# Pasture enrichment? What toys do you use for your minis?



## Maxi'sMinis (Jul 23, 2007)

I was wondering what toys you all might use for your minis in the pasture. My minis are very playful and seem to get bored. Do you have any good home made toy ideas?

Mary


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## Jill (Jul 23, 2007)

I have an assortment of balls and this jacks type toy. One of the balls was very expensive (it and the little jacks toy were almost $100), and are no more entertaining than a $3 Wal mart ball but does seem to resist deflation.

The best way I have found to keep horses entertained is to put a gelding in with your mares. From what I've seen in my horses, the gelding will get mares who'd normally just stand around shooting the breeze w/ other mares to play a little bit.


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## tifflunn (Jul 23, 2007)

We have $3.00 balls from walmart- we have tarps with cones on them-Buckets-(not water buckets -white buckets that had kitty litter in them) they love the buckets(but get ruined quickly) we have hulla hoops- and of course the resident wondering barn cats make good moving target practise :bgrin


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## lilnickers (Jul 23, 2007)

My colts are the most playful. They really like an old kickball that is 1/2 deflated(so they can actually pick it up) They swing it, throw it , kick it, even try to roll on it  And we have the same moving targets as Tufflinn



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## RockRiverTiff (Jul 23, 2007)

We've tried a variety of toys, but our horses are snobs and usually just give me an insulted look when I bring in a new one. We still have a handful of the old, hard horse balls rolling around the pastures like tumbleweeds, and I get a couple Wal-Mart balls every year in case the new babies take to them, but most of our horses prefer to play with shoe laces, steal cell phones, and chase the barn cats.



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## targetsmom (Jul 23, 2007)

Our minis' favorites are their black rubber feed dishes and hula hoops. They flip the feed dishes over and stand on them, move them around, chew on them etc. and they haven't killed one yet. They love to play tug of war with the hula hoops, cart them around in their teeth, and walk through them. Our 2 year old stallion likes to cart his totally shrivelled up hula hoop into his stall. The stallion also has a plastic milk jug tied up in his stall so he can rub it around with his nose against the stall divider. He is on his second one of those! They also have cones and jolly balls, but these are their favorite toys.

And all of ours would MUCH prefer to play with people, especially if they can untie their shoelaces!


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## Southern_Heart (Jul 23, 2007)

We have Jolly balls for some, Walmart balls for others but the best thing that they like are the big soda bottles. I put a few pebbles inside and put the cap back on and when they roll it or pick it up it rattles. They love the sound and play hard with them. Just like kids anything that makes noise! :bgrin Once they smash it flat, I just add more for them. Its free and simple!



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Joyce


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## StellaLenoir (Jul 23, 2007)

We just tried a Kong Ball. It is the one for extra large dogs. I put apple & oat treats in it and my mare rolled it around for so long! Trying to figure out how to get those treats out. Eventualy they fell out and she had a great time eating her prizes.



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## Leeana (Jul 23, 2007)

I have been thinking lately about getting one of those big balls from Wal-mart to put in the drylot with my geldings and one yearling colt. They have each other to play with, but i think they would have fun with it.

I really need something for Streaker (one month old colt) to play with, he has officially made me his ultimate play buddy. He needs another baby his age to play with, poor little guy. His eyes get all big and he gets excited when he see's me and jumps and rears and turns into jaws! Trying to teach him 'no bite!' but he has baby A.D.H.D right now lol.

Maybe i will get him one of those 1/2 deflated balls???

What he really needs is a play buddy, that is not me


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## mad for mini's (Jul 23, 2007)

I have an assortment of toys for my horses , a 55 gallon plastic barrel , the $3 Walmart balls, the Jolly Ball and the Jolly Apple . I tried the expensive people exercise balls that are anti burst but the horses learned how to pull the plugs out of them , even when I put duck tape over the plugs they would pull the tape off to get to them.



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## zoey829 (Jul 23, 2007)

Yes! Mine love barn cats. It is so funny. Poor barnies!!!!!!


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## LittleRibbie (Jul 23, 2007)

It seems like anytime I spend a fair amt. of $$ on any toy for my pets they are never thrilled with them for more than a few minutes but......any old piece of plastic or milk jug that I let them play with they will entertain themselves alot longer. I do find that if I only leave out certain things for a few hours and then take them away they seem to appreciate them alot more the next time I give em back. I laughed when you guys mentioned shoe strings b/c mine love those as well...maybe I'll find an old pair of barn shoes and tie them on a few trees and see how they react. One thing that I do do is make giant popsicles with little cut up pieces of carrots/apples and gator ade .If you freeze them in bunt pans they already have a hole in them and then you can string them on your trees ( just put in hot h20 for a sec and they plop out of the pan ). My horses do enjoy those and they do last a few hours on a hot day.

I do like it when zoos give their animals fun enrichment type things to play with!!

heidi


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## Maxi'sMinis (Jul 23, 2007)

Love the pics Zoey829, you to Jill. Thanks for the ideas all, I think I'll try some cleaned out laundry detergent bottles with something in them to rattle. I did make some Sticky Lickies one day you know like the Busy Balls, what a pain, cooking the candy base and all. I put chopped up yummy hay, grain, raisins and a mess of stuff in them. Gave one to eat horse (3), well they last about a half hour and they were gone. Everyone had sticky lips and loved it! Funny!


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## Firefall (Jul 23, 2007)

I bought a ball like Jill has. It lasted for a while but my Mastiff ended up playing with it and popping it. Can't have very good toys cause the dog always steals them!!!


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