD with my two however and it would annoy me, lol, I hate 'bad manners'.

They are very 'well fed' lots of ad lib hay etc., so I tend to reward them
with words and a fuss more so than treats;)

After saying that, I am rather guilty of sharing biscuits or Jam Doughnuts, they are always attempting to try anything I am having, lol,
including my coffee, but I don't mind that because its usually after they have been 'sorted' and more of an inquisitive thing than
anything else, certainly not 'mugging', if it starts to get a bit out of hand they are firmly put back in their place.
 
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It all depends on the horse. I used to feed my old mare treats all the time. She knew they were in my tack box and used to look longingly at it whenever I opened it. We did get into a pattern of me giving her a carrot when she came in and I always left with a parting gift of an apple. She was never nippy or bargy, she enjoyed the treats and I enjoyed giving them to her.

I really don't like it when people teach their horses to 'ask' for treats by either pawing a front leg or 'kissing you' by banging you in the face.
 
Two of mine I could treat with no problems, the other two it would create problems.
So I don't treat as a rule, if working on an issue then I may treat.
 
Misty at present is getting treats from me for being caught (was difficult to catch when i got her) though not every time as I don't want her to mug anyone who goes in the field with a headcollar and she seems very respectful and won't go looking for treats.

Odin gets no treats at all, he's a muggy little git as it is with no treats so with treats he'd be awful

Joey gets treats occasionally he never mugs and remains polite but if treated too often he becomes a bit of a lap dog and although not mugging he just won't leave you alone
 
I have five. I feed them treats as rewards when necessary. I do not feed treats in the field because I think that can encourage mugging mobbish behaviour but in a situation where they are learning, unsure and instant praise is required I give them a piece of carrot etc with plenty vocal praise.

I think treats have their time and place and it is common sense on how to use them.
 
Treats can be a powerful training tool if used in the right manner. I don't find they're a problem if the horse understands that mugging is a no no and respects your personal space. Treats are a part of our daily routine and some of our training too and it doesn't cause any problems at all. There are lots of horses I wouldn't treat though, it's certainly not appropriate in every case.
 
Flipo's Mum said:
If I give him a carrot every time I see him for a week I tend to end up getting frisked and he sticks his nose in my pocket expectantly (even chooses the pocket I always put them in).
Click to expand...

Ditto! I do give some treats occassionally but usually in bucket rather than by hand. I loaned a nippy pony once and it was a bl**dy nightmare so I'm conscious of creating this trait.

I caught my 6 year old daugther hoarding polos to feed the little ponies with. I have no idea where she gets these polos but she has about 6 packets in a secret hiding place in bedroom. So, many appologies if you have a pony near Pinner because my daugther is probably giving them treats by hand even if you aren't :eek:
 
All depends on the horse me thinks - our Joe would mug you for England, whether or not he knows you've got stuff in your pockets! He's always been the same and always will be. We don't care, its not nasty mugging, although he can be very forceful at times!!!!
Storm on the otherhand (and I feed them both the same amount of treats) makes very gentle enquiries - little gentle snuffles, never muggy - so I guess it all depends on their horseonality!
 
I give Izzy treats but in his feed bowl. In fact I'm going to buy a nice selection from the tack shop tomorrow - I don't want him to get bored!

He has a mix of horse treats, fruit and veg. Not usually sweets as I don't have them, otherwise I'd eat them.

I have used a treat when I had a problem with bridling and it worked well. I generally just give them after we have worked.
 
Rosie is fed treats in the form of those herby brick things and the odd mint and is fed from the hand. She has never nipped, she does frisk though and might snuffle at a pocket if she thinks there is something interesting and will examine a snot rag to check you're not hiding food but if you say no and push her away and she humphs off...

Nugz on the other hand is normally fed any treats in a bucket or from the floor, he is slowly being introduced to the odd treat by hand and has mastered the art of him touching my hand, but not nipping or snatching - he has a fascination with my tags on my pockets, but never seems to notice any treats in there!
 
Interesting question ... I always gave a treat when I caught them, one before the headcollar and one after, and then another when I left them, and I never had any trouble. Tiny bits of polo worked wonders for teaching my daughter's know-it-all old mare to be polite too. But Hebe gets so excited at the very thought of treats - and she's a mouthy little horse anyway (eats brushes, gloves, jacket tags, girths, hoofmoist...) that they're completely banned now (although old Barney still gets the odd surreptitious one because he looks so hopeful).
 
This is an interesting thread. Think the conclusion is that it depends on a) the horse/pony; and b) how well established ground manners are.

When we had the marres, I always gave them something once we had got their headcollars on and then the odd one or two as we walked down to the stables to reinforce good leading manners - stop, treat, walk on. When we took Nelly on she was a bugger to catch, so treating (along with not always working her when she came in and sending her away when she was being naughty) was a great teaching tool and by the time they went to France Nell would come running when she saw me in the field. They were both inquisitive and would investigate, very politely, to see if we had anything nice in our pockets but they NEVER nipped and I never felt "mugged."

Kal on the other hand, can be quite mouthy. He comes to call in the field (such a good boy). There's no problem with bridling. So now the only time he gets treats are to do his carrot stretches after I've rugged him up/tucked him in for the night . . . and if he gets nippy he gets firmly put in his place.

N
 
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