Entertaining 2 yr olds

PuzzlePiece

PuzzlePiece

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I think this was done a while ago but I couldnt find the thread. My 2yr (7 month) old is getting to the stage now where hes bored, 16.1hh and knows it, so needs to be do something.
He lives out in 12 acre field with my mare during the day (8-4ish) then stabled at night. He has a decahedron in stable at night. We dont currently have a school but he's walked out in hand on the lanes (in bridle) and last night had brushing boots, roller, snaffle bridle on.
Does anyone have any more ideas of what I can do to stop him being bored? I've got a week off over new year so can do a bit more with him but I'm mainly on my own with him during the week and dont want to lunge him until he's older.
Many thanks in advance
 
Have you been taking him to any parties for in hand showing? I think my sisters 2yo really enjoyed getting out an about to see the sights, although that probably not much help for the winte!

Can you do any long reining with him?
 
My two year old is only about 15.2hh at the front but maybe 16.1hh at the back- and he thinks hes the bomb!! Very much 'look at me'

I've been walking him along the lanes with his bridle, saddle and boots on, playing in the school- walking over poles, playing with balls, walking over plastic sheets- Just general bomb proofing! Not sure how wet or muddy your fields are at the mo! Practice loading? Jacob has a jolly ball, a small cone and some large dog toys in his stable to try entertain him too!

Hope this helps! Keep us posted!! and get some pictures!
 
Thank You all. Yes I took him inhand to the county show in sept and he did very well, took it all in his stride. Plan is to get him out again next season. As for bombproofing i've walked him over tarpaulin, poles, inbetween barrels etc. He's not scared by traffic, if anything too confident, we had a digger parked in the field a few weeks ago and he thought it would be fun to go and play with it. We have the beaters coming through the field every fornight and he now wants to go and play with them.
Unfortunately I dont currently have transport. The field is ok in places but its such a large area i'm reluctant to do too much in it, theres no grip where the ground is wet.
I was thinking of long reining but would like someone with me the first few times, will have a talk to the other liveries.
Does anyone have any ideas for anything else I could have in his stable? he has salt lick, 2 small holed nets and decahedron 1/2 full of pony nuts.
Will try to take some photos for you tonight
 
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What about stuffing hay inside a traffic cone with a some sticking out of the top?
My two love bobbing for apples in their water bucket!
I sometimes boil carrots, mash them into a metal loaf tin, freeze it then give them it as a likit.
Stab a pitchfork (or drill) through a turnip (careful it doesn't split!) and hang it from the ceiling if you can, in the middle so he can't cheat and hold it against the wall to take bites out of it!
Make a veg kebab with baler twine to hang?
You could put your filled decahedron inside an empty haynet for him to knock about with his head... something a bit different than putting it on the floor!
I occasionally lob a couple of handfuls of sugar cubes in their stable, they scatter all over the place and they go and find them :)
 
I second long reining... there is not much you can't do on long reins that you can do in the saddle (x country maybe *grin*)) I can do a walk trot dressage test on all my horses on the long reins (If I could move faster I could do a full elementry)- find someone to teach you to do it properly as it is done very badly in the most part ...
 
I'll send you Roo in the post. He'll entertain him and rather it was your ground than mine! Today he nipped into the fence off bit where the hayledge bales are sitting and, whilst I was busy rolling one into the annoying ratbags feeder, methodically chewed a hole in half of them then ran off with a loose tail and ate it.:rolleyes:

I've found in hand walks to see the world is by far the best way to tire him out and keep him quiet for a bit.
 
Lead him out on the busiest roads you can find, even into a town centre if you can. Let him meet buses, bikes lorries kids,dogs, kites - anything you can find. the more he gets used to at this young age the easier he'll find it when you start riding him out.
 
Thank you theres some really good ideas there.
Photos as promised (hope they work):

At county show in sept-
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IMG_7975cc_zps3dd67263.jpg


Last night -
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excuse muddy legs
 
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My boy is 15 2 at the mo but will get bigger he's T/B x shire more on the T/B side at the moment he is out with his mum and another 3 year old he is very happy gets bailys no14 i was told to do nothing with him and let him be a baby of course he has his feet picked can walk out on a lead rope with bit farrier see's him every 6 weeks should I be doing more then !! hopefully he will be backed next year then thrown out again .
 
hunteress said:
My boy is 15 2 at the mo but will get bigger he's T/B x shire more on the T/B side at the moment he is out with his mum and another 3 year old he is very happy gets bailys no14 i was told to do nothing with him and let him be a baby of course he has his feet picked can walk out on a lead rope with bit farrier see's him every 6 weeks should I be doing more then !! hopefully he will be backed next year then thrown out again .
Click to expand...

I think it's personal perferance really and all depending on the horse itself, I tried leaving jacob to 'Be a horse' But he was getting too bargey, he's quite a hot head and can get quite full of himself when he's not done anything, But thats just him. His mother is a VERY Chestnut mare after all LOL x
 
This is where 'natural horsemanship' can be so useful!! Forward and backwards and sideways.....over tarps, over rails on the ground, between balloons, with crackly oilskin coats going all over him, between trees, through ditches, up steps, down banks, meeting pigs and donkeys, front hooves in a hula hoop while back legs move around in a circle, and vice versa, can he do all these with a steady feel and a rhythmic feel? Can you ask him to turn his head and neck and sniff his tail? Can you rub him with the leadrope on his far side, step back and have him turn and face you? Can you send him away, around a marker and back to you? Can you send him away, around a marker back towards you and away again around another marker and back making a figure 8? Can you walk around cracking a whip with him following behind you? Can you ask him to go through a puddle/stream? Calmly??!! How many other things can your imagination conjure up??!!
 
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