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How to beat stable boredom this winter

How to beat stable boredom this winter

Horse ownership in winter can feel like a relentless task sometimes. The mud, the rain, the cold...but this is soon whisked away by a ride on your favourite horse!

Horses generally receive much less turnout in winter, and this can lead to boredom and even vices in the stable. On average a horse would graze for 16 hours a day, between roaming, snoozing, grooming, playing, investigating and travelling to new pastures. This type of lifestyle is difficult to replicate in the stabled horse, but there are ways you can provide enrichment in the stable during restricted turnout.

The most important natural habit to recreate is that of the time spent grazing. Horses are designed to trickle graze so ad lib hay or haylage for horses who aren't greedy is the best option, served in a generously holed haynetDurabar or on the stable floor loose if they are economical with their forage!

For greedy horses or horses that eat quickly small and medium holed haynets prolong forage intake or for those horses who are skilled at speedy eating a Slow Hay Feeder or Teardrop Wall or Corner Feeder will certainly aid in slowing up the rate of consumption.

Once you have devised a method to provide many hours of access to hay and/or haylage you can then look at sensory options for play and development.

Horses are herd animals but if your horse requires time stabled alone a stable mirror is a popular and relatively cheap way of calming an anxious horse. Mimicking the herd feeling their reflection provides comfort in another horse's presence. Stable toys such as Likit Boredom Breakers and Holder Kit can provide hours of entertainment – these brightly coloured, robust hanging toys and treats can really help kill time when confined to the stable.

If you or your horse are not a fan of these types of toys, then the Stubbs Hay Roller has the capacity of a full haynet and its conical shape lends to rolling in a circle so your horse can enjoy some slow feeding movement around their stable. A Feeder Ball is a great option for trickle feeding pony nuts, grass nuts, chopped carrot/apple or other treats and will generally take a few hours to empty.

And last but not least a Jolly Ball for when things get a bit too much, the equine version of a stress ball, this hard-wearing ball with handle is a great stress releaser, perfect for throwing, swinging and squashing!

All in all, there are a variety of ways to keep your horse entertained but nothing can truly mimic quality turnout time with company, so when possible aim for this to be the first choice. If daily ridden exercise is not possible, a 10-15min hand walk with hand grazing twice a day (if your horse is safe to do so!) will also go a long way to help this winter.

On this blog, we’ll also be taking a look at how to provide safe, manageable, sustainable winter turnout so make sure you keep an eye on our blog!