I can hear you reading the title and saying, “duh, it’s obvious how to give your horse a treat”.Kinda and kinda not.

Yes, everyone who has been around horses for a while knows what kind of treats to give your horse like carrots, apples, peppermints, horse cookies, etc… And yes, every one of those horse people also know to hand a horse a treat with an open hand, palm up, so the horse doesn’t accidentally bite a finger.

But. did you know that how you give your horse a treat can either make your horse more aggressive or can make your horse more considerate and well mannered?

The little things we do, have a large effect on our horse’s attitude.

If your body language is afraid, or timid, or too overpowering, or aggressive when you give your horse a treat, your horse is going to feel and see this and not trust you. He’s going to see the fear or intimidation in your body language and react to you.

Your need to actually think deeper and look at how your body language goes one step further than this. How you give your horse a treat tells your horse that you are either ‘giving’ your horse that treat or you are allowing your horse to ‘take’ the treat from you. This might seem too subtle for you to care about, but it makes a big difference to your horse.

I have seen just this one change in how you give a horse a treat, change a horse’s personalities in minutes.

In this video, you will see my sweet, loving, gentle, horse Jazz get pushy, nasty, and cop an attitude in seconds because I allow him to “take” the treat from me. Then when I change how I present the treat to him and now “give” him the treat, you will see him change back to his sweet normal self, again in seconds.

It makes a difference!

Body language that shows you are “GIVING” your horse a treat:

You go to your horse, or meet him while he is coming to you, and you hand him a treat
Your body is close, or at a close safe distance, from your horse to easily be handed the treat
Your horse’s head is at a normal casual level, or slightly lower than his normal relaxed level, in order to eat the treat
Your horse’s head is at a normal causal distance, or slightly back, from his neck and shoulders
Your body language is relaxed and normal without having to reach your hand out, or stretch, too far
Your body is not overreaching or unbalanced while handing your horse a treat
You ask your horse to wait for a second or two before you give him the treat and you give it to him if he’s being patient and considerate

Body language that shows you are allowing your horse to “TAKE” the treat from you:

Your horse has to reach out, over stretch, his neck out to take the treat from your hand
Your hand is out stretched where you have to bend over, become unbalanced, to reach your horse’s mouth
Your horse moves to you, without you moving towards him, and takes the treat from you before you are ready to give it to him

Your horse grabs the treats or bag of treats without your permission
Your horse doesn’t wait for you to give him a treat and he pushes into you to get it
Your horse flips his tail, pins his ears back, stomps the ground, and other body language to demand the treat and you let him take it from you
Your horse’s head is high and then quickly comes down to take the treat and then his head goes high again

Simple, easy-to-follow instructions:

Go to your horse relaxed and aware of your surroundings
Make sure your horse wants you to come towards him and is aware of you bringing him a treat
Get your horse’s attention and talk gently saying hello or saying his name
Walk up to your horse’s front, or the side of his head and gently give him a treat
Make sure that when you give him a treat that his head is in a relaxed position and he waits for you to give him the treat
Make sure that his head goes down a bit or back a bit towards his neck to eat the treat in your hand, very slightly.
Watch his ears to make sure they are up or forward so he is enjoying this exchange and is happy you are near him
This should be a fun, happy, and relaxed interchange between the two of you. It’s that simple.

Noticing and doing these little changes can make big changes in your horse’s attitude with you around treats. Doing this correctly will also help his attitude with you around food too.

Watch the little things you do with your horse and how you do them. If he reacts “off” or you think something is weird or wrong, look at what you just did, and HOW you just did it before your horse’s reaction. This will not only help you learn what your horse is saying to you, but it will help him trust you and connect to you as your relationship progresses forward.

How to Give your Horse Treats

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Teddie's Fundamentals

Training Lessons (TF)

Bonus Lessons (TF)

Foundation Of Trust

Introduction to a Foundation Of Trust

The Concept Stage

The Introduction Stage

The Proximity Stage

The Nourishment Stage

Bonuses (FOT)

Beginning The Connection

Introduction to Mark’s Journey

The Stallion Series

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