horse cookies

[Sylvie Hebert]

Here is Chico's(my track pony)secret recipe for yummy horse cookies:mix 4 cups whole oat,1/2 cup sunflower seeds,1/2 cup fancy table molasses,3/4 cup water,10 tablespoon of all purpose flour,small tid-bits of carrots or apples or pear or cantaloup or even bananas,if you have leftover box cereals or muffin mix(no chocolates)add some instead of throwing them away.put on cookie sheet with a spoon about one inch apart,put a little piece of veggy or fruit or one peppermint on each,pour a little bit of molasse on top and bake in oven about 30-35 minutes at 300 degrees.If you want you can substitute molasse for corn syrup or maple syrup,if really too liquid just ad a little more flour.this makes about 15-20 cookies,I make a few batches everyweek,easy and cheap and all horses(so far)love them.I use non-stick cookie paper cause they do stick!...And for a horse birthday i make a bigger one with happy birthday and his name in candy letters on it(bought at human foodstore for children cakes,they are only sugar).Yes i know i am crazy but they love the cookies and i love making them happy...And the cookies you buy at the tack store are not as good and cost prohibitive...Have fun,Sylvie

[madelyn]

THANKS SYLVIE... I'm off to make a couple of batches Right Now!! Perfect thing to do on a rainy afternoon and it will warm up my kitchen...

[Crystal]

powered alfalfa, molasses, shredded carrots and cranberries.. They'll never leave you alone.

[Roger]

Don't let this thread out to others horses. My poor babies are happy getting an alfalfa cube as a treat.

[Vindicated]

Sounds yummy!!!
The cost of horse cookies at the store HAS gotten high hasn't it-

Do you know what the shelf life is on them?

Are sunflower seeds okay for horses? Birdseed seeds or human food seeds? Obviously they have not hurt your horses-but does anyone know about quantity? I would think that Black oil sunflower seeds would be good for them on a few levels-but are they okay for them to eat?

Thanks-I have not made horse cookies in about 10 years-I'm going to stop at the feed store and pick up some ingredients on the way home (my horses eat Strategy & EQ SR)
Do you think Regular Oatmeal would work? I have a bunch of that at home

[Sylvie Hebert]

all my horses get a cup of black sunflower seeds a day.the fat ones only 1/2 with their equilizer.Sunflower seeds are in use for race horses all over the world,i picked up on it in Australia many years ago.I keep my cookies in steel boxes for human cookies but as i feed them in a few days i do not know about shelf life...i would think that if you omit the fruits or vegetables they would last longer...but when i go visit my friend at the rescue i bring her some and she freeze them...i can ask her about duration..And i would think that you can use oatmeal wich is horse safe and yummy.. anyway we are not talking about 10 pounds of cookies a day per horse but as a treat one or two is very small quantity,a few onces may be total.I have even used a bit of corn meal,alpha-bits,corn flakes,rice crispies,total,fruit loops,pieces of oatmeal cookies,brocoli(yes when i cook brocoli i give them the fresh hard parts),a few peanuts(my pony just loves peanut brittle)....just avoid bad stuff like chocolate,coffee...it is i think mostly a matter of common sense ,

[Vindicated]

I was pretty sure sometime in the past I had heard that black sunflower seeds were good for horses-most likely Pony Club-but that was several closed head injurys ago.

Thanks again-I am looking forward to getting home from work to get started on my horse cookies.

[Lisann]

I fed BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seeds) for about 5 years. My horses were shiny and healthy and loved them. I quit feeding them about 2 years ago, when the price shot up. I feed Omegatin instead now.

Thanks for the cookie recipe!

[Sylvie Hebert]

sunflower seeds are an excellent source of fat and multiple other good stuff...lots of energy condensed in that little seed,but(always a but...)like oats,corn they also are a source of omega-6(i think ratio in snf seeds is 199 to 1 i may be wrong) wich promote inflammation.the correct ratio is omega3- double than omega-6 if i remember well so it is always wise not to overload on one or the other.inflammation response is good but not to the extreme.it is always better to monitor consomption of sunflower seeds or oats corn or else.i never give too much seeds to immuno-deficient horse as it stimulates their response to virus,allergies,pathogenes,but(another but..)on a horse that needs stimulation for built up of immuno system it is a good thing.it can also be balanced by linseed...anyway it is getting too scientific now.we are only talking of limited consomption tru treats....so even my old immuno-deficient Oscar can get those cookies i just avoid too much oats and the daily cup of seeds on him otherwise his ankles and skin will flare:(at about 3 cups of sunf seeds and 4 pounds of extra oats,i know.. the poor thing was a guinea pig in my barn with his immuno-defiency most likely caused by long term steroids use)