I first made these homemade horse treats several years ago when I first bought Cosmo. I brought a batch when I met friends to ride in the snow, and the treats were a big hit! Even one horse who is a super picky eater enjoyed them.
I've received a few comments on this post asking if these can be frozen. Honestly, I have never tried, so I'm not 100% sure. I don't see why not, though. I do try freezing them, I will report back. If anyone has frozen these, please comment and let me know how that worked out!
If you do USEF licensed competitions with your horse: These treats include cinnamon (from the apple cinnamon oatmeal). Cinnamon can cause a positive drug test because it contains eugenol, which is on the prohibited substances list. Refer to the Drugs and Medications page on the USEF website for more information about those rules in general.
To make these cinnamon-free: Use instant oats along with some plain dried apples (from the dried fruit/nut section of the grocery store). You could also use another variety of instant oatmeal, but just check the ingredients. Cosmo is a retired pasture pet, so I don't need to worry about his cinnamon consumption. I am careful about that with Mikey and Felix, though (read more about my trio of equines on my About page). I'm not sure how much cinnamon they need to consume over what time period to cause a positive drug test, but it is easy to avoid, so I choose the efficient path there. Speaking of horse shows, if you need any food ideas, check out these 15 Equestrian-Approved Horse Show Sandwiches & Wraps.
Cosmo's Carrot Crunch Cookies (Horse Treats)
Equipment
- Cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 packet apple and cinnamon instant oatmeal (or another variety for a cinnamon-free treat)
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cups steel cut oats
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- cooking spray canola oil spray recommended over olive oil or other types
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine all ingredients using an electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer) until well-combined.
- Grease a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop each cookie portion into the compartments of the muffin tin. Press down each cookie with the back of the cookie scoop.
- Bake for about 25 minutes until the cookies are hard. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Notes
I had some lesson students over to make horse cookies and watch a movie. One of them made these cookies and they were super easy and approved by all the horses in the barn.