Horse and pills: helping the medicine go down

Horse and pills: helping the medicine go down


When we ask our horses to take oral medications, they often have other ideas. But don’t despair. There are several ways to make the medicine go down.

Try hiding small pills in a piece of apple or carrot offered as a treat. Preceding and following that with unmedicated chunks can help hide the taste.

Larger pills go down easiest when ground and mixed with something yummy, like molasses or strawberry gelatin powder mixed with water and some sweet feed. If sugary treats are off limits, try unsweetened applesauce or low-fat yogurt instead.

For time-release medications or other pills that shouldn’t be crushed, consider using pill carriers. Equine varieties are alfalfa treats with a built-in hole for pills.

Try tweaking any of these techniques to fit your buddy’s tastes. With some patience and ingenuity, you’ll get the job done.

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