Share The Love!

by Cowgirl on February 15, 2012 · 7 comments

Horse Treats For Valentine's DayI’m baking treats today, in honor of Valentine’s Day, and I’m baking them for my horses! I’ve actually never made homemade treats for horses before, but a reader commented over on my Cowgirl Recipes page and requested some recipes for making your own horse treats. Having read several horse treat recipes online, I went to the kitchen to see what I had on hand, and made up my very own kind of heart-shaped horse cookie. They turned out great, and my horses loved them! Here’s the recipe so you can share some love with your equine friends this Valentine’s day!

Valentine Heart Horse Treats

Ingredients:
2 c. whole wheat graham flour
1 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. sugar
3 T. corn syrup
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 t. salt
1 pear, finely chopped

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Add more flour if mixture is too sticky. Spoon onto cookie sheet and press into heart shapes by hand. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 6 large or 12 small horse treats.

Photos:

How To Make Homemade Horse Treats

I used this whole wheat graham flour because it’s something I didn’t really want to save for normal baking (we’re kind of picky eaters and not used to whole wheat–even though it is more healthy).  If you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can use white flour or whatever you have in your kitchen.

Baking Treats For Your Horses

For oatmeal, this is what I used…you could substitute any kind of whole grains with good results.

Pear Flavored Horse Snacks
I used a pear in my horse cookie recipe because it was the only fruit I had that my kids weren’t going to eat.  This pear was a little too dinged up for my daughter’s taste, but I don’t think the horses will mind at all.  The pear flavoring in these cookies make them delicious (yes, I ate one!)  You could substitute an apple, carrot, or anything else horses like.

Recipe For Homemade Horse Cookies
Dice the pear into fine chunks so your cookies don’t turn out too crumbly.  If you’re using a carrot instead, shred it or process it in a food processor before adding to your mix.

Baking Your Own Horse Treats
With everything mixed together in the bowl, test the dough for stickiness and add more flour or oatmeal if necessary.  You want it to hold together and start to form a ball when stirred, not stick to the edges of the bowl or spatula.

Heart Shaped Horse Treats For Valentines Day
I used a large spoon to scoop the mixture onto my baking stone, then formed heart shapes with my hands.  It held together well and didn’t stick to my fingers too badly.  You could make flattened circles, or any shape you like.

Oatmeal Horse Treat Recipe
This is what the cookie looked like before baking.  They didn’t spread out or lose their shape at all, while in the oven, so you can place them as close together as you like, they don’t run or smear into each other.

Baked Treats For Horses
I baked them at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, checking on them once in awhile to see if they were done or not.  These had started to brown around the edges, and felt crunchy and hard to the touch.  The inside was still softer, but baked through.  I put them on a wire rack to cool.

Offering A Horse Treat To My Mare DaisyMy Horse Cricket Eating A Homemade Horse Cookie

Daisy rolled her eyes at first…she wasn’t sure what I was offering her, but then she took a nibble. Then everyone wanted to try them. Cricket ate three of them! She loved them.  My horses aren’t used to getting treats, though I have gotten some free Whinnie’s Cookies by mail to try, and they liked those.  Daisy Trying A Homemade Horse TreatThese horse cookies were so easy to make, and out of ingredients I was going to probably throw away anyway, I think I’ll make them again soon.  Many of the recipes I looked at included grain, barley, bran, carrots, peppermints, and even maple syrup.   Don’t use peanuts or other nuts, but grains should be fine.  I think as long as it’s edible and tasty, you can go ahead and throw it in.   Enjoy sharing this treat with your ponies!

{ 7 comments }

kandrajane February 15, 2012 at 10:54 pm

Hilarious! They certainly look like they are enjoying them!

Cowgirl February 16, 2012 at 5:41 am

They did like them, and I never give my horses hand-fed treats! Even the little guy (buckskin stud colt) came right up and nibbled on them. I tried to take pictures of him, but my camera batteries died while I was feeding them. :( It was a fun project.

horselover February 13, 2013 at 9:36 am

I am thinking about making these for my horses on valentines day, and I was just wondering about how many treats this makes all together at the size you made yours?

Cowgirl February 13, 2013 at 9:45 am

I think it made about ten of them, but they were pretty big. You could stretch it into a dozen easily, by making them a little smaller. Mine were about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

horselover February 15, 2013 at 10:17 am

Thanks! I made them for valentines day and my horses really liked them:D

iLikePonies March 16, 2014 at 8:37 am

i made about 65 of these treats for all the horses at my barn! however i doubled the recipe and i still got abut 65 decent sized cookies (around 1 1/2 circles) i didn’t make them into heart but they did seem dry so i added some water. overall this is the best recipe i have found! and i already had all of the ingredients. Thanks So Much!!!!!

Cowgirl March 16, 2014 at 9:32 am

Wow, that’s a lot of cookies! I’m glad they turned out well for you. Awesome of you to share with all the horses in your barn. :) Thanks for commenting and sharing your success story here.

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