S.S. Homemade Horse Brownies were made with careful consideration of what ingredients were to be used that would offer the most benefits to the horse.
Having a horse that is allergic to all alfalfa products and byproducts of alfalfa, I needed something that would allow me to get him to do his stretches without him having an allergic reaction.
Then my PPID metabolic horse needed something to take his essential medications without him realizing something was inside the treat. So with this in mind I began my rabbit hole search so to speak and months of researching to come up with the ingredient combinations that I currently have.
So the baseline of ingredients for all the flavors that I currently offer are:
- Milled flaxseed
- Canola oil
Milled flaxseed – provides fat, protein, and fiber to the horse diet. Flaxseed is also a source of the omega-3 fatty acid and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which is an essential fatty acid used to balance omega-6 intake, and it helps with skin and coat quality.
Thomas, J. (2022, November 18). Feeding flaxseed & flax oil to horses. Mad Barn. https://madbarn.ca/flaxseed-for-horses/
Canola oil – provides high amounts of fatty acids (omega-3, 6, and 9); it is sugar-free source of calories so is very beneficial to horses with insulin resistance, equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), or Cushing’s/PPID as it helps to reduce spikes in blood glucose that is an issue in metabolic horses.
Mad Barn. (n.d.). Canola oil – Equine nutrition analysis. Retrieved from https://madbarn.ca/feeds/canola-oil/
The flavors I picked were based on how these flavors can benefit the horse as well. The following flavors are what is currently being offered:
- Pumpkin
- Cinnamon
- Clove
Pumpkin – it is high in fiber that is a digestible form of energy for horses; helps manage insulin levels and acts as a prebiotic for gut bacteria.
JH editor. (2025, August 21). Can horses eat pumpkin? A guide to feeding this fall favorite. JH HORSE STALL. https://jhhorsestable.com/can-horses-eat-pumpkin/
Cinnamon – has antioxidant properties that aid in protecting the horse’s body against a variety of degenerative processes such as arthritis, neurodegenerative and autoimmune disorders, and cancer. As well, it has anti-inflammatory properties.
Kentucky Equine Research. (2017, February 3). Outlook: Cinnamon for equine health? https://ker.com/equinews/outlook-cinnamon-equine-health/
Clove – has anti-inflammatory properties, can assist in chronic pain such as arthritis, laminitis, tendon injuries; supports sugar metabolism which is essential in PPID, Cushing’s, insulin resistant and EMS horses.
askHELTIE. (2022, April 7). Are you familiar with the medicinal properties of the clove plant for horses? https://askheltie.com/en/articles/heltiehorse/are-you-familiar-with-the-medicinal-properties-of-the-clove-plant-for-horses
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