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Whether it's box rest, winter without a suitable pasture or paddock or just a young horse - activity is important against boredom. Because bored horses can develop behavioral disorders such as clipping or weaving, which have lasting health effects. Of course, it would be more species-appropriate to leave your horse in a herd on a pasture or paddock all year round. There it can deal with its conspecifics or the slow food intake. In addition, contact with conspecifics for a herd animal is very important for mental health.
Since this is not possible or only possible to a limited extent in some cases for various reasons, equestrian sports offer some innovative and long-proven products to prevent boredom. In addition to hay nets, licks or food balls, there are also various "cuddly toys" or possibilities with which you can, for example LikIt You can freely hang stones or treats.
Horses should have constant access to roughage. In nature, horses graze for up to 16 hours and move slowly forward. Wild horses cover up to 30 kilometers, depending on the vegetation and climate. Unfortunately, this is hardly possible for the riding horse in a conventional horse stable. When out on pasture or in the open stable, domestic horses still cover around 8 to 16 km a day, while at night they mainly doze and sometimes sleep deeply.
In the case of partial stalls, you should therefore provide your horse with enough roughage such as high-quality hay or haylage. Many horses also like to eat straw when there is no more hay available. Straw has around a third less energy than today and contains less protein and sugar. However, you should make sure that your horse always has enough fresh water available if he likes to eat straw. In addition, the straw should be of good quality and neither smell bad, nor clammy or damp to the touch. If it is contaminated with mold, mites or beetles, it is not suitable as food or litter.
Hay nets are one of the most popular ways to keep your horse from slinging and to provide it with roughage over a long period of time. If the hay net is full, your horse has to work a little to pull the hay through the narrow mesh. In any case, you have to secure the hay net well so that it does not become a trip hazard. Your horse should not be able to get caught in the mesh with its hoof or even its horseshoe. To prevent this dire situation, hang it about three feet above the floor and take it out of the box when it's empty.
The feed ball for hay is a sensible alternative for stables, pastures and paddocks. The Heuboy fodder ball holds up to 3 kg of hay and is made of sturdy, UV-resistant plastic. With 19 openings of 70 mm each, there is little risk of the horse getting stuck in them. The food ball can also be hung from a rope or chain. As a small reward, you can also hide carrots or pieces of apples between the hay.
To keep your four-legged friend busy, you can hang a ball in the box or place it on the paddock. The colorful balls offer a good variety. However, many horses have to get used to balls before they can deal with them. But then they like to be whirled through the air or kicked over the paddock. You should inquire with your stable owner beforehand whether you can put a ball in the box or on the paddock, because toys like this are not always welcome. High-spirited horses can overdo it a little once they have found pleasure in playing balls.
In addition to conventional feed and treats, many horse owners also like to use branches. Horses like to nibble off the bark of branches, and sometimes even eat them whole. This distraction and occupation also takes place in the pasture, if there are trees adjacent or directly in the pasture. You can simply put or hang a thick branch in the stable. Your horse can nibble at it to its heart's content. Tree species such as birch, alder, hazelnut, fruit trees such as apples or pears, poplar, elm or willow are particularly suitable. Once your horse has nibbled off the bark, you should remove the branch from the horse box. Make sure that you do not offer your horse any poisonous woods such as acacia, beech, conifers, horse chestnuts or walnuts. Please inform yourself in advance. In addition, as with any feed, you should make sure that your horse does not have an allergic reaction.
