Is this a bad idea? (Field toys)

[TPO]

My mob love throwing feed buckets about, running around the field carrying them and especially hitting each other with them.

I have a small Jolly Ball with a handle and no one will touch it.

I've just bought a space hopper for them... The thought process over any other kind of big ball was that it has handles so that they can pick it up.

Now that its arrived I'm picturing all sorts of accidents because this is actually a really stupid idea and what sort of moron gives a bunch of moron horses a space hopper 🤪🤯

Obviously they wouldn't ever have the hopper unsupervised but regardless is this stupid or should I let them have it and see if they play with it?

(Overthink, moi??)

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I bought GrayMo a spacehopper because he is always playing with buckets. He completely ignored it. Wouldn't touch it, wasn't scared of it! I even handed it to him handles first, he took it off me then dropped it and walked away! Gray LOVES putting things in his mouth and battering people with them! But he much prefers things he shouldn't have - buckets, grooming bags, hoses, brooms, wheelbarrows etc. Weirdo.

 

[TPO]

I bought GrayMo a spacehopper because he is always playing with buckets. He completely ignored it. Wouldn't touch it, wasn't scared of it! I even handed it to him handles first, he took it off me then dropped it and walked away! Gray LOVES putting things in his mouth and battering people with them! But he much prefers things he shouldn't have - buckets, grooming bags, hoses, brooms, wheelbarrows etc. Weirdo.

I think our horses must be related as you've described them to a tee!

I tried the same method with the jolly ball/handle and got the exact same reaction 😂

I'm now more worried that they do play with this and go T over A on top of it or it bursts and one of them somehow swallows it 🙈

 

[Brownmare]

I got one for my yearling to distract him from chasing the sheep! He ignored it, it blew into the hedge and gotpunctured on a blackthorn. Total lifespan in field 1 hour.

 

[Teajack]

You need to pretend its yours and they're NOT allowed to mess with it.

 

[SEL]

The horse that used to be next to my 2 had one. He used to chuck it around all over the place. He also had a traffic cone.

Horse wasn't allowed with other horses because his play was too rough. The space hopper got a battering instead!

 

[Midlifecrisis]

I am so relieved to know that my mare isn’t the only one to be mouthy and play with ..well anything she can. She even damaged her straight profile by smacking her face when swinging her feed bucket around. I let her play football with my gym ball but it’s supervised play in an arena. Let me know how long the space hopper survives TPO!

 

[TPO]

My mum's previous horse played the "face biting game" and it's now his legacy as the third generation of horse never to have met him just turned pro...🙄😏

I've had my horse since he was 2 and he's always loved picking things up and causing all sorts of mischief. The jolly ball was bought for him as a birthday present for me (figure that one out! Ha ha) and hes never touched it.

His new game is tipping all of the water buckets over and running about with the empties. The end result is that fat cob now gets to graze with them because the trough is in the bare paddock and I cant risk the other two being without water while I'm at work. I cant help but think that they have plotted this together and are actually geniuses 🤔

The hopper is supposed to be a distraction from pummeling each other with buckets and hopefully from tipping buckets over. I shall make sure that I have my camera ready when they are presented with the bright pink Sally Spacehopper!

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

My tinies love chucking old road cones about, the lightweight ones (without a solid rubber base) when they are not being chased around by B Fuzzy.....
Occasionally I let them have hazel branches which they chew but also run round with, smacking each other
Friend lent me a spacehopper, it was ignored.
We threw in a treatball once.... I worried about broken teeth or legs, so it was removed quickly as it was taking a hiding.

As others have said, buckets, barrows and implements are prized highly, a poo picker scraper is the bees nuts to steal off a barrow if my back is turned......

 

[Gloi]

Plastic bags are the favorite toys

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Yes feed sacks are awesome play toys! But if you met a bag whilst out hacking - your screwed! They are the scariest thing on the planet!

 

[rabatsa]

You cannot beat an old welly boot.

 

[Kaylum]

We have spacehoppers, yoga balls, wellies, logs anything they can get their hooves on.

 

[Gloi]

been trying for ages to link this video, hope it works

 

[Polos Mum]

Mine loved his space hopper - it lasted about 3 days. he sort of belly flopped onto it repeatedly (same move he tried on the min Shetland he shared with VERY temporarily!) - I can only assume he landed too hard and burst it.
Traffic cone is a good idea - bit more robust!

 

[Bernster]

I’ve thought about trying these with Finnegan. He loves to chew, play and paw with stuff. Currently broom handles, brushes, pony tails, bits of string.,, He had a stable jolly ball, used to check it outside and play fetch with the grooms!