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~ Closed-Minded Mare -- Help?

3K views 23 replies 13 participants last post by  LoveStory10 
#1 ·
Is there any way I can get Night Heat to try any OTHER form of treat, like apples or bread sticks (anything)? Because the only treat she will ever touch is carrots, which becomes a problem because A) carrots go off faster and B) sometimes I run out of carrots then I have nothing to give to her... :roll:

The minute I even show her an apple she will turn away, and bread or sugar she doesn't even realize that they are edible. :shock:

Does anyone else have this problem, and is there anyway to get her to taste it and maybe it could taste nice to her after all? (just like trying to get a child to eat veggies that may look disgusting, but taste really yummy) :wink:
 
#2 ·
Our Aero came to us with no idea that she could eat apples or carrots. She would gladly eat the packaged horse treats all day long. We would even try putting them in her grain - only to find every single bite of fruit/veggie, sucked clean of every last bit of grain, in her tub at the end of her meal.
Holly, on the other hand, hasn't met anything she hasn't tried to eat -- she LOVES fruits and veggies. It was probably about three or four months after Holly came to live with us that one day Aero just reached over and took a carrot and ate it without blinking an eye. She's the same with apple now, too. I think she was just jealous that Holly was having something she wasn't - not sure she likes them even now, but she eats them like mad.
Honestly, though, it's not like they "need" anything anyway.
 
#4 ·
Hmm, I don't know if you have the Manna Pro treats where you are, but I haven't found a horse yet that didn't like 'em. I call 'em horsey crack! :wink:

My old gelding's favorite treats were carrots. When I got him as a 4 y/o he didn't even know what a carrot was, and I had a lot of fun trying out different things to see what he thought was yummy.

His preferences, from lowest to highest, were Manna Pro horse treats, apples, and carrots. He wouldn't eat anything else as a treat, and thought peppermints were my way of trying to poison him! :lol:

Until the day he died you could stuff him full of apples and horse treats, and he'd still look at you as if to say, "Okay, those were nice and all, but where are my CARROTS?!"
 
#6 ·
Hmm, I don't know if you have the Manna Pro treats where you are, but I haven't found a horse yet that didn't like 'em. I call 'em horsey crack! :wink:
I have met one horse that didn't like them! ONE! That's it! FGR's Rem is the pickiest horse I have ever - ever - met. Super sweet, but super picky. She *will* eat Start-To-Finish Apple nuggets though...
 
#7 ·
I will have a look around for Manna Pro treats to see if we have them here, then I will let you know if we can make it two horses that don't like them. :wink:

I actually haven't thought of carrot flavoured treats....hmmm.....
 
#10 ·
Have you tried feeding her Stud Muffins? I don't know if you even have anywhere that sells them near you, but I have seen about 20 different brands of the same thing. They're like horse "cookies" made out of molasses and oats and such. Heck, I've even tried one. It tasted like molasses - not very great to humans (not very bad either though :wink: LOL) but horses find them delicious.
There might even be an recipe for them online somewhere, they probably wouldn't be hard to make.
 
#13 ·
When I got my filly she would not take treats at all. Her breeder fed sweet feed so anything that was like sweet feed was edible (like Stud Muffins). But those treats are crazy expensive.

And like someone else described, if I put carrots or apples or other types of treats in her feed tub with her food I would find them licked clean of her grain but not eaten.

I think she just got tired of her 'brother' getting things she was not getting and she took a carrot piece one day. For a while after that she was willing to take carrot pieces if I cut them up into bite size bits, but she was not willing to take large carrot pieces. Then I tricked her with a piece of apple and a piece of carrot together one day. She has been eating just about anything offered ever since.

I say keep trying. Just keep offering.
 
#15 ·
I read a study they did on flavors horses liked and apples and carrots were actually not as high on the list as you would think! If I remember correctly apples were on the lower part of the top 10. I think #1 was something really random like fenugreek and I'm thinking that peppermints and bananas were higher then apples and maybe even carrots. Have you tried peppermints? I know lots of horses that looooove them! I know several horses that would do anything for a banana. And lots of horses that like grapes. You could just bring a little buffet out for your horse and see what he likes best!
 
#16 ·
My mare likes sour candy. LOL. she'll eat the heck outta it. Ummm. She likes grapes as well. And peppermints. If i have something she refuses to try I usually stick it in the side of her mouth so she has to taste it. lol. She'll either spit it out or gobble it up.
 
#17 ·
upnover, that is really interesting. I think this Saterday I will prepare for her a "buffet" and see what things she likes and doesn't like. Whatever she doesn't like will definately not go to waste. (the other horses there will be begging for some as well) :wink:

A horse by my barn also loves grapes, and will eat them all day. It's weird to think horses like grapes...LOL
 
#22 ·
My horse will eat EVERYTHING except for apple flavored rounders.
My horse especially likes the things that I eat as well, yesterday someone brought a bag of sugar coated spearmint gummies and as I was nibbling he took one from my hand! Silly boy. I'll gladly share my treats with my horse, [donuts, gummies, marshmellows, peppermints] But yesterday and I was sipping my iced coffee my horse stretched out and nibbled the side of my coffee cup with his nose, and I was like "My coffee! ;]"
 
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