Horse treats Do-It-Yourself - Cookbook for horses: Cookbook for horses - Make your own horse treats

By Edwin Van Der Vaag

Whether it's for perfectly healthy horses who simply need a new incentive in their daily training, or for sickly horses who suffer from a weak immune system and need a little help accordingly: Feeding horse treats represents an incredible opportunity to strengthen the bond between rider and horse.

The trend of horse treats has been around for a few years, but only recently has it really become about making these treats yourself. In the spirit of this trend, new recipes continue to emerge from riders who have put a lot of time into rewarding their pets.

The contents of the book are:
- Introduction
- Basics of horse nutrition
- Horse treats: background information
- Making treats yourself: the theory
- Making treats yourself: the practice with many recipes
- Conclusion

In this book, some of the best recipes have been compiled, with a level of difficulty that not even children with their parents can go wrong with. In addition, each one of these recipes is modifiable, so the treats can always be adapted to a horse's condition. Some horses have to follow a strict diet, which is why sugar is out as a glue, other horses tolerate fruit quite poorly, and still others are allergic to some plants. Since each horse is different and the owner of the horse always knows best about the habits and problems, this recipe book also includes a theory section in which it is explained exactly how the horse's stomach actually works, which herbs are particularly helpful and which plants should rather be kept away from.

With the knowledge in this book the first own recipes will soon develop.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986469597

Book preview

Introductory

D

he history of man and horse goes back thousands of years. Over the centuries, horses have been used for a wide variety of purposes. For example, they worked in the countryside and were used on battlefields several thousand years ago, when warriors still fought on high horse with lance and shield. Horses have thus always been in people's lives. Since the 17th century, equestrian sport has also become particularly big and disciplines as well as techniques are constantly developing. In addition, show jumping was recognized as an Olympic discipline around 1900. Accordingly, it is obvious that we humans have learned over the years how to perfect horse feeding. Through studies and even scientific analysis, it is now well known how the digestion of horses works, and even if there are no more mysteries to solve, this is precisely a complicated matter.

The horse's stomach is particularly complex and significantly larger than a rider's stomach, but it can tolerate much less than a human can. Horses have to watch what they eat and have developed a very special sense for it in the wild. They stay away from plants that have negative effects on their health or which can be poorly digested, and they do so naturally. Yet these plants can look just like a tasty and healthy plant and yet horses stay away from them. Their intuition far exceeds that of a human, but most horses now no longer live in the wild, but are stabled or pastured by capable horsemen. In either case, there is only a limited choice of food. A little more can be consumed in the pasture, but the nutrient balance is far from being covered, even in a near-free range.

So man must ensure that the horses are well, and not by providing shelter. A horse needs to be groomed and its hooves also need to be taken care of regularly. Most important, however, is the daily feeding of the horse. A rider must be knowledgeable about exactly what a horse needs, because providing the proper nutrients and ingredients to the horse's body is not guaranteed by the main diet alone. Instead, treats can help alleviate discomfort and further strengthen the body.

Many large companies have specialized in exactly this, however, these treats are produced in large masses and not every horse tolerates them, even if they were made exactly for this purpose. The horse's gastrointestinal system is so complex that only by observation and testing can you find out what a horse really needs. Making horse treats yourself is therefore especially worthwhile. There are many different types and their composition can be optimally adapted to the horse's nutritional balance. Therefore, it is important that a horse owner who takes care of the daily feeding of his horse understands the basic principles.

For example, horses can only tolerate certain foods and even though these treats are also particularly tasty to humans, it is important to understand that horse treats are not just cookies. Therefore, this baking book was written to not only give horses what they would take on their own in the wild, but it also offers the chance to give your own horse new flavors that are different from the monotonous main feed.

The recipes described in this book can all be modified and every reader should feel encouraged to experiment and have fun with baking. In the process, things can certainly get a little messy within the four walls of the kitchen. Herbs, vegetables and even fruits can be planted in one's own garden, even if some must be imported, of course. For example, bananas are rarely found in a German garden. Nevertheless, feeding with homemade treats represents one of the most natural feedings a horse can get in human husbandry. The jaw is strengthened by the dried cookies, the ingredients can help the intestinal flora, hooves, hair and coat, asthmatics can be helped and even colic and cramps can be reduced by simple feeding with horse cookies. Of course, it must also be said that feeding horse treats in no way replaces a visit to the doctor or taking medication. If a horse is suffering from a disease, it is very important to talk to a veterinarian about treat feeding beforehand. A professional always knows better, which is why a consult is always worthwhile.

But treats also help when a horse is in good health. The immune system can be strengthened, as well as the natural bacterial defense, but especially help horse cookies in everyday training. They can be used as a very special reward, which is why not only the horse's performance improves, but also the relationship between man and horse. It does not matter whether cookies or cookies are chosen, for the morning muesli, for a snack in between, for rollis or rather for a whole cake. In this book are listed particularly diverse recipes, which can be used for horses of any age and origin and are even suitable for allergy sufferers.

However, before describing the first recipes, which can be varied and tried out at will, some basic questions must first be clarified. Which plants are highly toxic for horses, even if they are very healthy for humans? What does the complex gastrointestinal system tolerate and what should rather be avoided? In short: How exactly does horse nutrition actually work?

Horse nutrition - What is involved?

I

n horse nutrition, a distinction must be made between whether a horse lives most of the time in a stable or whether it grazes on a pasture. Grazing is the most natural form of feeding the body and therefore does not need much attention from humans. Thus, grass is a staple food that wild horses also eat in the wild,