The Right Stuff(ed)

When you read the title of this post, Im going to need you to think of New Kids on the Block. The Right Stuff, get it? Stuffed animal? OK then. 

Stall rest isn't fun for anyone involved, but make it a baby on stall rest and it's the worst. Two upsides to foals on stall rest. 1) Mom can keep them company (because misery loves company) and 2) Babies are a tad more receptive to new weird things. 

Manipulating things orally is what horses do as a part of their natural behavioral repertoire so, why not give them things that you don't mind being manipulated? Playing with a toy is a much better alternative to dismantling your automatic waterers or worse, developing a habit like weaving or cribbing. Preventing abnormal behavior is often easier than reducing them once they've become established. 

This little dude was interested in the rope that I hung his banana pony pop from, so I made sure to find a durable dog toy with a rope tail. A rope toy probably would have worked but thats not nearly as fun.  Every time I went into his stall the stuffed toy was in the shavings, so I would just pick him up and stick him somewhere new. Elf on a shelf style. Novelty of the environment is another great way to enrich their worlds. 

Handsome kid, isn't he? 

Catering to an animals natural behaviors and helping them solicit them is a great way to keep a healthy mind and body. Just because playing with stuffed animals isn't seen in horses who are kept on pasture, doesn't mean the behaviors displayed aren't the same. Oral manipulation to explore the environment is seen while turned out, and can be duplicated on stall-rest too. 

Double the Fun

There is a LOT of literature out right now that talk about the benefits of slow feeders for horses, Im talking: 

Reducing the possibility of gastric ulcers

Reducing the likelihood of colic

Reducing anxiety related to feeding time

Reducing undesirable behaviors

Reducing the length of this blog

Those are quite a few common problems being decreased just by mimicing the horses natural grazing patterns. Duh, right?

There are also A LOT of slow feeding products on the market now, giving horse owners a few choices. The Porta-Grazer is exactly what it sounds like it is, a portable slow feeder for your ponies. This is a larger "furniture" item, becoming a fixture in your stall or pasture. Another cool option is the Hay Pillow. The Hay Pillow is a feed bag that is safe enough to toss on the ground and has a small footprint for those who need the space. 

BUT. If you jump right into slow feeding your horse after they have been free grazing for years, then the potential for stress is pretty high and stress is what were trying to avoid. 

I am going to show you how to introduce your horse to the idea of slow feeding,. If you make it too hard, too fast you are going to have a pissed off and stressed out steed on your hands. Say hello to gastric ulcers if you jump in too quick! 

All you'll need is:

• 1 hay net with large holes

• 1 hay net with small holes

If your horse isn't accustomed to hay bags, that's a great place to start. Feeding out of a hay bag with large holes gets them used to the game but makes it easy enough to keep stress at bay.

Next, bring out a second hay net with smaller holes. By doubling the nets, we've introduced the concepts of:

Working a tad harder for breakfast AND  

Taking a bit longer to be satiated

...over time this is going to help them adapt mentally and physically to this new feeding routine.

After the horses are accustomed to eating from the doubled hay bag...THEN go nuts and find the slow feeder that fits your barn, your horse and your lifestyle.