Total boredom........

[skye]

Punch has improved since the heartbars were fitted,but is now extremely bored.Any tips on keeping him occupied? he has to have limited hay and bucket feed.He has recently started wood chewing and the vet suggested i turned him out for an 1 hr in the afternoon in a starvation paddock to help with his arthritis and COPD.He has a mineral lick and apples swedes hung up in the stable,anything else to keep him amused?
oh he also gets the radio left on til late at night!

 

[skye]

no suggestions then?

 

[Maci]

Boredom Busters

What about getting him a horse ball to play with? Or just take a empty plastic jug, tie it with some rope somewhere, and it can be used to chew on and whip around! I know that entertains our foal! Do you keep him at home or at livery? If at livery, ask other owners to go and visit and talk with Punch when they're in the stables, to keep him occupied.

That's all I can think of now...will post more if I can think of more! Hope Punch feels better!!

Maci

 

[cvb]

apple bobbing

I read somewhere about putting an apple in their water bucket to keep them amused.

Tried it with my horse and she just decided it was too much trouble - she likes her food but is not piggy at all. First horse I have owned that will happily leave food in her bowl for later on
(guess she must feel quite secure....)

 

[Pauhla]

What about trying out some bodywork such as shiatsu, massage or similar? This would help relax your horse and increase the circulation locally which will improve his general halth and healing capacity.I got into aromatherapy when my horse was on box rest a few years ago after a friend showed me how to offer essential oils for the horse to choose the ones they needed and I also got a friend to do some Reiki which is a hands-on energy therapy which anyone can do and is brillaint for relaxing and soothing a bored, worried or fractious animal. I found it very helpful with my horse and ended up learning how to do it myself. I do a lot of work on horses who are on box rest for medical reasons and it really seems to help them come to terms with the situation and relax and find some peace.It's also just a really nice thing to be able to do to spend some time with your horse. If you are interested I can give you the titles of some really good books on Reiki, massage and shiatsu that will give you a good idea of how to make a start. Otherwise, I have heard that a mirror in the stable (preferably a safety one) has been proven to reduce stress in horses that are stabled for long periods.Wouldn't do for mine even if I did live-in as he's so vain he'd probably never want to leave the stable again LOL