Horses are inquisitive creatures that require a variety of enrichment tools to thrive

Wild horses constantly travel looking for food. Our domestic horses usually get everything conveniently handed to them. There is quite a disconnect there, but there doesn’t have to be!

Make your horse work for his or her treats! While most of us are used to mainly using negative reinforcement on our horses (e.g. you apply leg pressure → your horse moves away from it → you remove the pressure), they actually respond very well to positive reinforcement as well. There are tons of videos and articles online on how to teach your horse tricks using positive reinforcement techniques. Get inspired! In our experience the best treats for trick training your horse are Martin’s Horse Treats, available in a variety of flavours.

We also have a few options available to help keep more playful horses occupied. Stuff some treats along with hay in the Parallax Hay Play Ball (make sure to pull out some of the hay to help get your horse started) and watch your horse push it around and pick it up to try to get the treats out. Another option is the Mega Jolly Ball—be sure to introduce this one on a calm day if your horse is on the spooky side! It’s a great tool to use on horseback too; you can easily teach your horse to push the ball by gently guiding them towards it. The smaller Jolly Balls make great stall toys since they won’t deflate. If you have a particularly mouthy horse he or she may benefit from having such a toy in their presence!