Simple Homemade Horse Treats Recipe

As you might know from following along on social media, we have a pony with Cushing's and she requires a daily pink pill called Prascend, she only needs 1/2 a pill a day at this time, which sounds easy enough but...she has gotten so suspicious of the treats I give her she won't eat them. The list of treats includes apples, carrots, very expensive store bought horse cookies and even Fig Newtons. I was told in a Cushing's support group on Facebook (yes it's a thing) that most horses love Fig Newtons, nope, not Misty. I was really starting to panic as I could not get her to take her pill and trying to place the pill directly in her mouth was not an option. Her nick name is Misty Pistol, do I need to say more. I mean really, look at the face...trouble with a capital T !!!

So I started looking around for simple homemade horse treats that I could make at home. I had to adjust my recipe due to Misty having beginning stages of laminitis early on in her Cushing's diagnosis. I made this recipe with less molasses and she gets a very small treat each night that masks her pill. She now eagerly takes her pill.

Ingredients for Homemade Horse Treats

• 4 cups ground flax (I used Triple Crown Ground Golden Flax)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1 cup applesauce
• Red & White mints (if you want to)

I used Triple Crown's Ground Golden Flax - I about fell over when I checked out, it was 50 bucks for a 25 pound bag but the already made horse treats sell for $32 and Misty won't eat those.  If ya do the math, you will get a ton of treats with your 25 pound bag of golden flax.

How To Make Homemade Horse Treats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, mix ground flax, flour, and sugar and brown sugar

Next mix molasses's and apple sauce together in another bowl

Once wet ingredients are mixed well, add to dry ingredients, mix well

How To Bake Homemade Horse Treats

I got a really fun mini muffin tin, it is silicone and has a sturdy rim, which makes taking it out of the oven so much easier. If you don't have a mini muffin tin, I also use to used my 9 x 9 baking pan and cut the cooked dough into small bite sized treats either will work fine. Be sure to spray your pan with cooking spray before adding batter to your homemade horse treats.

Baking times can vary depending on your altitude, the pan you are using and your oven. My treats baked in the 9 x 9 pan were done in 25 minutes, they came out soft in the middle with a nice golden brown outside. The horse treats baked in the mini muffin pan were baked at 12 minutes, so I would say 9-12 minutes depending on your oven.

If you want, you can add a red and white mints, also known as Starlight Mints when the treats are done but it is not necessary, the choice is yours. I opted out of the Star Light mints but they would sure make a fun gift for horse lovers at Christmas time.

Storing Homemade Horse Treats

Since I keep my homemade horse treats down in the tack room, I store them in a plastic container with a well fitting lid. I have to be sure to keep them up high incase Lucky the goat gets in the tack room, he will devour an entire batch of my homemade horse treats before I know it, he's sneaky and fast!

During hot summer weather, we have no AC, I put them in the fridge, they can mold in the hot weather.

My horses and goats love these treats, it has been a relief to finally have a treat that will disguise Misty's pill for Cushing's and it is so fun to share with all the horses and goats at the ranch, they really look forward to their goodies each night

Well thanks for riding along today, let me know if you have any questions about this recipe, you can contact me here if you do. 

Let me know how if your homemade horse treats are being enjoyed. 

Until next time, happy, healthy trails.

Lisa

This is what I am faced with each night as I feed, these little eyes begging for their homemade horse treats.