This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > "Carol J. Makosky" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > What is the feelings with you on giving candy to your Fjord? I was > always taught to not give sweets as this was bad for the teeth. My > husband slips Heidi candy when I am not looking and thinks I do not see > or know it. Now why does she have mint or butterscotch or rootbeer > breath?
Sugar cubes have long been an accepted treat for equines. My vet in California gave them to her dressage horse for maneuvers well done, and would offer them to some of her "patients" for good behavior (and to convince them that she was not just the "person with needles"). When I got my old Nansy mare, that was the only treat she knew how to eat---she hadn't a clue what apples and carrots were! My Fjords usually get just ordinary horse treats---most of which contain molasses, which is just another form of sugar. When I'm clicker training my donkey, peppermints (the round ones, white- with-red-stripes) are at the top of her treat hierarchy---the treat she gets when I'm really, REALLY pleased with what she just did. I've offered a peppermint to the Fjords occasionally; they like them, but I just haven't gotten around to doing much with them in the way of formal training lately. As with humans, sugar should be consumed in moderation. I see nothing wrong with giving an equine an occasional piece of candy--- particularly if it's given when there is still hay (or grass) in front of them, i.e. they can "brush" their teeth by eating something fiberous afterward. ;-) Marsha Jo Hannah Murphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 15 mi SW of Roseburg, Oregon
