Six Christmassy Ideas to Treat Your Horse This Winter

Get into the Christmas-neigh spirit this year by treating your horse to some special festive treats. From Christmas dinner to a drop of Guinness, here are some ways to celebrate this special time of the year with your horse.

Stable toys
Christmas is a time for sharing gifts and your horse needn’t be left out. Not only are stable toys a great way to keep your horse entertained and having fun, but they can improve cognitive and coordination skills too. Perfect for these quiet winter months!

Here at KBIS, we’d recommend getting a toy that will challenge your horse. Boredom breakers mix food with fun and are a great choice for horses motivated by food. These slow feed toys hang from the ceiling forcing your horse to work to get the food inside them.

Jolly balls are another great way of keeping your horse mentally stimulated. The bright and scented balls encourage horse play and are hard wearing enough to withstand being kicked and bitten. These toys can be used inside and outside of the stable.

You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to horse toys, so what are you waiting for?

Christmas Dinner
Get your horse involved in this year’s festivities with a Christmas dinner. OK, we aren’t talking turkey and all the trimmings here, but any leftover vegetables and peelings will go down a treat. Swede, parsnips and carrots are also a tasty and healthy treat that your horse will appreciate.

A word of warning: broccoli and brussel sprouts may give your horse an upset stomach so it’s best to avoid these veggies. Also, do not give your horse potato peelings as they can be toxic. You’ll want your horse feeling happy and comfortable on the big day.

Horse Stockings
Sticking with the food theme here (who doesn’t like to indulge a little in winter), create a food stocking with lots of tasty delights for your horse. There are lots of treats on the market that will keep your horse satisfied and entertained simultaneously.

Himalayan salt licks are a great choice if you want something long-lasting that your horse will love. The rocks are a great source of natural minerals and they are durable and weather resistant making them suitable for turned out horses as well.

Stout and other ales are another Christmas treat you can offer your horse: just don’t go overboard with the portion! Many horses love the taste of beer as the ingredients resemble the grains in horse feeds. It also provides B vitamins, flavonoids, folate and some minerals. A glug of Guinness added to your horses regular feed is plenty and it will be just enough to tickle your horse’s tastebuds.

Christmas Inspired Homemade Treats
Want to go that little bit extra? Then why not try your hand at baking some horse friendly muffins, cookies or flapjacks.

Homemade treats are easy to make and you can be reassured your horse will be getting high-quality food. This is a great alternative to feeding your horse shop bought treats which are usually loaded with sugar and other harmful products that may be unsuitable for your horse.

Most recipes will use ingredients that you already have in your cupboard like flour, eggs, oats and apple sauce so you don’t have to go all out. There are plenty of horse-inspired recipes just a few clicks away, so what are you waiting for? Get your bake on.

Horse Riding Gear
Ok, so this one is more of a gift to yourself than your horse but what better time is there than Christmas to splash out some of that hard earned cash. If your horses head collar has been looking a little tired, shop around for a new one. Likewise, if you have a saddle pad that has seen better days this could be the ideal time to make that purchase. Worn out saddle pads can be uncomfortable for your horse so this Christmassy treat can actually benefit you both in the new year.

Plenty of Fuss
Last but certainly not least, get down to your horse on Christmas morning and show him just how much you love him. Bring along any gifts and treats and give him a big old fuss on this special day.