Play toys for horses?

[Levigal]

I turned out my gelding, Levi, yesterday and watched him frolick around kicking up his heels and dodging the cones in the arena. It occurred to me that he might really like some kind of toy to play with....something like a big beach ball came to mind.

Do people buy toys for their horses? If so, what kind of toy might be good and what should I do with the toy? Thanks.

[Beckmola24]

The tack stores by me have something called a jolly ball. It's just a ball, with a handle so the horse can pick it up and swing it around. Some horses at my RS have jolly balls, and they love to throw them around and bang on the stalls with them.

[Lora]

I bought my lease horse a peppermint scented jolly ball like described above, but then I found he ignored it and played with me. His owner tells me it's still good I did that because he'll play with it when I'm not around. Thinking of putting one of them licky rolling things in his stall too that smell like apple. http://www.doversaddlery.com/category.asp?c=202&Horse+Toys=&bhcd2=1137463604

One of the ladies at the stable got her two ponies an exercise ball her friend didn't need anymore. hehehe And they roll it around, kick it, bat with their noses, etc. Or they roll a plastic barrell around.

I knew people that saved old plastic milk jugs and horse would fling them around, or step on them, liking the crunching sound they make. Some balls won't last 5 minutest though with a curious horse since they might pop it. hehee

[Bay Mare]

Mine prefers the Decahydron. It has a hole for treats so they boot it around to try and get the treats out :)

[cazrider]

Sennie has a ball at night, one of those you fill with food. He gets a handful of grassnuts in it, and really enjoys pushing it about. I bought a jolly ball with handle for my first horse, but in the first night he lay on it and squashed it flat.. so that was that!

[smaggi]

If you want something like a big beach ball, get a pilates ball. I bought one for Christmas and the package says it's burstproof. Cisco loves to kick it and seems to get it between his legs. He kicks it with his hind legs and it hits the fronts and bounces like a pinball machine.

[Lora]

Sennie has a ball at night, one of those you fill with food. He gets a handful of grassnuts in it, and really enjoys pushing it about. I bought a jolly ball with handle for my first horse, but in the first night he lay on it and squashed it flat.. so that was that!

That was a common problem, the new ones are airless and much tougher.

[kirstie]

My horse has a ball which she rolls and treats fall out!!

Here's webiste full of horsey toysssssss

http://www.doversaddlery.com/category.asp_Q_c=202&Horse%20Toys=&bhcd2=1137503797&ipp=12

[No_Angel]

i fancy getting a mirror for my horse amber. she loves herself:rolleyes: she always just stood in the school and looked at herself in the mirrors, either that or followed me around. she loves standing and lookin gin car windows aswell, she seems mesmerised.

[Tots N Dots]

Bex and sky have a big tufftub bucket that they carry around the field, I have seen them playing with the little ones but never the big one, but it is always in a different place in the field when I go down, the handles are too small for them to get anything through them and at under £7 it is a cheap toy, I think the pilates ball is a great idea, Bex and Sky would love it, umm off to search ebay now:D

[smaggi]

Cisco plays with a rubber bucket with a metal handle. He likes to pick it up by the rubber lip on top and bob his head up and down. Usually the handle bonks him in the forehead. Then he drops it, but eventually picks it up again.

[emma314]

i fancy getting a mirror for my horse amber. she loves herself:rolleyes: she always just stood in the school and looked at herself in the mirrors, either that or followed me around. she loves standing and lookin gin car windows aswell, she seems mesmerised.

Those mirrors can be good because the horse does not think they are looking at themselves but they are looking at a completely different horse! So if they are in a stable they think they have company, even if they don't. They are obviously no real substitute for actually having another horse as they can't touch/groom them, but they do make some horses feel safer. They have also been shown to reduce stress in stabled horses and reduce stereotypical behaviour like cribbing, weaving, etc.

The best toys are the ones that cause the horse to perform natural behaviours. Like the balls that food falls out of - this allows the horse to "graze" for the food. I don't really know whether horses like to play with objects like a dog does, I expect it depends on the individual horse and the environment it's kept in.

[Kazzie]

Robbie and William both have toys. William has a snacker ball (one which when kicked around spills nuts or whatever I put inside for him) Robbie has a Lickit ball which is suspended from a cord in his box and he licks the treat on both sides (different flavour on each).

William especially enjoys the snacker ball - he empties it in no time so I have to watch how much feed I put in for him!

[smaggi]

I don't really know whether horses like to play with objects like a dog does, I expect it depends on the individual horse and the environment it's kept in.

Cisco is 5 years old and is almost always out in the pasture with the other horses at least 10 hours a day. When the horses are in the barn, we have are one stall short. So Cisco is kept in part of an aisle that has a door open to the round pen, so he's never really confined a lot. He is just very inquisitive and loves to play.

[laz]

My shetland has a football, a dechadreon and he loves a bag that the shavings come in. He also likes a wheelbarrow and a bucket and anything that is lying about. I have to put everything away at night or he takes it out for a play.

I bought one of them pilates/gym ball but he burst it within minutes :)

[Tangle]

We got Piglet a snacker ball, but she didn't like it - to know the food was there and not be able to eat it all at once was just too stressfull :rolleyes:. She got very upset when she couldn't eat the whole ball..... :p