Baked Pony Treats Recipe

Baking horse treats is the perfect activity for even young kids and toddlers to help out with. It’s also an excellent school holiday project or pony camp activity that provides space for a discussion around horse health & nutrition as well as equine health conditions effected by diet such as colic, laminitis and choke. Plus they can practise the usual skills baking requires such as reading the recipe, measuring ingredients and taking turns during an activity.

Cooking is a family affair at our place with our 4 year old daughter Penny and her Dad doing a lot of our weekly food prep. Pennys favourite things to do in the kitchen are chop fruits & vegetables and help mix – two jobs this recipe has plenty of.

Read below to find our recipe for baked pony treats.

 

Baked Pony Treats Recipe

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups Oats
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 carrots
• 1 Apple
• 1/4 cup Molasses
• 1 cup applesauce

 

Alternative Ingredients

• Swap the applesauce for apple puree
• Change out the molasses for honey

 

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (celsius) fan forced.

STEP 2

Line a tray with baking paper to avoid a sticky mess and extra cleaning up!

STEP 3

Cut or grate 2 carrots and an apple into fine pieces. If you’re especially prepared you could throw them in a food processor or blender but chopping works just fine

STEP 4

Using a large mixing bowl combine the flour and oats together until well mixed

STEP 5

Add the applesauce & molasses to the bowl with the mixed up oats and flour. Stir with a spoon (or electric mixer if you want to be fancy)

STEP 6

Now the fun (and messy) part! Roll into individual treats of whatever shape & size you like. If you find you're struggling to get your treats to stick together you can add more molasses to act as glue or alternatively if they are too wet add in more of the oats or flour

STEP 7

Add the treats to the baking tray you lined in the beginning and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees in a fan forced oven

STEP 8

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before storing in an air tight container in the fridge or just head out to the paddock and enjoy feeding them to your ponies.

These treats last up to about a week stored in the fridge

 

Don't feel like baking but want to provide yourself and your pony some snack based enrichment? If you've got some soft apples and carrots laying around simply create a hole large enough for a piece of rope to thread through - tie a knot in the end - and hang it up like a swinging kebab for your horse or pony to nibble at.

Make sure to supervise this activity and hang the treat in a way that your best friend can't hurt themselves