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Discussion on What toys are suitable for pasture
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Member:
Anta
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 10, 2006 - 2:51 pm:
Hi all,
I have an 8 year old gelding whom is off work for the next few months due to a hoof problem. You would think he would enjoy his holiday and relax in his pasture. Instead he is finding all sorts of ways to get himself into mischief. He is out with a companion and is also harrasing him too. He has never been out of work since he was 4. Do you think its possible that he is bored? I was going to put out some old tyres for him to play with, (better than throwing around a wheelbarrow) now someone has told me they can get there legs stuck. So has anyone any ideas of safer toys that they put out in their pasture that can maybe occupy his mind.
Thanks
Anita
ps caught him last week running around with a huge branch between his teeth, obviously thinks hes a dog.
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Member:
Stina
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 10, 2006 - 3:20 pm:
I have used the following:
Liquid detergent jug with rope tied on. Adding gravel to jug also makes it fun.
Rubber feed pan
Small tarp
I too have seen mine running with branches, and while potentially dangerous, I have never had the heart to stop them. 
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Member:
Sunny66
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 10, 2006 - 3:51 pm:
Hi Anita,
My horse's toys:
Rubber feed pan
small muck bucket, and
a couple of small cones...he had the large cones, but he kept bonking himself in the head! So he only gets small ones now
Good luck!
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Member:
Canter
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 10, 2006 - 3:57 pm:
There's a young QH at my barn that loves the traffic cones. The owner originally bought him a large one, but he had a habit of tossing it at the mares in the next pasture or anyone who happened to walk by (Aileen, at least your horse only bonked himself! )...now she buys him the smaller more light weight ones and everyone remains unbruised.
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Member:
Erika
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 10, 2006 - 5:06 pm:
Small word of caution on the tarp. While it is one of my filly's favorite toys, once she tossed it up and it wrapped around her head. It scared her and she ran off virtually blind! Thank God she bounced off the fence and finally stopped where I could help her.
But make it a small tarp, or only when you watch the horse.
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Member:
Quatro
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Posted on Friday, Aug 11, 2006 - 1:44 pm:
Levi has a scrap of carpet that he loves to play with. Check out the picture on my profile. He was a bit muddy from all the playing. But he carries that around like a security blanket.
Whops me in the head with it when he want to play tug.
suz
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Member:
Boomer
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Posted on Friday, Aug 11, 2006 - 2:08 pm:
Thanks for starting this thread, I've also wondered this for my boys.
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Member:
Boomer
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Posted on Friday, Aug 11, 2006 - 2:09 pm:
One question, beyond "borrowing" a traffic cone, where would one find one?
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Member:
Sunny66
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Posted on Friday, Aug 11, 2006 - 2:24 pm:
Fran, maybe so, but he's also bound and determined to take any flymask off any horse within his reach ... I'm thinking of doubling up all flymasks
Susan, that pic is hilarious!
Patricia, you can get the small ones at most feed/tack stores
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Member:
Tangoh
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Posted on Friday, Aug 11, 2006 - 3:01 pm:
Susan, your profile picture is hilarious!! I'm surprised he doesn't 'eat' it!! Do you have to replace it from time to time?
When are horses are on a dirt paddock, they play with a big stall ball, they pick it up by the handle and toss it or just roll it around, and they also have big blue plastic barrels they like to roll around, but their favorite toy is our dog!!!! And sometimes the corral boards! Grrrrr!!!! 
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Member:
Banthony
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Posted on Friday, Aug 11, 2006 - 3:06 pm:
No one mentioned the Jolly balls. Our colts love them - carry them around and run with them at a full gallop.
I've given up with the ones that take the fly masks off. I've tried everything to get them to stop. But nothing seems to work.
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Member:
Tangoh
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Posted on Friday, Aug 11, 2006 - 3:14 pm:
I guess that's what I meant by the big stall ball - it's actually a jolly ball.
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Member:
Banthony
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Posted on Friday, Aug 11, 2006 - 3:59 pm:
Sherri - you and I must have been typing at the same time! I didn't see yours until after I posted mine. Ha!
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Member:
Ajudson1
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Posted on Friday, Aug 11, 2006 - 4:16 pm:
The um, "borrowed" traffic cones are pretty rigid.
I bought some 18" softer orange ones at a big Menards store. I believe they were about $5 each, a heckova lot cheaper than the ones out of horse catalogs. Try Home Depot, Lowes, or Fleet Farm also.
They stay up really nice, and haven't faded either. Not that that would matter for a toy, but JFYI.
When using them in the arena, I love the fact that they can be ran over (yea, my horses have done that)and they are so soft.
They are smaller ones at Wal Mart in the sporting goods but not as nice.
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Member:
Quatro
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Posted on Friday, Aug 11, 2006 - 6:00 pm:
Levi is such a silly character, he likes the Jolly Balls too. He shakes his head, and bangs himself from side to side, like a dog. Perhaps that is what is wrong with him . . . .
Has anyone encountered the 4 eared monsters in the pasture. My horses wear the eared fly masks, on occasion they slip down off of their ears, and the ear mesh goes over their eyeballs~ It is quite comical, and I am sure the other horses are wondering what planet they just came from!
Silly horses, it is a good thing they have the entertainment value they do, for what the little buggers can cost us.
suz
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Member:
Sunny66
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Posted on Saturday, Aug 12, 2006 - 10:49 am:
Susan, I too have seen the four ears...it is too funny! and I could not agree with you more on the entertainment value, who needs to go out to a comedy club
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Member:
cpacer
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2007 - 1:24 pm:
I know this is an old post, but I am laughing that the rubber feed pan is such a hot toy item for the horses! I don't even use them for feed anymore--usually one will be placing the bowl on the others back. When it falls they pick it up and put back again, and again, or just throw it around the lot.
I came out the other day and my young QH had his foot stuck in an orange cone. He didn't even care, was just walking around grazing with a cone on his foot!
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Member:
muffi
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2007 - 2:44 pm:
Gee - Maybe I'll stick the old feed pan in their Paddock area for them to play with ! LOL
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2007 - 9:32 pm:
cp, you nean QHs do those things, too? I though just Arabians were that silly!
A favorite toy of our horses is old bicycle tires. You have to cut the air stem off so they don't poke themselves in the eyes. They toss them in the air, throw them at each other,etc. If the tire lands on them when they toss it, they run and snort like they're frightened. One of our stallions loved to toss his tire into the next stall at the training barn, which scared his barn mate silly; he thought it was great fun, but the trainer took his tire away.
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Member:
ilona
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2007 - 10:29 pm:
Sara, trainers can be such spoil-sports right? That is too funny.
Jolly balls work, as do milk jugs hung high up with apple treats inside. They jostle them to get the treats out. Malaika hated that and found a way to rip the whole jug apart to get at her goodies. The others are endlessly entertained.
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Member:
amara
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2007 - 10:40 pm:
hay, maybe that stallion was doing it in the middle of the night and the trainer lived upstairs or something and couldnt sleep!..
this kind of happened to me when one of the horses at the boarding barn i managed got stuck on stall rest for awhile.. we did the milk jug with rocks -which we had to hang in the partition between two stalls...the top half of the stalls had the metal grilles... and during the middle of the night the laid up horse and the horse next to him played ping pong with the toy....kept me up all night....it came out in the AM!.. fortunately had very understanding owner who was equally concerned that i get my sleep so i could appropriately care and train her horses!..
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 12:18 am:
Melissa, anytime I have to sleep in the barn all toys and feed tubs are out of the stalls for the night. The horses make enough noise just snuffling, snoring and stomping!
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 12:20 am:
Oh, I was going to say that when I've had a stall bound horse I've strung carrots and apples and such on baling twine and hung it in their stall. I hang it from a rafter so they have to grab at it and can't hold it up against the stall wall....that would be cheating!
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Member:
paardex
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 2:29 am:
Sara not only Arabs and QHs love toys.
At the moment I've loaned a few old Standardbreds to get through all the grass and when the dog left his favourite toy [a round cushion of about 1 metre long] in their paddock my Holsteiners and the Standardbreds had a ball. They pushed it around took it in their mouths and chased the others[acting scared ofcourse] and I've even seen two of them each on an end playing a pulling game!
Toys with food in it do not get much attention either they demolish them immediately to get the goodies or they decide the grass is very good too and a lot easier to get at!
Jos
PS I had to rescue the cushion Kenzo was heartbroken seeing someone else having fun with it while it was illegal for him to join them.
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Member:
cpacer
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 7:29 am:
Oh yes, if there's anything for the QH to get his foot or head stuck in he'll find it!
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 9:16 am:
I throw out used Cost Co laundry soap containers.. the young ones love to toss them , run by 'em and kick at em.. Great fun..
On the first Day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots.
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Member:
5691
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 11:10 am:
How do you turn (milk) jugs into a hanging treat dispensing container?
My horse loves to snoffle and root thru his hay for the couple of carrots that I break up for him at the end of the day and toss into his evening ration. I'de like to provide him with a boredom breaker for the summer stall days.
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 7:01 pm:
Hiding carrots is a good idea! I've resisted thoses toys that you put feed in because they cost a lot and I'm sure with bunch, they'd be torn apart withing a day or two.
I'm going to try tossing out my Costco detergent bottle; it's almost empty. (Do all horse people also shop at either Costco or Sams Club?!)
We've also had a horse get his foot stuck in a small feed bucket somehow, and go clomping around the pen with it on his foot. Didn't seem to bother him much, but it sure looked strange.
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 7:50 pm:
Sara I hang them in the stalls too.. like some do the balls! They make for great toys.. and well OF COURSE we all shop in bulk its cheaper.. WE HAVE TO we have horses.. !!!!
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
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Member:
quatro
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 10:42 pm:
My horses played with a big chunk of carpet. I hung it out in the pasture, and you would have thought they were dogs. Levi and Cody played tug of war. I have it posted on my profile.(dirty horses) It is also pretty safe. Having an accident prone horse, you learn. Levi would even plunk it on my head to get my attention, and play tug of war with me. I like the hiding the carrots in the hay idea, especially with the less than scrumptious stuff I have left.
Great ideas
suz
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007 - 7:01 am:
Before we had the new barn and pasture set up we have now, our tank sat under an apple tree. In the fall, the apples would be floating in the tank. We had a young TW who would stick his face half in the tank trying to get them! Kept him amused for long periods of time. I thought only dogs went head first in the water to retrieve, guess no one told him horses don't do that.
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Member:
hpyhaulr
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007 - 8:08 am:
Thanks for all the great ideas. I will often encourage water drinking by floating quartered apples or oranges in the water buckets. My donkey Bubba, got increasingly frustrated once trying to get his favorite (oranges) and drained the bucket to get the last piece. He is a constant source of amusement.
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007 - 9:12 am:
Ann, I just wish they had a horsey version of Costco!
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