Best Horse Treats (2026): 3 Tested and Ranked

I am an equine veterinarian, and over the years I have watched owners spend real money on treats their horses either ignore or, worse, get sick from. Treats are not a necessity for a horse the way forage and clean water are, but they have a genuine place. I use them for catching a hard-to-handle horse, rewarding good behavior during groundwork, and giving a senior something pleasant to look forward to. The problem is that the treat aisle is full of bright bags, vague ingredient lists, and a lot of sugar dressed up as health food.

So I did what I would do for my own horses. I bought three of the most common treats owners ask me about and fed them across a small mix of horses, including a couple of easy keepers, an opinionated 24-year-old gelding, and a notoriously picky mare who turns her nose up at almost everything. I was watching for how readily each horse ate the treat, how the ingredient list held up to scrutiny, the sugar load relative to the treat size, and how practical each one was for everyday barn use. Below are the three I would actually keep on my own feed shelf, ranked by how they performed.

A quick honest note before the picks. None of these are appropriate for horses with metabolic disease, and none should make up more than a small slice of the daily diet. Treats are a supplement to good horse keeping, not a substitute for it. With that said, here is how they stacked up.

1. Mrs Pastures Cookies for Horses

This was the clear winner in my test group for one simple reason: nearly every horse ate it without hesitation, including my picky mare on the second try. The ingredient list is short and recognizable, which is exactly what I want to see in a treat. There is sugar in here, as there is in almost any palatable treat, so this is not a free pass for an easy keeper, but the simplicity and consistency impressed me. The cookies are firm, which most horses handled well, though my oldest gelding with worn molars needed a moment to work through them.

This is the treat I would reach for if you want one reliable, no-drama option that most horses will love. It suits healthy adult horses without metabolic concerns, and it works well as a catch-me reward or an everyday small treat. You can read my full breakdown in the Mrs Pastures Cookies for Horses review.

2. Manna Pro Bite-Size Nuggets Horse Treats

The standout feature here is the size. These nuggets are small, which makes them genuinely useful for training and groundwork where you are rewarding frequently. When I am asking a horse to repeat a behavior over and over, I do not want to dump a fistful of sugar into them, and the small size lets me reward often while keeping the total intake reasonable. My test horses found them very palatable, and the soft-but-firm texture was easy for the senior gelding to chew.

I would pick these if you do any hand-on-the-ground training or want a treat you can portion out generously without overdoing it. They suit horses that respond to small, frequent rewards, and they are practical to carry in a pocket. Full details are in my Manna Pro Bite-Size Nuggets review.

3. Manna Pro Apple Wafer Horse Treats

These earned their spot specifically for the hard cases. The apple scent on these wafers is strong, and that smell is what finally got my picky mare interested without any coaxing. For horses that ignore most treats or are off their feed and need a little encouragement, a strongly aromatic, crunchy wafer can make the difference. The crunch also made them satisfying for the horses that like to really chew.

I would choose these for a picky eater or a horse you are trying to win over, rather than as your everyday default. They are more of a specialty tool than an all-purpose treat, and like the others they carry sugar, so portion accordingly. See my full tested notes in the Manna Pro Apple Wafer Horse Treats review.

How I Chose

I approached this the way I would advise any client to choose a treat. First, I looked at the ingredient list and gave preference to bags where I could actually recognize what was inside, rather than a long string of fillers and additives. Second, I considered the sugar and starch load relative to the size of the treat, because a big, dense cookie delivers far more sugar than a small nugget. Third, and most important for everyday use, I watched real horses eat. Palatability matters because a treat your horse refuses is wasted money, and I deliberately included a picky mare and a senior with dental wear so I was not just testing on easy customers. Finally, I weighed practicality: how easy each treat is to hand-feed, portion, and store, and roughly how long a bag lasts.

What to Look For

When you are standing in front of the treat shelf, start with your own horse. If your horse has any history of laminitis, Cushing’s, or insulin dysregulation, most of these treats are off the table, and you should ask your veterinarian about low-sugar or hay-based alternatives instead. For a healthy horse, favor a short, readable ingredient list over flashy health claims, and pick the smallest treat size that fits how you plan to use it. Small treats are better for training, while a single cookie is fine as an occasional reward. Pay attention to texture if you have a senior with worn teeth, since very hard treats can be a struggle. And always remember that the treat is a tiny part of the diet. The real work of feeding a horse is good forage, clean water, and a balanced ration. Treats are the finishing touch, not the foundation.

For more on safe feeding and general pet care, the ASPCA and the AVMA both publish solid owner resources worth reading.

FAQs

Below are the questions I hear most often from owners about feeding treats, answered honestly from the perspective of someone who sees the consequences of overfeeding sugar firsthand.