Dr. Getty:

I was curious to know whether or not it would be safe to feed something along the lines of dehydrated or sun-dried apples as treats. I have an absolutely brilliant Arabian that I am doing some liberty work with and she is very willing but does not like to be petted. She will let me pet her, but I don't see it as a reward for her because she doesn't enjoy it. She'll do anything for a treat, however, but I do not wish to overfeed (I break them into smaller pieces to make several treats from one).
I just wondered if some of the dried fruits were safe - or, since my oven will dehydrate is that a good alternative? I've been all over the place on the net trying to find some sort of list, but haven't had any luck thus far (although I did find out that pitted dates are a safe option : ).
This is my very first posting (ever) so, hopefully I didn't break any E-etiquett by rambling...Thanks for your help!

- Jennifer

Where are you from? Alabama

How did you locate this forum? Googled it

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks so much for writing! Certainly -- dried fruits are fine but they don't need to be dried, necessarily. You can feed fresh apples -- they make excellent treats.

Further down in this forum, I posted a long list of fruits and vegetables that are safe for horses. So, you can be creative!

Happy training!

Dr. Getty

Sorry if I appear to be a bit slow here...does anyone happen to know the name of the posting with the long list of fruits and vegetables? I did a forum search on fruits, then one on vegetables, but didn't see a "long list" so I started going through each posting. I am pretty sure I read everything that had anything to do with feed, treats, nutrition, etc. all the way back to 2004 (my eyes are now crossed and threatening to remain so).

The reason I asked about dried fruit as an option is because they are smaller and they keep for awhile...fresh apples are Bella's very favorite, so I try to save them for big stuff (like plastic tarp graduation day) I was trying to find something that would keep for at least a couple of days that would be big enough she can taste it, but nothing she could "OD" on (basically, bigger than a pellet...smaller than a treat - ha, ha). Thanks!

Where are you from? Alabama

How did you locate this forum? Googled it

Hi Jennifer,

Here's the list:

SAFE
~ Apples
~ Apricots
~ Bananas
~ Beets
~ Blackberries
~ Blueberries
~ Broccoli
~ Cauliflower
~ Carrots
~ Celery
~ Cherries
~ Coconut
~ Corn
~ Dates
~ Figs
~ Grapes
~ Grapefruit
~ Horseradish
~ Lettuce
~ Mangoes
~ Oranges
~ Peaches
~ Pears
~ Pineapple
~ Plums
~ Pumpkin
~ Raisins
~ Rutabagas
~ Squash
~ Strawberries
~ Sweet Potatoes
~ Turnips
~ Watermelon (both rind and pulp)

UNSAFE
~ Avocado
~ Onions
~ Potatoes
~ Persimmons
~ Rhubarb
~ Tomatoes
~ Any other members of the nightshade family which includes peppers