>>> If you have flat land, I like the horse toys, you can put treats in and they have to roll them around to get them out. Just putting interesting things like boxes, plastic bags, platforms, cones, etc., under supervision, (like Karen and Judy have done) in a paddock that is familiar to them, is a great way to get them to use their minds and bodies.
That's why this morning I mentioned the hills and streams that people talk about - I was thinking about the pasture toys we have. I love putting things out for the horses to play with, but honestly, you have to work to make them interesting. If you leave things in the pasture with them, they invariably seem to start ignoring them within minutes. We put a barrel in the pasture with the foals a couple of weeks ago - an object we thought was safe enough that we could leave in there. They rolled it for about 2-3 minutes, and it's been in exactly the same spot since, except for the one time Cary rolled it around for them again. Honestly, I think they get about as excited about their surroundings as we do about 10-year-old carpet. We do most of their "exposure" work by taking them outside their pasture or by taking objects in and out of the pasture. I've rarely had a horse maintain an interest in a "horse toy" for more than a couple of minutes if they have constant access to it. >>> My horses are in big, hilly pastures and the best grazing areas are fairly far from the water, so they get a lot of exercise walking back and forth. When I have to feed hay, I put it at a distance from the water. My old horses currently are on the one good fescue pasture at the back of our properties, and I have their water set up in the "runway" between the other two back pastures, so they have to walk up closer to the barn to drink. It keeps them moving and also insures that we can see them more often without having to always go look for them. Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
