January 12, 2020

Fun With Balls: Equine Edition

Yeah, have fun with that title, google. I'm generally not one to spend money on a bunch of animal "toys."  I never saw a big need with my horses -- after all, they can play with each other.  However, recently, Echo has been particularly dedicated at chewing up everything that can't outrun him & Solo tires of being harrassed (as do I).

I have a $5 horse ball hanging on Echo's side of the shed, which is daisy-chained to an empty apple cider vinegar jug.  Those occasionally get chomped, as the jug does make a fun noise, which is an Echo prerequisite, but they don't keep a Baby Monster busy for long.  I needed a motivating puzzle for his over-active face.
Pic from 2018 - Ball & jug on a string
I decided to try the Shires Ball Feeder.  I liked that you can use your own bait in it & the angled sides meant I could put it out in my paddocks without it rolling down to the creek after the first nose shove.  Sadly, the blaze orange (which I wanted for visibility) was constantly on backorder so I went for purple & figure I can always paint it or orange-tape it later.

What I Thought Would Happen

Solo has never been food-motivated, my attempts to clicker train him long ago ended quickly when he shrugged & said, Give me the treat or don't, lady, whatever.  So I assumed he might give said ball a sniff & a bump or two, but since it wouldn't constantly pour treats, he probably wouldn't be that interested.  I was sure Echo, on the other hand, my problem-solver who no longer gets treats because he will devour your arm, would be all over this device.

What Actually Happened

I loaded it with a handful or two of the Manna Pro apple nuggets, which both horses like.  I kept a couple in my hand for "training."  When Solo approached it first & gave it a nudge, I dropped a treat under it for him to discover, explaining the concept.  Treats don't come out the hole as easily as you'd expect.

My treat-ambivalent Solo figured that thing out in about three minutes & set to work.  He systematically rolled it, then paused to survey the ground around & beneath it for tasty morsels.  If none came out, he started over.

Echo observed his Solo-boss with a noisy thing.  Then walked over to me & stuck his nose in my face, exclaiming, HAI MOM, UR HANDZ SMELL LIKE NOMS!!!!  GIVESZ!!  As you can see about 15 seconds into the video...


I tried to tempt him with ground treats but he could not be convinced that they were more interesting than me.  I think they both just revel in doing the opposite of whatever I think they should.

After a little while, I took the ball out because it was going to be bitterly cold that night & it's plastic.  I put it back out when I was at work a couple days later.  I came home to find said ball had fallen victim to Echo's plan to get the treats out HIS way.
Once again...this is why we can't have nice things
It was only a flesh wound, though.  Fortunately, Ball had escaped under the fence before an internal injuries occurred.  Ball was still functional, so I added a handful of the larger, heavier treats from our Secret Santa box, in addition to the apple nuggets still in there.  The smaller nuggets were expert at falling into the valley around the hole -- good for stretching out the entertainment, but I wanted Echo to enjoy some instant gratification so he would use Ball appropriately instead of gnawing it like an obsessive beaver.

It worked!  Yesterday, he put his nose to the task with enthusiasm & I could see him chewing periodically, then going back for more.  Solo, meanwhile, didn't even glance at the thing.
NOW you're doing it right
I guess they eventually ended up where I expected them to, heh.

Do your horses have any boredom busting toys they love?  Homemade ones count!    

10 comments:

  1. I have a ball similar to that for mine. I fill it with hay and my food motivated pony is entertained for hours!We don't have grazing right now so I'm loving it as a winter distraction for her.

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    1. Good idea! How does the hay work -- does yours have more holes in it?

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  2. I have this same ball and I load it up with alfalfa pellets. I've had a couple horses now that really seem to enjoy it.

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    1. I wondered about alfalfa pellets, but I was a little concerned about moisture making them a big mess in there -- any experience with that or are you using it inside?

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  3. I would love to get the hay balls for my guys - but they both live with other horses who would probably get all the food.

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    1. I must sleuth out this hay ball that keeps being mentioned! I definitely understand food stealing -- Echo lives with a Solo who commandeers all unprotected sustenance, so a ball of hay would require me to have two...maybe I can make one...hmmmm....*eyes crap laying around farm*

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  4. What a funny and cute story! We used to use jugs as toys for the horses (with some rocks inside to make noises) My OTTB preferred to dig holes and stand in them - weirdo

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    1. Ok, I am ROFL at your burrowing horse. XD I'm sure Echo would love rocks in his jug, but his noise-intolerant keeper assured him it would hasten his murder, ha.

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  5. omg that's really cute haha! my horse can be very playful and orally fixated.... or like, not at all. tho ya know, the one time i saw him going absolutely bonkers playing with his jolly ball in his stall was when there was a cute mare temporarily residing int he stall next time him. guess he was showing off?? LOL

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    1. Hahahhaha, sounds like he was totally trying to charm the lady with his dexterity!

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