Let’s face it—aside from getting together with family and friends, one of the best parts of the holiday season is the food we get to eat. Turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, or other special desserts. Some of us look forward to eating these foods all year long!
However, we aren’t the only ones who enjoy a good holiday treat—our horses would definitely appreciate something special as well! With that in mind, here are a few homemade holiday treats for horses, that you can whip up this season.
Peppermint Kiss Cookies
(adapted from The Cheshire Horse)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots or apples
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 small ripe banana or 1/2 cup applesauce
- peppermint candies
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees before greasing a cookie sheet or lining it with parchment paper. Combine oats, flour, carrots or apples, molasses, and mashed banana or applesauce in a large bowl and mix well. Spoon cookie batter into balls and place evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies begins to dry on top and crack. While the cookies are still warm, press a peppermint candy into the center of each cookie. Allow to cool for several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Peppermint-Stick Bran Mash
(adapted from Horse and Rider)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup crushed candy canes
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3-5 cups bran
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 apple, diced
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2 cups sweet feed (or whatever grain your horse eats)
Directions:
Dissolve crushed candy canes in 2-3 cups of boiling water and let the water cool. Mix all ingredients together except sweet feed/other grain. Add more warm water to make the mixture soupy. Cover with a towel and let cool. Just before serving, spread a thin layer of grain over the top and sprinkle crushed candy cane on top to garnish.
Apple & Carrot Pie
(adapted from Horse and Rider)
Ingredients:
- corn oil
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 apples
- 4 carrots, diced
- cinnamon
Directions:
Pour enough oil into a pie pan to cover the bottom. Next, spread about 1/4 cup of sugar over the bottom. Slice apples horizontally in pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Lay apples and diced carrots over the sugar. Pour a little more oil over the pie and then sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar evenly over top. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon. Divide the pie between several horses.
Pumpkin Spice Treats
(adapted from Rutgers)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups whole oats
- 1 can pumpkin
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly mix pumpkin and water together, then add dry ingredients. Drop by the spoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Optional: add crushed peppermint candy to the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.
Christmas Carrot Muffins
(adapted from Barn Manager)
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup bran
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 apple
- 2 carrots
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease muffin tins. Shred apples and carrots into fine pieces. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Scoop batter into muffin tins and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Note of caution: Most of these holiday treats are not suitable for horses with insulin resistance or other metabolic conditions. Alternatively, you can opt for grain-free and sugar-free treats instead.
