Toys for a Mini?

[MyMiniGal]

I was wondering, if there are any toys, that can stay in a paddock, with the horse? Ones that would be safe, but would give the horse something to do, when they aren't with their human?

 

[targetsmom]

Do a forum search on "toys" as this has come up often. Our minis favorites are black rubber feed dishes (any size) and hula hoops.

 

[Riverrose28]

My colts have a couple of balls with handles that they pick up and sling around. I also have a hoola hoop and a rubber dishes that they stomp on. I used to also give the youngsters empty plastic, washed, bottles with rocks in them, but stopped when one of them busted a bottle and rocks and plastic ended up all over, I was afraid they would eat the plastic bits.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

My big mare went NUTS for these - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Likit-Products/103317266406756 ! My mini doesn't like them though. Youngsters seem to like the balls with handles Riverrose described, (my horse's daughter goes NUTS with hers!), but I've never really seen an older horse play with one.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Is there something like the Likit, here in the U.S.?

 

[MyMiniGal]

Never mind, I found some places that sell these in the U.S. Thank you...this is what I was looking for, I think. Only time will tell if Halo likes one. Wouldn't hurt to try.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Yup. You can buy them here! Just search a couple tack shops. Tractor supply sometimes has them too

 

[chandab]

My stallion loves his jolly apple. I think its supposed to be a hanging toy, but he likes it on the ground, he pushes and rolls it all over his paddock. He actually has two now; one is under a 4' snow bank, so I bought another this winter (had to put it away for most of March during all our blizzards, so he wouldn't lose that one too). Snow is melting, so I can probably bring it out again; and hopefully soon the first jolly apple will reappear and the jolly ball as well. My yearlings love their rubber feed tub (and water tub). They probably need more toys, but since they have each other, they have very interactive toys to keep them busy.

 

[KLM]

What is with these guys and rubber feed tubs? Mine also love the feed tubs. So much that I have to take them out of stalls at night to get some sleep. 1:00 AM seems to be the preferred play time with those.

My babies also like theBIG balls. My stallion loves his "Jolly Ball"

 

[Barnmother]

Orange (highway) cones make great toys also mine love their cones and their jolly ball with a handle and I have one ball that make "giggle sounds" and has a rope on it they loved that thing but the giggle part wore out so they seem less interested in it now.

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Look up Nose-it horse toys. I have 2 for my horses and they LOVE them. I put a handful of timothy hay pellets in them a few times a day. For a less expensive option drill a one inch hole in a red plastic jolly apple and add hay pellets. I did that to one of mine so each horse has has a toy.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Neat ideas. Thank you, so much.

 

[Lil Eowyn]

I got a JollyBall for $12 for Éowyn, but she never played with it so I got her one of those balls from Walmart in those stretchy basket thingys for a couple bucks and she plays with it a lot =)

 

[AngC]

We don't leave any toys out unattended. The jolly ball seems to be a toy that is appreciated, but I have observed that our goobs have the most fun when I pitch it out for them and "play fetch." They seem engaged when there is human interaction.

I always remove the jolly ball after each 'play' session, because I've noticed that our baby likes to stick her foot/leg through the handle. I have no idea whether she could snap a leg, but I don't want to risk it. ...especially, since the vet couple that lives nearby put a horse down after it broke its leg. I had this idea that horses' legs can be fixed up with a cast or whatever, just like humans, but apparently that is not always the case. To me leaving toys littered around is not worth the potential risk.

By the way, I had read about the plastic milk jugs used as play toys. They seem too flimsy and I didn't even try it, because at one point one of our de-icers failed so I was hauling out water in 1 gal. plastic jugs. Out of curiosity, I let Baby nibble at it and it took a only a few seconds for her to figure out how to rip a chunk out of the bottom while I was holding milk carton. I pried her mouth open and removed the plastic chunks, but based on that experience, I just really can't see that a plastic milk jug is something one would leave out there unattended.

 

[chandab]

Whether or not a horse can survive a leg fracture depends on the severity of the fracture and the location. [And, size of horse; I heard of a few minis that have survived a break, mostly due to their smaller size. And, know of a couple that have prothetics.] The main reason they are usually put down is its very hard for them "put there leg up and rest" (the usually instructions for a human that has broken a leg, at least for the first week or two) to give time for the initial healing and to keep the leg stablized.

When I was in college, the place I worked had a mare come up lame, x-rays revealed a hairline fracture, she was able to be saved as a broodmare with plenty of stall rest to allow it to callus on its own. [i don't know all the details, as I only ran into the owner at the vet the day of the x-rays.]