Around this time of year, there's an abundance of sugar and an overload of candy.
It’s literally everywhere the grocery stores, doctors’ offices, front desk in the school office, etc. It’s like we
can’t escape the inevitability of candy consumption in October. And not that it’s a bad thing but
sometimes when I indulge in candy I can feel slightly guilty for not sharing it with my horses. Does
that happen to you too or am I the only strange fella here? Well I have a feeling I’m not alone so
I’ve broken down the best candies to share with your horse. It’s also incredibly important to
note here that one or two candies are all you should give your horse once or twice a week.
Anything more could have a negative impact on their health and behaviors. Now that I’ve gotten
that out of the way, let’s begin.
Candy Corn. You either love it or you hate it. There’s no middle ground with this caution cone
shaped sugar. So if you have a strong adversity to it, feel free to give a couple to your horse.
They are definitely eager to enjoy the pure sugar candy corn has to offer.
Jolly Ranchers. Since Jolly Ranchers are basically pure sugar and don’t contain the
compound, theobromine, they are safe to give to your horse. I would recommend putting the
Jolly Rancher in a plastic Ziploc bag and then break the candy up into tiny pieces to avoid
choking. Once it’s broken up you can put the candy fragments in the palm of your hand and your
horse will surely vacuum it up with their mouth.
Hard butterscotch discs. Butterscotch reminds me of visiting my sweet, great aunt when I was
a child and I will forever take the opportunity to munch on a butterscotch candy, but it’s also
good to know that your horse can eat them too. Again, since it’s mainly just the sugar that’s in a
lot of these candies, they’re safe for your horses.
Rice Krispies. These are super fun because you can cut out the rice krispies into Halloween
shapes using Halloween cookie cutters which means you could make a batch of rice krispies
and share them with your horses over the course of a couple of weeks! Any sort of puffed rice
cereal is good for this and the melted marshmallows make it a treat that they are surely not
going to turn it down.
These are all ideas of candies that you can find while trick or treating, but it’s not limited to that. I
enjoy buying candy corn this time of year and keeping a bag in the feed room so when I go out
to visit or ride I can share a little treat with them. Any candy that is basically sugar will be okay
for horses but it’s always good to double-check with your vet (if you’re brave enough) or do a
quick Google search if you need clarity on a specific candy.
The biggest no-no when it comes to candy and horses is chocolate. Horses cannot have
chocolate due to the compound, theobromine, which I mentioned earlier. Theobromine is found
in the cocoa plant and just like dogs, horses also have a sensitivity to it as well. So before you
go all willy-nilly giving your horses any sugar you find, make sure it’s safe for their digestive
system.
Does your horse have a favorite candy that you like to share with them during the Halloween
season? If so, I’d love to know! Feel free to reach out to me on my personal Instagram at
@unbridledmama because I love hearing from each and every one of you.
