Fun Idea From A Fellow Equine Blogger

I got the idea for this post from fellow equine blogger, Reese, and her Horses of the Ozark Hills blog at https://horsesoftheozarkhills.com.

Wouldn’t that be so cool to go trail riding in the Ozarks? I am jealous!

Reese recently designed a fun post about making horse & dog friendly treats at https://horsesoftheozarkhills.com/healthy-treats-for-horses-dogs/. She encouraged her readers to try the recipe out for themselves. So I did.

Here is the recipe ingredients as featured on the Horses of the Ozark Hills blog:
2 cups quick oats
1 cup flour
1 cup shredded carrots
¾ cup apple sauce
2 tablespoons molasses
¼ cup coconut oil

Here is my own version of the recipe based on what I already had in my pantry:
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup cinnamon apple sauce
2 tablespoons light corn syrup (I bet honey would be delicious too)

*Optional ingredient is ground cinnamon used as a light dusting over the treat balls after baking.

Mix all ingredients into balls, place on baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
Dust with cinnamon right after coming out of the oven.
Let cool an hour before placing in air-tight container.

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I had fun making these treats. While they baked in the oven, the treats filled the kitchen with a delicious, wholesome aroma. More importantly, my horses both gave them the seal of approval.

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And bonus points: I discovered that my horse, Bear, liked them so much that they acted as good “pill pockets” for his medication. Bear generally takes his two daily pills mixed into his pelleted ration balancer. Sometimes, though, he goes through periods where he manages to eat every single pellet and leaves the pills. During these times, I have to hide the pills inside something otherwise forbidden to him like a fig newton. Eventually, Bear will start eating his pills in his ration balancer again . . . until the next time that he doesn’t. I would guess these treats made here are lower in calories, sugar and preservatives than the fig newtons. They are easy to use with the pills too. I had no trouble gently inserting the pills in a treat ball, and the pills did not make the balls fall apart. I am so pleased to find this fig newton alternative. Thank you to Reese and her Horses of the Ozark Hills blog for the inspiration!

Don’t forget to stop by Reese’s Horses of the Ozark Hills blog at https://horsesoftheozarkhills.com to check it out and follow along.

A final note here- If you would like to make treats as possible gifts to share with other horse owners, you could use a plastic food storage container with lid. Decorate it by taking a piece of horse themed wrapping paper or fabric, wrapping a ribbon around a rubber band and placing the paper/fabric over the top of the storage cup lid, securing it with the ribbon-wrapped paper band.