Enrichment isn’t just for zoo animals, it’s for our equine friends too! Adding variety and challenge to your horse’s daily routine can improve mental stimulation, encourage natural foraging behaviors, and make life a little more fun. Over the years, I’ve tested quite a few enrichment items for my horses, and I want to share what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what’s somewhere in between.
Below is my honest take on each one, so you can decide which might be worth adding to your horse’s enrichment toolbox.
1. HayNets
While some might not think of hay nets as “enrichment,” I definitely do. My horses spend most of their time eating hay, so if I can make that process more engaging AND healthier by slowing down consumption. This reduces choke & colic risk, and means they have have hay available 24/7. HayNets are my go-to slow feeder because of their versatility. They turn a regular feeding into a more stimulating, natural foraging experience. My favorite brand so far has been HayChix – they last SO long, and come in a lot of size options! I mostly use the 1.75″ and 1.25″ hole sizes, but they also have a 1″ hole size which is great for those who need more of a challenge! I also love using full bale nets, as our 100lb bales last several days which means less time spent putting out hay. The most used size on our farm is the half bale net!
You can get a 20% off coupon for HayChix products here!
2. Single-Hole Ball Feeder
On paper, these sound great: a ball you can fill with pellets or treats that your horse has to roll around to get food out. But in practice? Not so much. The problem is the lip inside the hole—it makes it frustratingly hard for food to come out. My horses figured this out and gave up after about two minutes. I tried a few times, and while they would mess with it occasionally the lack of success meant it just sat untouched! I couldn’t even get the last food pieces out by aggressively shaking it and using my fingers! There are tons of positive reviews for this thing though so perhaps a horse that is truly bored would be more invested. You can find them on Amazon here!
3. Hay Ball Feeder
This one’s been a keeper, but not a favorite. The hay ball rolls around the pasture and drops small bits of hay, hay cubes, or treats as the horses push it along. They do sometimes get frustrated when they can’t get the last little pieces out, but overall, it encourages movement and exploration. I wouldn’t call it their favorite, but I use it regularly as an added bonus in their routine.
Similar to the previous one, a horse with less to do would likely be more invested in this one! I got mine in person to avoid shipping costs for such a large item, but you can find it on Amazon sometimes or Valley Vet!
4. DIY Jolly Ball Hack
I experimented with repurposing a Jolly Ball I got on super sale into an enrichment toy by cutting openings to fit carrots or hay. It works okay when hung up or placed in a container, but honestly? It’s not great. I rarely use it now, and my horses don’t seem overly excited by it. I’m sure I could have make it better than what we did, and it could easily be turned into a better version of the single-holed ball feeder above though! If buying new, you’d be better off getting something like this already made toy!
5. Snuffle Mat
Hands down, my favorite enrichment item! Snuffle mats are incredibly versatile—you can use them in stalls, paddocks, or even for training games. They’re easy for horses to figure out, but still provide enough of a challenge to keep them busy longer than hand-feeding treats would. Plus, they’re not overly frustrating for the horses, which makes for a more positive experience. I primarily use mine during hoof trims and whenever I need to leave horses behind! Or, if the weather is really bad and they are getting bored.
The act of snuffling around is calming for horses, and so long as you stick with a product designed for horses they are also very durable! I use SnufflePasture and would not recommend buying versions made for dogs – those can absolutely get chewed up by horses very quickly. My horses have yet to tear off anything from my SnufflePastures, and I’ve used the same ones for the dogs with much more success than dog versions too. If you want to grab these for your horses, you can use my code “nantucket” to save 10% on their website!
6. HayPlay Bags
We LOVE our HayPlay bags! These bags don’t slow the horses down as much as a HayNet, but they’re still great for variety. I like to fill them with different types of forage and hang them in various spots, so the horses have multiple “grazing stations” to explore throughout their space. It’s a simple way to encourage natural browsing and movement. What is unique about these bags is that the horses cannot access the full surface of the bags, so they end up sniffing the different openings to find desirable bites of food. So I like to mix handfuls of alfalfa into grass hay, or place treats or pieces of carrot or hay cubes throughout!
The zip bags are great for putting on the ground, since they have a solid back too. My horses have pawed them tons and they are extremely durable, one bag has been surviving for about a year of close to daily use – though these are always in addition to hay nets for us!
You can use our code “nantucket” at GG Equine’s website for 15% off of HayPlay bags as well as their super nice grazing muzzles!
Final Thoughts:
Not every enrichment tool will be a hit with every horse, and that’s okay! The key is to offer variety and pay attention to what your horse genuinely enjoys. For mine, the SnufflePasture and HayPlay Bags are the clear winners when paired with 24/7 hay in nets, but having a mix keeps things interesting. Enrichment is only enriching if it is used, and horses really appreciate novelty! So it is ideal to keep many different items and rotate through them.
Other things I do with my horses include setting up an herbal tea bar, tossing hay cubes out for a fun “hay cube hunt”, and sometimes even using boxes and shipping paper to hide food inside for them to dig around in! Of course, enrichment is not a replacement of good friends, forage, and space to move but it is an important piece to the greater puzzle of equine happiness 🙂
