Unusual anti boredom stable ideas please!

056775

056775

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We have a DECAHEDRON which he loves, hanging veggies which he also loves, does not like any thing (ball, handled rubber) without food in it or salt based licks.

Licks Horslix so fast - only has one now and then...

Any one do any thing different that the above (aside from obv) to keep their horses entertained?

Pretty sure hes quite happy just watching the world go by as is very noisy and cute - thus gets affection all day but as he is in for next 2 months - I'm sure he'd appreciate some ingenuity on my part!

Cheers!
 
Have you thought about a mirror? My friends horse was in for a few months and so she put up a mirror in the stable and found this made the mare much less stressy
 
Marmite smeared all over his decahedron. Both mine love this and keeps them entertained for a bit. Obviously depends if he likes marmite but would work with anything that can be spread on.
When one was on box rest we were trying to get his weight down so did this instead of always putting something in the ball.
 
Mine had some dog rings hanging around. He absolutely loves the flat ring one tied on a rug rail so he can get hold if it. He bangs it on the rail, driving other liveries nuts. But they can't help laughing at him
 
Thanks guys - going to combine the spreading of marmite onto a dog ring and hang that as think if I put it on his ball it will just get covered in bedding and wee and poo!!

RE: the mirrors - hes such a people pony that I think he would ignore his handsome reflection and rather hang out of the stable door doing his best - "she beat me so hard I am now lame" face to get some treats of other unsuspecting liveries!

Got to be fair - I think I only give him the ball so often is that is amuses me to see him rolling it around with his pink nose. TOO CUTE!
 
I'm interested to hear too...

An idea from a Kiwi friend of mine...in hot weather, freeze carrots and other veg into big blocks of ice for the horses to lick as it keeps them nice and cool and entertained.

Sorry, not very helpful given current weather conditions in the UK :o
 
pigpony said:
Mine had a giant rubber duck......until he killed it!
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I misread that as a rubber *something else*! :o

How about some fibre blocks from Halleys?

If you spot some good trees (willow, birch and such) snip off some branches and hang them up in his box. Not so good in winter though...
 
arizonahoney said:
I'm interested to hear too...

An idea from a Kiwi friend of mine...in hot weather, freeze carrots and other veg into big blocks of ice for the horses to lick as it keeps them nice and cool and entertained.

Sorry, not very helpful given current weather conditions in the UK :o
Click to expand...

On one hand Im thinking - "indoor grazing" on the other im thinking its about 2mm long and no way could a horse cut that and if they pulled all the roots would come out plus make a soily mess!! So I am thinking a poss wind up?!?

Yep - nice idea for summer but if I did that now - i would either come to the yard to find his tongue stuck to the ice - or him cowered in the corner having suffered a mental breakdown for not being able to get at the carrot and the ice with teeth indentations!

He's going to come back from a walk soon to find a pinata hanging from the rafters!!!

Any thing to keep him happy!
 
TwoStroke said:
I misread that as a rubber *something else*! :o

How about some fibre blocks from Halleys?

If you spot some good trees (willow, birch and such) snip off some branches and hang them up in his box. Not so good in winter though...
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Not heard of them - great idea - do you know how long they last?

And yes if I can find some branches - get him stretching...

All great ideas - thanks so much ;-)
 
056775 said:
Not heard of them - great idea - do you know how long they last?

And yes if I can find some branches - get him stretching...

All great ideas - thanks so much ;-)
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I used one a day. Also you could hide fruit and veggies in his box. I did this, but after a day or two the canny ****** got to know all the hidey spots and he ransacked his box within minutes every morning. He enjoyed himself though, and didn't make a mess, so was worth the effort!
 
056775 said:
Any thing to keep him happy!
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My pony has been on box rest for about 3 months...to start with I was concerned about keeping him entertained, but actually, he was really OK with it. I took him for walks in-hand, he has a box on the end of a row with views down into the sand school and fields, plus there was usually somebody else on box rest on his row. Barring one episode where he escaped and spent 10 minutes galloping around with his tail in the air, he was pretty angelic and not nutso at all :)
 
If he is a coward then gnore these as they wll reduce him to a quiverng wreck :D

nb, also make sure that it isn't going to scare the bejesus out of his neighbours as they are not quiet :)

Cardboard box (take out any staples, goes wthout saying obviously ;) ut I thought I'd put that in as someone will say "Oh, but they have staples in" - well duh :rolleyes:) let him trash that.

Feed sacks, the paper ones, stuff tightly with hay/treats and give it to him, mine love this, they throw them about, kill them, put their heads in them and rip them to shreds to get at the remnants of feed.

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Enfys said:
If he is a coward then gnore these as they wll reduce him to a quiverng wreck :D

nb, also make sure that it isn't going to scare the bejesus out of his neighbours as they are not quiet :)

Cardboard box (take out any staples, goes wthout saying obviously ;) ut I thought I'd put that in as someone will say "Oh, but they have staples in" - well duh :rolleyes:) let him trash that.

Feed sacks, the paper ones, stuff tightly with hay/treats and give it to him, mine love this, they throw them about, kill them, put their heads in them and rip them to shreds to get at the remnants of feed.

237.jpg
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Ill def try the feed bag - I think he would just confused by the box if there wasn't food in it - wouldnt put it past him report me to the YO for leaving rubbish in his pristine stable!!

Thanks for all ideas... His stable will look like the inside of Aladdin's cave soon!!

In all serious - because of the positioning of his stable - any one who arrives or leaves walks past him and its a yard of 50 so always busy and he does love chewing on hey positioned by the door and people watching.....

Like his mother (swapping stable for coffee shop and hey for croissant)!
 
One of my horses (the youngster) has a deflated football, treat ball (which I put carrots in) and also I hide carrots around his stable (theres a ledge around the back which he can nosey at, and I wedge bits of carrot in odd places!).

Sometimes I use an old carrot net, put the football inside and stick carrots between the football and the holes of the net and hang it up in his stable so he can mess about with it. You have to replace the nets every once and a while (as they usually become a bit worse for wear, but its a cheap and cheerful way of keeping them occupied .
 
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Please be careful with hanging that there is no big space for a horse to get its inquisitive tongue in between the string or bailing twice and end up getting it cut off or pulled off, it has happened.
 
I hide peices of fruit and veg around the stable and in my horses hay bucket or hay net. I also hang up large veggoes such as swede and parsnips and she loves them, keep her entertained for hours! :)
 
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