ABSTRACT
Treat search: The instrument that brings optimal value, even though it takes the handler very little time and effort. I learned this activity and the many benefits it brings in Turid Rugaas’s training course. It works just as well for horses as it does for dogs, and almost all the benefits of scent tracking can also be had through a treat search. A treat search, as the name says, is about your horse searching for all sorts of treats that have been scattered around. These can be small piles of hay, feed pellets, or fruits or vegetables that you have cut into small enough pieces beforehand. You scatter the treats in such a way that the horse has to put in a little effort to find them but that he is capable of finding them, which makes him motivated to continue searching and, in the end, gather a nice meal for himself.
