Enrichment ideas for winter (field)

[MrA]

I always feel the winter is more miserable and Ale could do with more enrichment, I'll be moving him to his winter grazing soon and until then he has a hedge he enjoys browsing. He also has the little sheltand who comes and goes as he pleases to chase and socialise with. And then other horses within sight 24/7 and touch in the daytime.

Looking for ideas of enrichment that can be done with him while I'm there eg. Hiding food under cones and while I'm not there eg hanging a swede up.

I'd like to make a list please throw ideas at me! I have a mud slab area and shelter this year where I will do most or all of it to encourage him to be out the mud!

1. Clicker training - weaving, target, stand on an object, fetch, moving
2. Hiding food under cones
3. Hanging swede
4. Play ball with handle
5. Old wellies
6. Haynet stuffed with hay and carrot slices
7. Upturned buckets
8. Apple bobbing
9. Hay and herb forage box
10. Pumpkin
11. Music
12. Head massage
13. Scratch of favourite itchy spots
14. Tree branch with polos and pear on
15. Obstacles
16. Raised poles
17. Branches to strip bark -willow, hazel
18. Milk bottle tied up
19. Fruit tea water
20. Rummage tub
21. Whole lettuce/ celery
22. Rope with knots in
23. Tarp/ rustle objects
24. Carrot stretches

Thank you!

 

[MrA]

Picture of the space I have, ideally I'd like to get him moving around for some of it, he walks round and round the shelter while I walk over with his dinner!

 

[Myfellpony]

Does he play? Mylo throws tyres around!!
You can buy balls with handles, but they are quite expensive, how about leaving an old welly with him? I‘m waiting for my current wellies to die, and will try this with Mylo.
A hayball may also work on that surface.

 

[MrA]

Does he play? Mylo throws tyres around!!
You can buy balls with handles, but they are quite expensive, how about leaving an old welly with him? I‘m waiting for my current wellies to die, and will try this with Mylo.
A hayball may also work on that surface.

He does like to investigate things and throw things! Great ideas, thank you. I'm trying to keep costs to a minimum but will keep my eyes peeled for second hand items to try with him.

 

[chunky monkey]

Really like how youve set that up @Ale.
How far behind do the mud control mats go. Cant see as Ale has his lovely bottom in the way.

Just got my poly block jump wings up today and put away in the tack room for storage. They are too expensive to leave out going brittle if im not going to be jumping.
Im going to bring my cones up this weekend from the bottom field and stick them near the boys to practice clicker training and weaving around them.
Also got some broken fence posts and jump poles so going to stuff those in the cones laid on there sides so there slightly raised.
I also have tyres so rest the cones in them with poles in so i get even higher raised poles or cross poles.

Having them raised in the cones means they dont lay rotting on the wet ground.

These were last winter.



Little slalom course i made to practice the boys walking through and reversing.


Clicker training stepping up onto the pallets and saying please.

 

[Jessey]

Mine enjoy branches to strip bark off (I wouldn't use oak personally as wouldn't want them getting a taste for it). You could do carrot stretches with him too. The old plastic milk carton with a few stones in hung up, they seem to like making the noise. I just got a munch net to put the compressed forage blocks in, Niko loves crashing that about. I make fruit tea water for my lot, mixed berry is their favorite. I have a bucket with large smooth rocks in, then stick a handful of nut in and Jess with rummage around moving the rocks with her nose to get to the nuts, but I doubt this would work for Niko as he paws at everything so depends what they are like. Free swinging hay nets rather than tied next to a wall. I give occasional treats of fruits; banana, watermelon, pumpkin, and also things like celery or a whole lettuce just to change things up a bit.

 

[Trewsers]

Geldings do seem to play more and be curious though I find. Our old girls won't touch anything, they give up really easily, so much so I've stopped buying munch blocks for Storm as she just stamps her foot and walks off in a huff because she can't attack it and eat it quickly!
Zi loves to play though - and I might steal some of your ideas on this thread! He does spend a bit of time on the yard in winter even though he free ranges. He does lots of mischief making things - maybe I should set him some toys up then he wouldn't spend all afternoon trying to liberate Storm when she's on the yard and he's behind the gate!! (he has been known to work away at a lead rope for hours on end to get a gate open).

 

[Jessey]

Geldings do seem to play more and be curious though I find. Our old girls won't touch anything, they give up really easily, so much so I've stopped buying munch blocks for Storm as she just stamps her foot and walks off in a huff because she can't attack it and eat it quickly!
Zi loves to play though - and I might steal some of your ideas on this thread! He does spend a bit of time on the yard in winter even though he free ranges. He does lots of mischief making things - maybe I should set him some toys up then he wouldn't spend all afternoon trying to liberate Storm when she's on the yard and he's behind the gate!! (he has been known to work away at a lead rope for hours on end to get a gate open).

That sounds oh so familiar, Jess will use muscle if she can possibly avoid having to work hard for what she wants, but the boys, they will spend ages working at stuff, Niko seems to think I only tie things in knots for his personal entertainment!

 

[MrA]

Really like how youve set that up @Ale.
How far behind do the mud control mats go. Cant see as Ale has his lovely bottom in the way.

Just got my poly block jump wings up today and put away in the tack room for storage. They are too expensive to leave out going brittle if im not going to be jumping.
Im going to bring my cones up this weekend from the bottom field and stick them near the boys to practice clicker training and weaving around them.
Also got some broken fence posts and jump poles so going to stuff those in the cones laid on there sides so there slightly raised.
I also have tyres so rest the cones in them with poles in so i get even higher raised poles or cross poles.

Having them raised in the cones means they dont lay rotting on the wet ground.

These were last winter.

View attachment 109114

Little slalom course i made to practice the boys walking through and reversing.
View attachment 109115

Clicker training stepping up onto the pallets and saying please.

View attachment 109116

Some great ideas, thank you. It's 4 slabs behind the shelter so not quite as much room as the front. Now just to find something solid for him to stand on

 

[MrA]

Mine enjoy branches to strip bark off (I wouldn't use oak personally as wouldn't want them getting a taste for it). You could do carrot stretches with him too. The old plastic milk carton with a few stones in hung up, they seem to like making the noise. I just got a munch net to put the compressed forage blocks in, Niko loves crashing that about. I make fruit tea water for my lot, mixed berry is their favorite. I have a bucket with large smooth rocks in, then stick a handful of nut in and Jess with rummage around moving the rocks with her nose to get to the nuts, but I doubt this would work for Niko as he paws at everything so depends what they are like. Free swinging hay nets rather than tied next to a wall. I give occasional treats of fruits; banana, watermelon, pumpkin, and also things like celery or a whole lettuce just to change things up a bit.

Good point about the oak, wasn't thinking. My parents have a pear tree so I'll use that instead. Thanks for all the suggestions, will add to the list later!

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

If you go out for a walk somewhere like our Heath or along the lanes you can cut branches of willow or hazel, they will only get hacked back in the spring anyway and all my boys have loved them.

I think Ale is very lucky to have you looking after him and caring about whether he is bored. Apple bobbing sounds brilliant, please film it for us!

 

[MrA]

If you go out for a walk somewhere like our Heath or along the lanes you can cut branches of willow or hazel, they will only get hacked back in the spring anyway and all my boys have loved them.

I think Ale is very lucky to have you looking after him and caring about whether he is bored. Apple bobbing sounds brilliant, please film it for us!

Thanks for the tip, will see if we have any of that local I'm pretty sure it'll end up with him tipping the buckets over but I'm going to use multiple small buckets instead so won't be as bad as him tipping a huge bucket

 

[MrA]

So many great ideas, thanks everyone. I'll let you know how we get on! I'm going to just add to the list as I think of things as it's so useful for me to reference.

 

[Enaj25]

View attachment 109103
Picture of the space I have, ideally I'd like to get him moving around for some of it, he walks round and round the shelter while I walk over with his dinner!

What a beautiful haflinger
Have you tried hanging suede or treat balls around or mini hay bags to encourage walking ?

 

[Jessey]

What about adding a scratch post @Ale, Just add a broom head to an existing wooden fence post if you have one suitable in a good spot, or knock in an extra one somewhere away from the shelter to encourage him to move about

 

[MrA]

Some videos from the first week if anyone is interested

 

[Trewsers]

I like the box with the hay inside. Bit envious lol I think it would just blow away up here (we've had a bad weekend of gales anyway). So were there apples in the buckets?

 

[Jessey]

Good to see him engaging. I’m a meanie, when I do boxes I shut the tops (so they don’t come open so easily), this was the first time these guys has boxes

and put whole apples in for bobbing as they’re harder to grab.

 

[Trewsers]

The apple bobbing would worry me. I might be talking bull but I know if Storm had a chance she'd manage to grab the whole apple. I worry about choking.

 

[Doodle92]

I tried Apple bobbing with Robin when on box rest. He worked it out instantly and could catch them and roll them up the side of the bucket and have 3 apples eaten in under a minute!