Well what can we do about bored horses and guilty owners? Instead of looking at winter with dread; look at it as a time to spend quality time with your horse. You don’t need to be on their backs to be training them or improving their education. We can use this time to improve our own education. Just by spending 30 minutes in a corner of your horses stable will start to provide you with an insight to how he is feeling. Sit quietly and just observe his movements, they will provide you with many questions that maybe you can answer. For instance, how often does he walk from his hay net to the door? Is he looking at a friend walking past? Is he worried about the fact he is locked in? Does he appear nervous with you in his stable? Or more relaxed? When the hay runs out, what does he do then? Sleep? Walk around? Paw at the ground? Chew the stable? Destroy buckets? Or something else entirely?

If grazing is in short supply then your options for entertaining your horse are rather limited, but only to your imagination. If you have an external stable, could you possibly extend his environment by using electric fencing to provide a make shift corral? Just by making an area of about 15 square feet you are effectively doubling his space. You are also providing a choice between being indoors or outdoors. A small change such as this can be readily welcomed by your horse and can add much variety to his day.

A horse ball, filled with nuts can keep many horses occupied for a while. A swede tied on a length of string is another option. Putting your hay in small holed hay nets makes it last longer, but can annoy some horses!

Nothing really new here, but what about putting different surfaces in the stable for your horse to touch, sense, smell etc? Strange as this may sound, my mare loves the feel of smooth plastic next to her face! The lid from a cool box sent my girl into a deep relaxed state. I held the lid in front of me; she came along side it, lent her head against the lid and fell asleep! After thinking about this for a while we came in the conclusion that she liked the smoothness next to her skin. She is a very sensitive horse, who dislikes any sort of roughness, whether it’s loud voices, treatment or even something to scratch on. She prefers the gentle touch and is extremely polite when asking for a scratch or something to eat.

My other horse thoroughly enjoys leaning her full weight onto the side of a tree and rubbing against it for England! The roughness of the bark is what she enjoys.

Different objects can provide many hours of amusement for not only your horse, but passers by as well! An empty paper feed sack with just a handful of feed gives my horses great fun ripping it up to find the tasty morsels inside.

If you are very lucky, you will be able to provide 24-hour turnout and shelter for your horses. Mine have access to 3 acres of grass and woodland as well as a 20’x40’ barn to escape from the worse of the weather. It has rubber matting, shavings, plenty of hay, horse ball, salt and mineral licks, footballs and different items secured to the walls (Cool-box lid included!) to provide interest, entertainment and a release from boredom. (For us as well as the horses!)

Other games can include buying yourself a ‘clicker’ and learning the art of click and treat. Lot’s of tricks and skills can be easily learnt and provide a use as well as a bit of fun. IE Teaching your horse to bow, side step, touch targets etc.

We provide good quality food, forage and water but what of his emotional needs?

He needs to be a horse! They like to roll, run, touch other horses, as well as feeling relaxed and safe. Providing your horse with his instinctive needs and desires can go along way to keeping him sane and happy. Use your imagination and follow your horse’s lead. Let him guide you as what games he likes / dislikes. Don’t force an issue, learn what type of horse he is i.e. Tactile, visual, audio etc and conduct your games to suit his character.

Hopefully by following these guides come the spring the pair of you will have bonded together and gained a greater understanding of what makes each other tick.