Treat Ball

[BOWS28]

My little fatty mare really benefits from having her treat ball when we're having restricted turnout. I normally put some balancer in it (lo-cal balancer) but a bag of this is quite pricey. She survives on thin air and only has a handful of chaff and a cup of balancer in each feed, only feed to get supplements in, plus soaked hay. So my question is - what can i put in her treat ball that won't cost me an arm and a leg AND won't add to the already well rounded belly??

 

[meleeka]

High fibre nuts. Have a feel of the bag though as some are too big for treat balls.

 

[Austen123]

i just buy the cheapest bag of horse and pony nuts. but i do give him a normal feed. My boy loves his treat ball

 

[flying_high]

Baileys high fibre nuggets (are size of treat cubes)

Or grass nuts?

 

[J&S]

I use Heygates for their treat balls. Cheap and cheerful. (main meal is Non Mollassed Happy Hoof).

 

[Gazen]

Probably not the best thing to put in but they are relatively cheap - Baileys Tasty Treats - 5kg tub for about £6. We also put in chopped carrot and apple. Keeps my horse entertained for hours.

 

[Micky]

Mix it up..from polos, stud muffins (split and rolled into little balls) and all the above 😂

 

[poiuytrewq]

Maybe look at a hayball? Love mine, I fill with soaked hay and it lasts ages.

 

[tankgirl1]

Handful of cheap pony nuts? I think they are now called high fibre nuts but you know what I mean lol

 

[Goldenstar]

Mix it up..from polos, stud muffins (split and rolled into little balls) and all the above 😂

The horse is fat these are poor choices for a fat horse .
Op I would use some sort of unmolassed fibre cube .

 

[scats]

I put a handful of high fibre cubes in ours.

 

[Bernster]

Ooh a hay ball, good suggestion. I’m looking for things to keep my boy occupied at night and forgot about these!

 

[Nasicus]

I use either High Fibre nut or Haycobs, whatever I have around. I also stuff a large pinch of hay in there to slow down the rate at which they come out

 

[BOWS28]

Not sure how i feel about a hayball... They seem pretty expensive for what they are?? I have got some High Fibre Nuts being delivered today Thanks for all the helpful suggestions!!

 

[Goldenstar]

I use either High Fibre nut or Haycobs, whatever I have around. I also stuff a large pinch of hay in there to slow down the rate at which they come out

The hay is a good idea

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I gave one of mine a treat ball once when he was on box rest ... the rest of the herd went mental so I never used it again lol!

 

[TPO]

I put chaff in the treat balls along with nuts; chaff slows down the rate of nuts and helps dampen the noise ha ha

 

[J&S]

My old retired coloured mare is so delicate with her treat ball, just a little shove, there is a nut or two, then another little shove, hardly any noise. The new "companion" pony is quite a different character though, she uses it like a first division footballer might use his foot ball! She gets sooo annoyed with it that her water bucket gets kicked over and the noise is dreadful! For this reason, and for her own humour I have reverted to putting a few nuts in a bucket. So, they don't last long but at least pony is happier!

 

[BOWS28]

Borrowed a fellow livery's hay ball over the weekend and the little lady is a HUGE fan!! I put her soaked hay in and it lasted her twice as long and if i'm honest, loved the fact she really had to work for it! Thank you poiuytrewq, for the suggestion! I have a lovely bright pink one on order

 

[Leo Walker]

My hayball has genuinely been my best horsey purchase!

 

[BOWS28]

My hayball has genuinely been my best horsey purchase!

Honestly Leo, i really thought she wouldn't be fussed by it... Very excited for her own to come tomorrow now! Brilliant invention and proved me wrong for sure! Well worth the investment

 

[AGray825]

We put a small pot of cheap high fibre nuts (Hilight horse and pony cubes) in our horses balls. 3 of the 4 of them have the shires treat balls, but our Shetland was recently bought the Likit Snak-a-Ball and it's by far a better design and fantastic for not letting too many cubes out at once, you just can't use the bigger nugget treats in them.
Planning to upgrade all of the horses/ponies on to the Likit version eventually!

 

[rabatsa]

I bought my mare a treat ball and she loved rolling it round the field. The donkey had fun too following around behind and eating all the nuts that fell out.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Mine adores his treat ball (and lickit holder) despite being a Welsh d who's scared of everything especially random bits of mud on the road or scuffed up sand in the school. He will even look out for his ball in the evening and know if he hasn't had it. Funnily he knew exactly how to use it straight away and I don't think hed ever had one before I got hin

I have the likit snack a ball too and as mentioned above it's a more economical design the decahedrons look like they have a much larger hole so hed find it too easy to get them out.

I just put some of the allocation of nuts that he has in his dinner in the treat ball instead, I won a lickit competition once and they gave me some of their treatball treats and he enjoyed those too but wouldn't use them often.

People on the yard who used to have the decahedrons would use chopped carrots but they'd have to be cut into circles and a) I have the smaller holed treat ball so they wouldn't come out and b) I've always been taught you should never cut carrots into circles as they are more likely to choke on them that way.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Those with the hayballs how do you have the patience to stuff them? I don't mind filling Haynets but it looks like you have to try and stuff the hay through the little holes in the hay ball unless it unscrews or anything think it would drive me potty having to pull apart the biscuits of hay to stuff it 😂

 

[BOWS28]

Those with the hayballs how do you have the patience to stuff them? I don't mind filling Haynets but it looks like you have to try and stuff the hay through the little holes in the hay ball unless it unscrews or anything think it would drive me potty having to pull apart the biscuits of hay to stuff it 😂

I am no hayball professional, just yet... but there is a screw lid on the top that is about 3 times the size of the smaller holes. you stuff it in there and away you go Its easier to stuff with dry hay, but as my mare is a little fatty her soaked hay goes in! its been brilliant, i left a small haynet hanging up as well as the hay ball for her to come into, as i was due to be late down to the yard after work. All the yard staff said she went straight for the ball first and once finished, the haynet was eaten!

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

Another one for Baileys high fibre nuggets - great for my cob who gets fat on fresh air.

 

[Micky]

Must’ve been missed reading the fat bit..what about just giving her the ball with no treats..to play with?

 

[BOWS28]

Must’ve been missed reading the fat bit..what about just giving her the ball with no treats..to play with?

She's far too clever for that. They're no fun if food isnt involved lol

 

[Leo Walker]

I find the hayball much easier than haynets. I've left the screw off lid off as my current pony isnt a huge pig so having one bigger hole doesnt matter