Palatability of horse treats: Comparing the preferences of horses and humans

Abstract Despite its importance to product development, few data compare preferences for horses with human consumers. The objectives of this research were to compare treat preferences of horses against horse owners. Product A was a disk-shaped cinnamon-flavored flax-based treat and Product B was a textured apple-flavored oat-based treat. Horses were presented with two treat products in a paired preference test comprised of separate olfaction and consumption periods. Consumers evaluated the treats separately for purchase intent as well as hedonic testing of sensory attributes. No difference was observed for first product sniffed, consumed, or finished during the horse preference test. However, moderate positive correlations were observed between first product sniffed and consumed (P = 0.01, ф = 0.40) as well as first product consumed and finished (P