Toys for your horses.

[hondarider550]

As a horse lover I enjoy watching programs about horse training and care on tv.

The other night I saw an advertisement for a 4' diameter ball that you put into the pen for the horses to "play" with. They had video of their horses literally ripping into these balls and totally having a "ball". The horse would bite and throw this ball around as well as literally jumping on it and landing on it.

I thought what a great way to give the horse exercise during times when you are not available to ride or work with them.

What I am wondering is do any of you use something like this for your horses and what is your experience with "horse toys"?

[fishinchicks]

We purchased one for our daughter's horse to use while at the fair. It is typically in a pasture, so while it was stalled for fair it would start chewing on things out of either stress or boredom. It pretty much ignored the ball, so we took it out. Haven't tried using it in the pasture, though.

[Outdoor John]

We used to call that cribbing----the best stress reliever I have found has been a companion goat

[delmuts]

Some horses will play with things,and others could care less. Years back we had an arab mare that got ahold of an old tether ball.( that was back before they made one with a rubber handle!) I would have to throw that thing back in the lot 5 - 6 times a day. The other mares ignored it.

[BirddogLabs]

My horses seem to go through phases where they like to play with their Jolly Ball. They will play with it constantly some days and then go for while without touching it. But when they are playing with it, they will literally throw it around, play tug of war, and kick at it. They really seem to enjoy it at times.

[muskiegurl]

I have a gelding that DESTROYS jolly balls!! He has had several...well he just destroys everything. Right now he is working on an oak tree in his pasture.

Not that he doesn't have enough hay or companions as he has 5 other equine friends and 4 caprine friends to play with.

As for the original question...yea they are nice if your horses enjoy them.

BirddogLabs...I'm in Bemidji as well.Neat!

[Ralph Wiggum]

LOL, my Great Dane loves the horse Jolly Balls

[PierBridge]

I just googled Great Dane and they are part horse, part Sasquatch. So that would make sense Ralph.

[echo2010]

They also have collars that make the bend in the neck needed impossible to get the "Huff"

Cribbing usually involves the horse inhaling the wood dust to get almost a high...

Chewing is a bit different then cribbing as it is just usually out of boredom and doesnt have the health effects that cribbing does

[Swimbait2009]

Ok guys/gals...There seems to be some confusion as to when a horse is cribbing and when it is just chewing on things. There is also some confusion as to what cribbing actually is and what it can do to your horse.

First of all, cribbing has nothing to do with actually chewing things. The object the horse uses to crib "against" often is damaged due to the amount of force that an animal of this size can put on something when they grab hold of it. Cribbing is a bad habit that is usually caused by boredom and/or anxiety. It is most often found in horses that are asked to live in confinement after they have lived a large portion of their lives outside. A horse will grab ahold of a fence, tree, water trough, etc... with its teeth, arch it's neck, and then forcefully suck in air. Giving a horse more turnout right away, if the problem is identified immediately, can sometimes alleviate the problem, but it is by no means a guaranteed fix. It is true that endorphins are released in the process, but it is not from the wood dust. It would be very similar to the odd kid in class that gets his/her kicks from putting cigarettes out on their body. It's the process that releases the endorphins and has nothing to do with the material or object that is used to facilitate cribbing.

Why is cribbing bad? Well, because it can force air into your horses stomach which can cause discomfort and possible colic. Most of us will know that horses cannot vomit, or burp. As a result, if they get an upset stomach, they can "worry" themselves enough to cause the GI tract muscles to tense up so much that they can't pass anything the old fashioned way. So a simple bad habit can lead to your horse becoming quite uncomfortable and possibly dying from it. Another problem is that your horse can become so preoccupied with its newfound trick, that it will actually forget to drink water. A dehydrated horse is always in danger of colic, so between the extra, unexpected air in the gut and the lack of fluids, a simple gassy stomach can lead to a serious problem. While not a direct result of cribbing, if your horse cribs they may develop ulcers sometime in the future. The physical act of cribbing does nothing to lead to the ulcers, but the original problem (anxiety) usually ends up leading to ulcers. Because of the processed feeds and feeding routines that we have developed for these animals, some vets estimate that almost 50% of sporthorses have ulcers to some degree.

How do we know if our horse has ulcers? Well, the only way to know for sure is to have your vet put an endoscope into your horses stomach to have a look around. There are a few sign, however, that usually point towards the possibility that your horse is suffering from ulcers. First of all, if your horse's attitude has changed dramatically from a year or so ago. Horses with ulcers will tend to be a little crabby. Well, their stomach hurts...can you blame them? Change in attitude can come from many different sources, but ulcers are a very strong reason for it. Another often overlooked clue is if your horse "dunks" its hay in its water bucket or trough. The coarse hay can cause extra irritation within a horse's stomach, and dunking it in water can soften it up a bit and make it a little more gentle on their stomach. Hay dunking can also just mean that your horse is bored, but if you notice a multiple symptoms that point towards your horse being generally uncomfortable along with the dunking, it may not be a bad idea to have him/her checked out. One warning however, the medications for treating ulcers is quite expensive.

Are there any other factors that can cause your horse to start cribbing? Unfortunately, yes. Ever hear the saying, "Monkey see, monkey do."? If a non-cribber observes a cribber doing their thing, there is a chance that the non-cribber will pick up the behavior. Also, a foal whose mother is a cribber will usually grow up with the habit. As a professional rider and trainer, I will stay away from cribbers for my clients since it is a big risk, and it can spread through an otherwise "cribber-free" barn. Also, I would always recommend against breeding a mare that is a cribber herself for the above reasons as well.

Other horses will simply chew on things out of boredom, but will not go as far as sucking air. This is not overly dangerous to your horses' health, unless the material they are chewing on is toxic itself. Black walnut is a very good (bad?) example of a wood that is VERY toxic to horses. Contact with the wood or its shavings can cause a horse to founder before your eyes. At a barn I used to work at, we had shavings delivered, in bulk, from a variety of suppliers. One supplier was our emergency source, because you knew they always had material, but it was often a slightly inferior product. Well one time, unbeknownst to us, the delivery contained black walnut in the shavings, and we started to bed the stalls (28 stall barn). After we got through about 5 stalls, another person working at the barn started to bring the horses in a couple at a time from their pastures. By the time she was making her third trip in from the various pastures (maybe 10 minutes after the first horses came in), the first couple horses began to show signs of founder, just from standing in the wood shavings. Luckily we recognized it immediately, removed the horses from their stalls, began preventative treatment and had the vet out within about 15 minutes. None of the horses suffered long term damage, and all went on to promising careers in the hunter/jumper rings! The only immediate problem with a chewer is that they can be VERY destructive. I have seen horses chew through boards in a matter of hours. This can get kind of pricey if you're the barn owner. Chewing is also a habit that can be learned, and should be discouraged as quickly as possible.

There are several solutions to both problems/habits. Cribbers should always be fitted with a cribbing collar. It is a strap, usually with some rounded metal plates, that fits around your horse's throat. The horse is free to graze, drink, and eat from their feed trough, but when they go to crib and arch their neck to suck air, tightens and causes a small amount of discomfort which discourages them from cribbing. When you realize the dangers of cribbing, it's not hard to realize that a small amount of discomfort is much more preferable than colic, surgery, and possibly death. For chewers, there are plenty of products that have a bad taste or texture that will discourage your horse from chewing specific objects. Some are sprays, some are oils, and some are pastes that you apply and when your horse tastes or smells them they will leave them alone. The jolly balls and other horse toys will also help a chewer if their inquisitive enough to investigate the toy in the first place. The toys will usually not help a cribber, since it's not the chew that they're looking for, but the release of endorphins from the sharp inhalation of air. That's not to say that if your horse is a cribber that they won't enjoy the jolly ball. They may just play with the ball for a while and then go crib on the fence again.

Hope that clears up some of the confusion between cribbing and chewing, and some of the potential problems and dangers that accompany both. Let me know if you have any more questions!