Cheap Boredom Breakers..?

W

WelshRareBit

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 November 2006
Messages
2,985
Location
Wales
Visit site
Murphy will be going into a weeks isolation when we move to the new yard on the 28th. It consists of a big shelter and a small all weather/sandy paddock infront. Its a good size but obviously he might get a bit bored in there..

Has anyone got any good (and cheap please!) ideas for boredome breakers? So far i thought I could use my dogs old snack ball and put mix in it for him (but then I worried he'd be eating the sand too ..lol

Help us!! xxx
 
He may be ok, he's going to a new place and so will spend a lot of time looking around etc. It might not be as bad as you think.
 
smile.gif
That sounds promising Filly. I hope so

I have always worried about the safety of sheep since my last horse (see gallery) picked one up and flung one once LOL
 
Good Luck with your move and the new yard for a start.

Is Murphy a mouthy horse? Does he like throwing things around? Or is anything on the floor a monster waiting to eat him from the hooves upwards?

I had a horse used to love "killing" cardboard boxes (take the big staples out first) he'd trample them, throw them about and shred them, kept him amused for hours. We also used to fill paper feed sacks with hay and treats such as carrots and he'd murder those too. These simple amusements are not suitable for spooky horses of course, and if you used these you'd have to consider whether he might give any neighbouring neds coronaries chucking things about.

He may be perfectly happy just watching the world go by with a big pile of hay to hand, mine would be.
 
lmao @ Enfys - you create such a funny image.

I dont really know he's always lived out since Ive had him, he's quite a comical horse so I imagine he'll take great pleasure in toys, but you never know. He might just ignore them! xx
 
Enfys I wonder whether these box and bag toys would actually be a really GOOD thing to give to a spooky horse - could be a great way to de sensitize if they contain a few treats?
 
smile.gif
Spaniel. I had one really spooky mare that I tried to desensitise to a mere swede in the stable...........she cringed in a corner for a good 20 minutes, snorting, sweating with her eyes out on stalks until I relented and saved her, it was quite funny to watch her deflate and relax, bless. I would never have tried the box or paper sack with her, she would literally have died of fright, yet strangely wouldn't bat an eyelid if it was flapping in a hedge.

I suppose if you had a panicky horse maybe you could try them in an arena where they had space to escape to a safe distance, I know that our arena often had gymkhana flags up and plastic bags tied to the rails for just that reason. My stock answer to a horse being scared of plastic bags etc is to take their feed to them in one every day, most of mine would happily eat OUT of a bag if I let them.

Most of the horses that enjoyed the box/bag games were stallions or late cut geldings, I wonder if that had a bearing on it, although they were playing for the sheer fun of it and not trampling out of fear.
 
our little lad has a snack ball filled with carrots and apples, then bigger chunks hidden in his bed. He has a swede hanging from a bit of rope, and apples in his water...he loves apple bobbing (and it encourages him to drink). My kids love picking fresh grass for him, which gets thrown over the door for him to hoover up.
Be careful of Likits as they're quite sugary, and not great if your horse is suceptable to getting fizzed up by sugar lol.
 
Interesting you say that Enfys as both my geldings are late cut (5 years and 7 years) and both are fascinated by bags, boxes and all manner of 'stuff'.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top