Winter Enrichment for My Stable Pets
Here at the farm, weekend temperatures are expected to be in the 40s Fahrenheit - a brief respite from this year's bitter cold for everyone, including my animals.
Winter enrichment for animals is the practice of providing both physical and mental stimulation to prevent boredom and stress and to support good behavior during these colder months. My stable manager, Helen Peparo, ensures every horse, pony, and donkey has sensory enrichment, food-based enrichment, and creative games to keep them engaged when not outdoors in their pastures.
Enjoy these photos.
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- My handsome Friesians are given the best of care. These are my newest rescues, three year old Ulysses and eight year old Stewart. They are a bonded pair and love to frolic in the large paddocks.
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- This is the patriarch of my stable and my trusted mount, Rinze. He is always eager to be outdoors no matter the weather.
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- I am fortunate my horses get along so well. They can be turned out with their closest friends or grouped together. Here are Stewart and Ulysses having a “conversation.”
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- Mangers of hay are filled in their pastures. I make all the hay right here at the farm.
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- My horses are turned out for several hours each day. Horses need this time for physical and mental health, social interaction and overall wellbeing. However, during the harsh winter this time can be shorter.
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- During the season, they are called in for grooming and feeding in the afternoon and need more indoor enrichment.
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- Here’s Helen walking the horses through a shoveled path – we’re still buried under feet of snow, but hopefully most of it will melt in the coming days.
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- Along with their nutritious hay, my horses are given a variety of other supplements with their meals mixed with some of their favorite grains and beat pulp all with warm water to encourage fluid intake. They all love it.
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- Here’s Bond, who eats ever morsel. Because horses have small stomachs relative to their size, they eat little and often. A horse needs food spread out, preferably in two to three feedings a day.
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- To help keep eating under control and more fun, Bond uses a hay net specially designed to slow feed times, curb boredom, and simulate grazing. It is filled with a fortified chopped forage with minerals and vitamins.
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- This is alfalfa. Alfalfa is beneficial for older horses in winter because it is high in protein and calories to help maintain weight and generate more metabolic heat during digestion. Rinze gets this alfalfa.
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- This Clover Horse Toy from PetKore is for the youngest of my equines, Ulysses. It is designed to provide entertainment, and encourage foraging and interactive play. Ulysses also gets a bit of alfalfa to help him gain weight and stay warm. All the horses get different enrichments based on age, personality, and feed requirements.
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- And I never forget the donkeys – here’s Truman “TJ” Junior waiting for his meal.
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- The donkeys get this Luna® Ring Horse Toy also from PetKore, which also holds treats and bunches of hay for interest.
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- My Friesian, Hylke, likes to remove things from the hooks outside his stall, so I gave him a Jolly Tug ball to play with instead. It’s working.
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- And my two stable cats – Cinco and Mayo… they have free access to all the great play areas in the stable, such as this pile of hay.
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- Here’s ‘May-May” watching all the activity and thinking about her next move.
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- Inside their room, the cats also have lots of enriching toys, trees, and treats to keep them engaged and stimulated.
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- Scratching behavior helps felines maintain claws, stretch muscles, and relieve stress. Cinco and Mayo love to scratch on their sisal post.
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- And at the end of the day, all the animals are warm indoors, well-enriched, and ready to take on whatever comes next at Cantitoe Corners. Enriching animals in winter… it’s a very good thing.
And here's a video of "TJ" trying his ring puzzle for the first time...
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