Stable toys that aren't food based?

little_critter

little_critter

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My pony is just starting 6 weeks box rest (could be longer). We've done a week and a half and luckily she's not stressing but clearly bored.
Any ideas on what I can do to keep her amused?
As she us not working I don't want to give her food based toys or licks full of sugar (don't like sugary licks even when she is working)
Ideally I'd like cheap and cheerful / home made ideas.
I put her on a little patch of grass while I muck out, fill nets, make feeds etc I'm also giving her some mega grooming sessions to give her some attention.
 
I know this isn't exactly what you are after but could you put her feed in one of those hexagonal treat balls so it keeps her amused for longer. If you put some hay in the ball it lasts longer still. I feed Baileys high fibre complete nuggets for a ball - they are treat sized rather than cube size so are great for this. It's a high fibre feed that is also complete.

It's hard to keep a horse amused by non-food things when their main aim is to eat :(
 
Thanks fides. Yes my pony is definitely hard wired to eat!
I have one of those decahedron balls but don't want to use it. She gets the food out by pinning it down with her chin and kicking the c**p out of it. As she is on box rest for a check ligament injury I figured the kicking would be a bad idea. But thanks for the suggestion.
 
Food based but not in a bad way, go out and pull nettles, cut bits of hawthorn, pull up thistles etc, they love to pick through these and it will keep them occupied, if you want they could be put in a net to make them last longer, gorse is good of you have any near you, double net some hay so it needs more work to eat but unless she is on a diet give some on the floor as well.
 
Thanks. Hay is already double netted to make it last. I have given handfuls of cow parsley etc as treats but they only last seconds.
She does like hawthorn and gorse flowers and I did think about cutting boughs for her to nibble but thought this might be a bit destructive on the hedgerows.
 
I'm afraid it is still food based, but in the past when having a horse on box rest I've threaded carrots, apples and parsnips etc onto strings and hung them up from the stable roof. If you don't put it near a wall (which makes it very easy!) then I've known them last several hours.
 
little_critter said:
She gets the food out by pinning it down with her chin and kicking the c**p out of it. As she is on box rest for a check ligament injury I figured the kicking would be a bad idea. But thanks for the suggestion.
Click to expand...

Yeah my boy does this too - fair point...
 
You could try a mirror to keep her company?

Otherwise a couple of iceberg lettuces tied up with twine to the roof of the stable (so she can't pin it to a wall) might keep her occupied. My vet suggested it for a fatty on box rest - hardly any calories in lettuce it's all water!
 
Just remembered someone on another thread suggested plaiting hay and tying it so it dangles.
 
Having just had my 17h, very good doer on 4 weeks box rest during which time he actually lost a fair bit of his spring weight, I will share his feeding regime:

I soaked the cr*p out of his hay and put it up twice a day in 3 small nets about his stable (13kg in total). A big bucket of greens morning and evening (grass, cleaves, hawthorn, cow parsley etc etc) and sprinkled it round the edge of his stable. 5-6 stubs scoops of Hi Fi Molasses Free and Ready Grass twice a day (about 10-12 stubs scoops in total) again spread around his stable. Morning and evening feeds for 2 weeks with chaff, balancer and bute, then down to just a token morning feed to stop him getting grumpy when he came off the bute, and a VitaMunch grass block hung from the rafters every second day.

I know it sounds a lot but the soaked hay and molasses free chaff meant I was able to feed him more of other stuff to help his boredom levels. The Ready Grass was good for keeping grass in his system (and smells awesome!). He really did lose weight and is looking very trim now - I even started giving him high fiber pellets in a treat ball in the last week as I thought he was losing too much condition.

Hope you and your girl cope okay. 6 weeks will pass quick enough. xx

Sorry, just realised I didn't really answer the question you asked! Jolly balls? Companion in stables next to yours? I was lucky and had a horse that was brought in a night on one side of Eggs and one brought in during the day on the other so he always had someone to swear at!
 
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I have two that will play with a jolly ball (although one just holds it in his mouth and stands there...) and a radio on (not too loud). I am thinking of trying that mirror stuff on a roll (think you hairdryer it onto some ply or something) to see if it makes one happier being in alone.
 
I read that some horses really enjoy noisy toys like hanging chains they can rattle but if your on a yard with anyone else or have close neighbours this might be a no goer!
 
It might be a good opportunity to teach her some useful(ish) tricks that would give her something to think about , eg bowing or rein back to verbal command or do some physio homework like carrot stretches (yes, food again, sorry!)
 
Thanks for all the ideas. I've made a rattle toy for her (plastic 2 pint milk bottle with a bell inside and lid firmly taped on) she doesn't seem to sure about it but might come round. She had broccoli on a string a couple of days ago.
Plaiting the hay sounds like a good idea, I'll try that.
I was also seriously thinking of trying some clicker training to keep her brain ticking over.
 
Mine had a hanging plastic bottle with dry rice for a rattle. I also put a few pony nuts in the bottom of a paper feed sack for them to play with and small slices of apple in their water bucket.
You could hang some cloth with a few drops of lavender oil or some other relaxing smell in the stable and make an audio tape of your voice reading a story.
I've used a hand held massager to relax them instead of just grooming which they enjoy. Ideally, I try to stimulate each of the five senses in order to give them something to think about and anticipate.
 
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