10 Safe Treats for Horses—and 10 Foods To Avoid

It’s no secret: Horses and ponies tend to be quite food-motivated. If your equine friend is fond of treats, read on to learn which foods are safe, healthy and delicious goodies for horses, and which ones should stay out of their feed tub.

Apples are a good source of fiber and a popular fruit to offer to horses. Sweet and juicy, apples are highly palatable, and your equine companion is likely to enjoy snacking on this crunchy fruit. While all species of apples are safe for horses, they will likely prefer the sweet varieties (e.g., Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp) over the tart ones, like Granny Smith apples. Be sure to cut apples into small pieces to prevent an esophageal obstruction (i.e., choking).

Carrots are a mainstay of horse treats and you’ll find bucketfuls of these orange vegetables in many horse barns! Carrots are a pot of gold when it comes to essential nutrients: They’re a good source of beta-carotene (which a horse’s body turns into vitamin A), along with vitamins C and K, and potassium.

Many horses love to gulp down bananas—peel often included. The health benefits of these delicious treats are twofold: They’re rich in the electrolyte potassium, which is lost through sweat, and contain lots of dietary fiber, which helps promote healthy digestion.

Watermelon and melons are 80-90% water, making them excellent choices for keeping your horse hydrated in hot, humid weather or after a hard and sweaty workout. Bonus points: They’re tasty and can be fun for your horse to dig into with their teeth. Plus, these round fruits are too big for your horse to swallow whole, so they do not present much of a choking hazard.

“Almost any fruit is safe for your horse as long as they don’t have metabolic issues such as insulin resistance (IR),” says Jeremy Frederick, an equine veterinarian from New York.

Just keep two things in mind when feeding fruit: First, take care to remove the pits of fruits like mangoes and peaches before offering a horse these healthy treats. Secondly, know that many fruits have a high sugar content, which can be detrimental to some horses. Check with your vet if you’re unsure about feeding a particular fruit to your horse.

On a hot summer day, your horse is sure to welcome frozen fruit popsicles with open jaws. You can get creative by mixing fresh fruits with fruit juices and popping them into your freezer. Frozen popsicles promote hydration since they are encased in ice.

Celery is high in fiber and water and low in sugar, making it safe for equine consumption. The vegetable is also chewy, encouraging natural wear of your horse’s herbivore teeth, which are designed to chomp on coarse forage.

Commercially sold horse cookies are a practical and convenient way to bring treats to the barn. Popular options include Stud Muffins, The German Horse Muffin, and Buckeye Nutrition Apple Snaps. Since these are specifically formulated for horses, you don’t have to worry about their ingredients not being horse-friendly, but you do still have to check that their sugar content is appropriate for your individual horse.

Horses with metabolic or endocrine issues are more sensitive to sugar and other carbohydrates. For these at-risk individuals, Dr. Frederick recommends commercially available low-sugar products such as Stabul Molasses-Free Horse Treats. You can also bake homemade horse cookies and leave sugar out of the recipe.

Grass can safely be enjoyed—in moderation—by many horses. Grass is often rich in three non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs): starch, sugar and fructans. If your horse suffers from equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) or an endocrine condition like pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, also known as equine Cushing’s disease), ask your veterinarian if snacking on grass is safe for them.

Apples can cause horses to choke if accidentally swallowed whole. Additionally, few people realize that apple seeds contain cyanide, a substance that is toxic to horses (and humans) when consumed in large quantities. Luckily, it would take a LOT of apple cores for your horse to get cyanide poisoning. But this illustrates the fact that excessive consumption of almost any food, including your horse’s beloved apples, can lead to health issues. Moderation is key!

Excess sugar is not safe for horses with metabolic disorders, PPID or a history of laminitis. Sugary treats include the obvious sugar cubes and sugar cookies, but also peppermints and other mints, fruits, baked cookies and molasses.

Want to share your morning pick-me-up with your horse? Think again. Products containing caffeine can negatively affect your horse’s central nervous system.

Chocolate has both theobromine and caffeine, which are toxic to horses and can cause symptoms like increased heart rate, agitation and even seizures if ingested in large amounts.

Onions contain compounds called thiosulfates that can damage a horse’s red blood cells, leading to anemia. Even small amounts of thiosulfates can be harmful to horses, so don’t even share your “everything” bagel with your barn companion.

Like onions, garlic also contains thiosulfates that can cause anemia in your horse. Don’t give your horse anything that contains garlic, even in small amounts.

These potato parts harbor solanine and other compounds that are toxic to horses. Eating the potato foliage or the raw potatoes themselves can cause digestive upset, diarrhea and respiratory distress in horses.

Fresh-cut grass can be dangerous to horses, especially in large amounts, Dr. Frederick says, because “they contain highly digestible carbohydrates and can rapidly ferment in the large colon and cecum. This is similar to a horse getting into a bag of sugar-rich grain and can lead to hindgut acidosis and can even cause laminitis.”

Many adult horses are lactose intolerant, meaning they lack the enzyme lactase, which is needed to digest lactose, the sugar found in dairy products like cheese. Feeding cheese to horses can lead to digestive pain and discomfort similar to that experienced by lactose-intolerant people.

This one’s a no-brainer. Toxic plants should, of course, be kept out of your horse’s diet. Common ones that are dangerous to horses include:

• Yew
• Ragwort
• Red maple (specifically the leaves)
• Bracken fern
• Black walnut
• Nightshade

Horses do not need treats to lead healthy, happy lives. Feeding treats is not a requirement, but these snacks can serve several useful purposes in your relationship with your equine companion.

You can use these goodies, for example, to reward them for a job well done, or to teach them different commands. Just like dogs, horses are very responsive to clicker training. You can also bait your horse with a carrot to do aptly named “carrot stretches” to increase their flexibility. Last but not least, you can choose to feed your horse treats simply because it makes them happy!

Some horse owners choose not to feed treats at all. This can be because their horse gets overly excited by food, distracting them from their job—or even making them forget their ground manners!

Pushy horses who beg for treats and step all over their handlers pose a safety risk. As an alternative, some equestrians choose to only drop treats in their horse’s buckets, never feeding them by hand, to prevent accidental nipping and biting.

If you decide to incorporate them into your horse’s routine, any type of treats should be fed as part of a well-balanced diet. Treats should be considered extras, rather than replacing any part of the horse’s hay or concentrate ration or being used as a substitute for any medications. Find out more about how to feed your horse.

While horses do not need treats, certain treats can support their digestive system. For example, these Probiotic Apple Flavor Soft Chews help maintain the balance of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria in the gut.

There are also pelleted treats formulated specifically to protect your horse’s stomach from ulcers. If your veterinarian recommends treats for health purposes, you should follow their directions for feeding frequency.

Of course, you should never feed treats to the point that they cause your horse digestive upset or other health issues. Going back to our apple example, one or two apples make for a tasty treat. A whole barrel of apples is a recipe for a sugar overload and potentially cyanide poisoning!

“As with anything, moderation is key, so feel free to give some treats to your horse, but don’t forget about the most important part: a complete and balanced foundation diet,” says Dr. Frederick.

What do horses like to eat the most?

Horses are individuals, and each has their personal favorite treat(s)! That being said, carrots, apples, peppermints and commercially made horse cookies are popular options. Most horses are also fond of grazing fresh grass.

Are cheese cubes safe treats for horses?

Cheese isn’t necessarily toxic, but it isn’t a natural part of a horse’s diet and could cause digestive upset, as horses are not good at processing foods containing dairy products.

Can horses have peanut butter as a treat?

Peanut butter is generally OK, but it is high in fat, so you should only feed it to your horse occasionally and in small amounts.

Do all horse owners give their horses treats?

Not every horse owner chooses to feed their horse treats. Some only give their horses treats in their feed buckets, never hand-feeding them. Others only give them for special occasions. The choice is yours!

When given responsibly and in moderation, horse treats can be a delightful perk to your equine companion’s life—as long as their teeth are healthy enough to eat them. Find out everything you need to know about your horse’s dental health.

Expert input provided by Jeremy Frederick, DVM, DACVIM, owner of Advanced Equine of the Hudson Valley, an ambulatory veterinary practice based in Wappingers, New York, that offers nutritional consultations to horse owners, among other services.

This content was medically reviewed by Chewy vets.