You never would have imagined that a plain old empty barrel could be so exciting, but this horse is thrilled with his barrel! He's having a great time chasing it around the pasture, and we'd bet that it's his favorite toy. Have you ever seen a horse so thrilled with a simple toy?
Many horses are naturally playful, and your horse may appreciate some toys in his turnout area. But before you start giving your horse toys, you'll want to make sure that they're safe for him. Horse and Man has some great toy ideas which are safe and fun for your horse's pasture area. Some of them are simple to make, like taking a length of strong rope, tying some knots in it, and giving it to your horse to toss about.
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You can also make all sorts of toys out of old milk jugs. You can put treats in the jug, poke a few holes in it, and let your horse play with the jug to get the treats out.
There are also a variety of store-bought toys suitable for use in your horse's pasture. Many horses enjoy heavy-duty plastic balls that you can fill with treats. There's a single hole in the ball, so your horse can get the treats out, but he has to nudge the ball around quite a bit to do so.
And don't forget the huge exercise-type balls which your horse can play with. These toys are usually intended for supervised use only; leaving them alone with your horse too long, or leaving them out in bad weather may result in the ball being popped.
The more stimulation you can provide your horse in the pasture, the better. Try out different types of toys to see what your horse likes.
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