OVERVIEW:
In this week’s article Tiger urged you to purchase cookies for your horse-loving humans (Tiger’s Take On Equestrian Holiday Wishlists) during the holidays. He mentioned a particular treat that I purchase for him and Nahe and I would LOVE to share them with you! These are called Stabul Nuggets
While I was attending my first Equine Affaire I spent a lot of time perusing the numerous vendor tables. I took as many free samples as I could find and signed up for all of the fruitless giveaways. At the end of one of the rows my olfactory senses were drawn to this one particular booth. The smells were delightful and I had to find out what it was.
What I found was the Stabul Nugget booth by Nuzu feeds. You could smell the treats through the bag. My first purchase was a 5lbs bag of pina colada. I carried the bag to my car and it got buried in blankets in my trunk while I continued to shop the sales. When I got back to my car to drive home my car smelled like a tropical paradise. Blade was extremely happy with my choice; he always enjoyed the exotic flavors.
The treats are available in six flavors:
- Strawberry
- Peanut
- Fenugreek (maple)
- Pina Colada
- Banana
- Peppermint
Two of the major things that stuck out to me immediately and led to my purchase was NO added iron and less than 10% starch and sugars. This means that the treats can be enjoyed by any horse; even those with Metabolic Syndrome, Cushings, laminitis, and EPSM. Finding treats for horses in this category can be challenging and although I don’t have a horse with issues I prefer to purchase low NSC options.
Another intriguing thing about Stabul Nuggets is they are nutritionally balanced. No, I wouldn’t feed them as a meal but it’s a nice thing to know that they do have nutritional benefits and aren’t just great tasting candies for horses.
Years later I came to find out that Nuzu offers Stabul 1 Feed, a total feed that is often recommended by equine nutritionists particularly for metabolically challenged horses. The company offers the feed as well as flavored crumbles which you could potentially use to mask medications or encourage a picky eater.
Recently (In the last year or two) Stabul Nuggets have been getting more traction throughout the community. The packaging has significantly improved to seal in the aroma and keep the treats fresher longer. When I found out about these treats they were just getting ready to be offered through Chewy. A year or two later I hear the news that they are available through the Tractor Supply Company’s website. Finally at long last you can purchase them in most Tractor Supply stores. They don’t have all of the options available in store but it’s nice to see them on the shelves.
If you want your best variety you are better off ordering directly from the website. In the website you can purchase a sampler pack containing 1 pound of each flavor. Alternatively you can purchase 5lbs or even 10lb bags of your horse’s favorite flavor.
PROS:
- Nutritionally Balanced
- No added iron
- Low NSC; Metabolic Horse friendly
- Several flavor options
- Available in multiple sizes
- Can be found on the shelves at most Tractor Supply stores
CONS
- Size; the treats are large…they can be broken up but they crumble easily so they aren’t my first choice for training treats
- Consistency; these treats are pretty dry and crumble easily…I often see the horses dropping crumbs as they munch…and they don’t have problems with their teeth. They still love them, though!
- In order to get the best variety of flavors and sizes you have to order online
Tips:
- A study has once shown that fenugreek is a preferred flavor for horses. Fenugreek has a maple-like smell and I’ve never had an issue feeding them to my horses.
- I have had the most luck with peppermint and fenugreek flavors
- I find it fun to purchase the variety pack to see what my horses prefer; a taste testing if you will. For example Tiger is not a big fan of the peanut and pina colada was a little too fruity for him. Pina Colada was Blade’s favorite. It’s a fun non-riding bonding activity to do with your horse.
Alternatives:
It’s not easy to find nutritionally balanced horse treats that are also low in sugars. There are several other treats, however, that I have purchased and would happily purchase again.
- Buckeye Horse Treats: Possibly the closest to comparable and available in 3 flavors. These are great treats for training as they are small wafers. These are also low in sugar and friendly for metabolic type horses.
- Manna Pro Nutrigood Low Sugar Snax
- Standlee Apple Berry Cookie Cubes
- Regular timothy hay cubes even work if you break them up
Final Word:
Stabul Nuggets are one of my favorite treats for my horses. They are low sugar and palatable for most horses. I don’t feel too guilty giving them these treats because they are nutritionally balanced and the horses love them.
They are rather large is size but I find they are easy to break into smaller pieces. I also find they tend to crumble so I don’t usually use them when I’m working on training…for training I prefer the smaller size of the Buckeye treats since they are so small and I can give more at one sitting. That said, Stabul Nuggets are a staple in my barn. Whether I do a couple stretches with them or simply want to visit them in the field and give them some snacks. They horses are always delighted and so am I!
Ready to order yours?
I recommend the manufacturer’s site directly:
http://stabul1.com/stabul-treats/
But you can also use Tractor Supply or Chewy too:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/
The Green Horseman 