...log-in...

...the boredom-breaker issue...

With the weather unspeakable, the paddocks like a swamp and very little riding to be had, is it any wonder our horses might need some added amusement. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hay, of course plays a huge part of Tom & Henry's life, I make certain there's always enough fresh hay to last the whole day.  I don't weigh or measure it, just ad-lib.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horses love to graze,  which means moving and eating.  so simply putting hay in a single place isn't good enough if your attempting a natural set-up.  Haynets - small holed and normal, hay racks, and 4 Haybars all play a part in my boys daytime feeding routine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More: added to these I have some Jimmy's Hanging balls situated under the eves of the stable.  Tom & Henry LOVE these.  We hung these up at Xmas, only replacing them recently, they last ages, and are a welcome addition to the 'graze' set up I have in the yard.  the boys can wander around the area and find all sort of things to do: eat, chew, lick, bite and play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logs:  we had trees down in the storm, so cut into pieces John has been leaving them in the yard for Tom & Henry to de-bark before they go in the splitter.

 

They LOVE them.  often spending 10 minutes at a time chewing the bark off, kicking them around the yard and playing with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's some grass too, and they really wander and graze all over the place, in and out of their fields and yard, to find something new or different to work on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I try to remember in the wild horses would move for many miles in one day, chewing on branches and lots of different grasses.  I am just trying to replicate this as much as I am able.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, large green plastic bins are not part of this 'natural lifestyle'  but they amuse nonetheless!!!

 

 

 

a Forage Based Diet

HAYLAGE & A LITTLE CUNNING:

... with a little thought, you can turn your horses hay or haylage supply into the other  'real' meaning of forage: to seek for food.

 

...and you know: Tom & Henry just love to munch.

 

Here Tom & Henry are enjoying the new layout of their forage, they are foraging, and strangely I have noticed they prefer the nets on their right side, how strange?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I had to buy more nets of course, I dont like them so only had 2, but as long as safety is guaranteed, I support thier use here, because I can see how handy they can be.  But I wont ever tie one up where it can get loose, or they can get caught up in it.


It's always worth remembering all horses arent the same: Henry can jump clean over his stable door, so geting caught in a net is childs play for him, so be careful with your own horse, even if he's not as 'athletic' as mine!

 

 

As you know, Tom & Henry eat their ad-lib haylage from Haybars: there's 2 in their yard, brilliantly customised by John to fit on a straight edge, (Haybars are a corner unit), and the other 2, one in each stable. 


These are filled twice daily with fresh haylage and the boys are just crazy about this arrangement, because they can wander between the grass and 4 separate hay sources.

 

 As you will also know, Tom & Henry have been brought in at night already because of the saturated ground here in Essex and my serious aversion to any more mudfever, so they are forced to spend time indoors, and I can only imagine how boring that must be once you've wandered around a few times and had a nap.

Horses need to eat, they eat for about 18 hours a day (almost the same amount of time cats need to sleep!). 

They eat to stay healthy both physically and mentally, to generate warmth and keep their guts in tip top condition,  of course the idea is they wander in equal measure too, which is why you'll rarely catch a wild horse overweight, he has to work for his living.  But it doesn't have to be a bore.

So I decided to hang some nets outside their stables, and they are crazy for this plan.  They now have three places to choose from to 'forage' for their forage, horses love this, plus it's safe because the nets are outside and less messy too (which the butler likes).

 

I came home early today from work so I was able to take photos in the daylight, normally it's dark when I put them indoors.

 

Try this with your horse, he'll love it!



T&H recommended x


 

TJCpart70 New Toy

A NEW TOY IN THE YARD:
I like to add new things to Tom & Henry's environment occasionally, and things they can chew, kick around, lick or eat prove very popular.

John has just bought them a 'Rockie', it's a huge and very heavy mineral lick, which now sits by their logs in the yard.

Henry of course made a bee-line whilst a sceptical Tom looked on. Wondering what this new thing was, he wont be interested until he discovers he can eat it!!

...Now Lemmy doesn't get Ultimate Balancer, so a mineral lick might be just the thing!!!

They can lick it, and as Henry demonstrated 2 minutes after it was put there, hoof-it across the yard floor too for a new game!!

So, it's fun already.

They don't need extra minerals of course because  their D&H Ultimate Balancer gives them everything they need, but if they're going to lick or chew something, it seems advantageous if it's good for them too rather than just another sugary treat  or lump of wood...orleadrope...or flyfringe..or grooming brush...the list could be endless...  T&H don't get sugary treats unless it's very well deserved...remember cut out all the sugar where possible.

I wonder if it'll survive all the rain...well it is summer!!!

TCJpart59 Amusing Toys & Treats

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HORSE AMUSED:

There are lots of horse toys on the market, but what does your horse really like to play with?

Tom & Henry have never suffered prolonged box-rest thank goodness, so the toys they have are there purely for random amusement. 

The first 'toys' they had were sections of a tree for us to sit on in the yard whilst having a nice cuppa.  These quickly became a source of much amusement and activity, as the boys kicked them around their yard, and thus inventing: 'hoof-log'.  Also great for chewing and biting.

Make sure you know which tree yours comes from, remember some could be poisonous.

Then I bought them some 'footballs' because they obviously like using their feet to move things about.  These are strong plastic purple giant pill-shaped balls with a central cavity to fill with herbal horse-treats. You can see them in the corner of my yard. Of course the boys love anything that dishes out food, so naturally these became their favourite. I only fill them up a couple of times a year, remember their waistlines!

Spending time indoors can be rough on horses, and Tom & Henry are no exception to getting bored.  They only spend a few hours a night, in bad weather during the coldest winter months, from late evening to early morning in their stables.

But I do a few things my 2 like you might want to try with your own horse:

T&H have haybars in their stables, but during the winter I'll hang a small haynet outside their stables, alternating sides each night, so they can leisurely munch whilst looking outside, and of course they can see each other and have a chat.

Inside they also have Himalayan Rock Salt Lick hanging, Tom loves his.

Also outside we bought some rubber toys designed for large dogs, because Tom loves chewing things., and Henry joins in.  They are small tires, totally safe to chew, with some rubber rings, which they hold in their teeth, one horse at each end and play tug of war with!!!  I kid you not.  And we hung them outside their doors in cotton lead ropes, coiled around itself like we were taught to store them at Pony Club.  So they can reach them when their doors are shut, and also when they're just hanging around in their yard.

Food is always a great amuser.  I bought them some sugar-free Jimmy's Hanging Balls, and the boys love them!!  They don't stand licking and biting them until their gone either, they nibble then go, so a couple of balls, I always put them up 2 at a time, last at least a month.  Again, these aren't always available to them, so it's a nice surprise when they are.

They're either making a love heart or a model of the Isle of Wight!!?

These balls come in several flavours, I prefer the sugar free ones, horses aren't designed to eat refined sugar and neither should their teeth be subjected to a sugary assault.

Tom & Henry love their hanging treats, and spend ages licking them.

John bought them a yoga ball, hilarious, a giant silver inflatable ball, very strong.  I was certain they'd hate and avoid at all costs.....wrong!  the boys went straight up to it, Tom tried to get his teeth round it, and Henry put his foot on it.  Suffice it to say, it did not survive very long, it was deflated within a month, whether chewed or stamped on we will never know, but one day I will buy them another, because the amusement it gave them was priceless, they kicked that thing all round their fields from one to another.  I never found it the next day in the same field as the last.

Jumps:  John has built a tiny rustic cross country jump for their field. It stands on blocks with a shallow scoop where the log pole sits.  The boys kick the pole off the blocks, roll it on the blocks walk over the jump, chew the jump and generally love to play with it.

Try to add some fun into your field, just a simple heavy log will do.  Make sure it can't hurt them and of course make certain it's not poisonous because your horse will chew it I guarantee it.  If it's very heavy make certain they can't roll it this might cause injury - I prefer a log similar in weight and size to a show-jump pole, so when the move it about, it can do no harm.

Be inventive, your horse will love it, randomly add things and take them away for a while, this'll get them used to strange things appearing, and eventually they wont care about strange, hopefully this will help you out riding too.