Make your own horse treats and cakes

It's Christmas time and here at Tic Tac Equestrian, we know that horse owners aren't the only ones who enjoy indulging in a bit of festive indulgence. Earlier, we gave you recipes for basic Christmas cakes for Horses. This time, we've scoured the web for a handful of great little treats and cookies to help you horses get into the spirit and reward them for being great companions over the past year!

Oat 'n' Apple Chewies

Treat your horse or pony to these simple squares made of wholesome ingredients. Keep them fresh in the fridge. Remember not to feed too many of any treat too often.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup oat bran cereal or ground oatmeal/porridge oats
½ cup all purpose flour (approx.)

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 180C/350F
Oil a 9inch x 9inch square cake pan
Spread the batter evenly in the cake pan and bake for 20-30 minutes. The batter will start to shrink away from the sides and it will be firm to the touch.

Slice into squares while still warm. Keep chewies in the refrigerator in an air-tight container or bag.


Molasses Cookies Horse Treats

Your horse will love the sweet crunchiness of these cookies. They keep well in an air-tight container. Never feed too many treats too often.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup bran
1 cup molasses
1 cup grated carrot or apple

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 190C/375F
Oil two cookie sheets
Put aside a small bowl of white sugar and a drinking glass with a flat bottom.
In a large bowl mix all the ingredients thoroughly. The mixture shouldn’t be too wet, and should stick together.


Add more flour to make the mixture firmer and hold together if necessary. Drop by teaspoonfuls, about 1 ½ inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Grease the bottom of the glass, dip it in the sugar, and stamp the cookies to flatten them slightly. Bake for about 10 minutes. This makes about 25 cookies, depending on the size. Store in an air-tight container or bag.



Baked Carrot Crispies

2 carrots,shredded
1 apple,shredded
1/3 cup molasses
3/4 cup flower
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup bran
3/4 cup porridge oats/oatmeal

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat over to 200C/400F. Generously grease a muffin tin. Mix carrots and apples into a bowl with molasses.,bran,brown sugar,water,flour and oatmeal. Mixture should have a thick and doughy consistency. Add more bran if needed. Scoop dough into a muffin tin,sprinkle each muffin with brown sugar and bake in the over for 30-50 minutes until well cooked

A Horse Is For Life Not Just For Christmas

'A pet is for life, not just for Christmas'

It's an old saying, but at this time of year, it's particularly important to remember. There is nothing quite as special as the first time the horse of your dreams comes into your life, especially on such a special day as Christmas Day itself. But as any horse owner will tell you, the reward of making this special connection comes with a lot of hard work. 

We don't need to tell you that it's worth it, but there is sadly a growing trend for treating animals as if they're disposable gifts, with many new owners who were once enamoured by the idea of spoiling a loved one with a wonderful Christmas gesture soon feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility and maintenance that comes with caring for a new pet, especially a horse. 

The BHS (British Horse Society) is currently trying to raise awareness of the problem, warning against any company that is encouraging people to buy a horse for Christmas.

As the BHS states: Horses need and deserve skilled care from knowledgeable people. In this market, they may be inexpensive to buy, but they can be costly to keep.

The company, Horsemart, recently sent out an email advertising: 'Horses under £500 make great Christmas presents.'

BHS Senior Welfare Executive Lee Hackett said: “We were so disappointed to see such an irresponsible email coming from Horsemart. A horse is for life, not just for Christmas.

Particularly reprehensible is that the horses shown in the email are all young animals designed to pull at the emotions of unsuspecting buyers. These horses would need careful handling from experienced people to develop and prepare for their future. They are most certainly not to be exploited for Christmas.”

The British Horse Society and we here at The Equestrian Blogger encourage anyone with the ability to properly care for a new horse to contact any reputable local Horse Rescue Centre, where you will find plenty of wonderful horses in need of a safe and reliable home. 

Christmas Gift ideas for Horses!

There’s a lot more to Christmas day than the presents, but it’s a good place to start! At Tic Tac Equestrian, we have plenty of gift solutions for friends, family and horses alike, and fun little twists to make the careful art of stocking filling less of a burden and more of festive highlight!

First up, our Junior Grooming Kit Box (£18.99) is the perfect gift for your happy little stable hands. This sizable grooming kit comes in a nice big plastic carry case and contains a Junior sweat Scraper, Glitter Rubber Curry Comb, Plastic Curry Comb, Horse's head Hoof Pick, Body Brush, Dandy Brush, mane comb and a sponge. Perfect for a new pony owner!

Junior Grooming Kit Box - £18.99

The smaller, great value Pony Care Kit (£8.99) is a great little addition the pile under the Christmas Tree, with a small selection of accessories (including a mane comb, hoof oil and soaps) to help you keep your favourite pony looking pretty. 

Pony Care Kit - £8.99

Our fantastic ChristmasGift Pack (£5.99) is one just for the horses, with lots of lovely treats and horsey toiletries to keep them satisfied and smelling sweet! There’s apple treats, mane and tail lotion and tea tree shampoo – if horses could shop at Boots, this would be top of the list! 

Christmas gift pack - £5.99

Another fun little extra is our very own Christmas Stocking for Horses and Ponies (£5.99), bursting at the seams with healthy treats sure to earn you plenty of extra kisses over the festive period; just don’t get too tempted to try them yourself! 

And for friends and loved ones we’ve got a great range of accessories form our good pals at Maccessori including wallets, bags and bears all made from genuine Harris Tweed. Price start at £16.99, with some truly great quality items available, so if you fancy spoiling a fellow horse-crazy secret santa, you won’t be stuck for choice! 

We also have a great range of Silly Moo cosmetics including Hand Cream (£4.99) and Lip Balm (£4.59) or if you can’t decide we also have a nifty little Gift Basket with a choice selection of top quality products from this fun and friendly company to help you keep yourself looking radiant when you’re out riding!

Silly Moo Gift Basket - £8.99

So there you go, just a few of the many wonderful gift ideas available from Tic Tac Equestrian this Christmas. If you’ like more info, please feel free to give our full product range a proper look over at tictacequestrian.com.

We look forward to hearing from and hope you have a truly wonderful Christmas this year!

CHRISTMAS COMPETION - WIN A FABULOUS EQUESTRIAN HAMPER!!!

CHRISTMAS COMPETITION  - WIN A FABULOUS PRIZE!!

WIN THIS BULGING CHRISTMAS HAMPER!!

It's the time of year for gift-giving and spoiling yourself, so here at Tic Tac Equestrian, we've teamed up with The Equine Vet Clinic to bring you Christmas competition of epic proportions!! Together, we're giving you the chance to win a beautiful wicker hamper full of goodies for both you and your horse from your friendly neighbourhood suppliers of high quality equestrian brands for all your horsey needs!

This wonderful winter bundle includes:

• Loveson half chaps
• Mark Todd riding gloves, socks and headbands
• Herbal horse treat
• Likit bars
• Vetrap,
• Carr & Day & Martin mane and tail co
  nditioner
• An Equistro jacket 
• A £50 voucher to spend on TicTac Equestrian’s online store

JUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION!

In 1964 which British bred, Irish trained, thoroughbred racehorse won the Irish 2000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby and earned himself the title of British Horse of the Year?

A. Santa Clause
B. Rudolph
C. Christmas Cheer
D. The Snowman

Please email A, B, C or D along with your name address and telephone number to horsevet@tiscali.co.uk.

The closing date for all entries is 15 December 2012. 

For more info on these products and dozens of other great Equestrian supplies and leisurewear, you can visit the TicTac website: www.tictacequestrian.com

GOOD LUCK!!

Likit Boredom Buster

At Tic Tac Equestrian, we know that winter boredom is bad enough for humans but we've got plenty of gadgets and TV boxsets to see in the long winter nights with a smile! For horses it's a tougher challenge staying sharp and satisfied having to spend long hours in the stable, but have no fear, before you start hooking up a flatscreen and an HD copy of Black Beauty there are plenty of fun ways to stave off the winter blues without breaking the bank and help keep your equine buddies full of beans and not just fed up!

One of our favourites is the Likit Boredom Buster (£20.99). As most horse lovers will know, lickable treats are universally loved by our four-legged friends, they can't get enough of them, and the fantastic range of diverse and delicious treats from Likit are among the best.

Their unique Boredom Buster Treats consist of a small plastic ball, suspended from a bouncy cord which you can hang inside the stable - just not too close to any walls! You pop your Horse's favourite Likit inside and watch them go! The more they try to control the ball, the more it spins, bounces and jumps, making it a fun way to make the most of a good treat! 

The more they spin, knock and push the Boredom Buster, the more irresistible the treat becomes and the more satisfying the reward! Don't worry, it's not to hard to get the hang of, but it's certainly a satisfying way to spend time and keep busy during long hours in the stable! 

At the Tic Tac Store, we have a huge range of Likit products you can use with the Boredom Buster, so have fun and try different combinations to keep your horses nice and busy this winter! Perfect Christmas Stocking Fillers!

In the meantime, here's a great video of the Boredom Buster in action!