treat balls

[mags]

My horse is lame and will have to rest for quite a while. I'm thinking of getting one of those treat balls to keep him occupied. Any recommendations?
Do you like the one from Likit? Do the treats come out of just one hole, or many small holes? (Can't tell from the pictures.) How small do the treats have to be to fit through the holes?

[Deleted]

Sorry to hear your horse is lame

I have a likit snack-a-ball which just has one hole in the bottom that the treats come out of. I just put high fibre nuts in it, if my horse is shut in for any reason I'd completely replace his bucket feed with the ball. I don't think anything bigger than nuts would work. Although the hole on the outside is quite big, the treats have to get through smaller holes on the inside first.

[jen1]

no there rubbish, they roll around too much, food gets into bedding , i got the i think there call green graze, they look like an old mill bobbin, are green in colour , and do a super job of letting one or 2 nut out at a time, anything that falls flat aka the hole on the ground, the nuts just roll back inside the ball and also a few of mine get a bit stressed with them, fustrated and angry , so they get a few sprinkled on the floor,

[lc]

I've got the snack a ball one, they're great! Takes a whiile for the horse to get used to them but last longer, however they are too difficult for some horses to father out, can you borrow one for a bit.
Simba had the technique of emptying the ball down to a tee, she always had control of it and it still didn't last her very long, though she would only get 2 mugs of nuts in it. Now she's passed away her successor has her nut ball and after two weeks of knocking it around the stable she now has a very good technique going with it. Simba was a very itelligent native, Seren is a bit slower in the brain department, but not stupid, she did get a bit frustrated with the ball at first and had to be shown how it worked and that food came out of it but now loves it. My friends TB mare also likes her snack a ball and again found her own unique way of emptying the ball and again it was all very controlled.
If your horse is a bruiser and easily gets frustrated then one of the simpler ones may be better, but I personally think my horses would have emptied these ones too quickly.
The snack a ball was the best thing I ever bought Simba, she wouldn't settle at night without it as she would be always at the door looking for it, should she go for a wonder when my back was tuned a quick shake of the ball and she was back in her stable like a shot.

[vikki]

I got the snack-a-ball for christmas and I am going to give it to Tammy for the first time tonight!! She is pretty clever so i reckon she will work it out fairly quick, but i cant wait to watch her trying!!

[Deleted]

it was very funny watching Talin with his the first time. He could smell the food and tried all sorts of inventive ways to get the food out, including biting the ball when he got cross, then after 10 mins he noticed that someone had scattered food all over the floor, the next day he had it down to a tee!

[laurac]

Vikki

I am sure your Tammy will love her 'snack a ball'

My 2 both have the snack a balls and love them

I usually put simple horse and pony cubes in them, I once cut up carrot really small, but none came out, poor horses, what a tease mum was putting in carrot whcih couldnt come out!

[Chestnutmare]

I put a Himalayan salt lick in and it keeps her occupied for hours only problem is a small one only lasted 3 weeks so bought a large this time

[mags]

My boy is very clever, so I'm not worried about figuring out the toy. But he's outdoors in a small paddock, and I'm a bit worried that the ball will roll out through the fence and lead to frustrated stomping (he's supposed to rest!).
I saw the decahedron "balls", but the hole in those seems to be quite large, and I'm sure he'd have that one empty in no time. Or is there some sort of "labyrinth" inside to keep the nuts from falling straight out of the hole?
Couldn't find anything called 'green graze' or similar, Jen.

[cookie]

I have one which isn't round, it's oblong with edges. I found that better than the round one as it can't be kicked out the stable door so easily or pick up too much speed! The round one would bounce of the Walls if my bit gave it a kick! It picked up speed quite easily.

When my boy was box rested it was to limit his movement so i chose not to use a ball as I was worried the kicking and chasing would put extra strain on his (broken) leg.
I used haynets with small holes with parsnips in and tied swede and parsnips about the place, and salt licks.
Now I do use the treat ball I just put basic pony nuts in it and the occassionally polo

[mags]

Do you remember the brand name of the oblong treat ball? I don't have much luck finding anything on google but the Likit and Decahedron ones.

[laurac]

my horse used to keep occupied for hours with a field lick and you wont need to worry about it rolling out the paddock (they are pretty heavy)

www.hyperdrug.co.uk/prodinfo.asp?number=HORSLYXO&Variation=

[laurac]

my friend as one of these, they dont really roll !

www.horsetoysfortraining.com/shop/index.php/horse-treats/toy-for-horses-stable-toy-horsetoy.html

[cookie]

There's a picture here-
www.bfequestrian.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=887

Please note I have never used that shop so I'm not recommending the seller, just the product. It does have large holes like the decahedron one but I still find it rattles for a while

[mags]

Thanks everyone!
I've now also found the "Amazing Graze" one which may be what Jen meant? The Rock n Roll looks good, but after watching a Youtube video of a horse pawing one of those things, I think I'll have to see how much front leg action is involved
Already have a hay slow feeder so he can nibble, as well as a salt lick. I'm just trying to think up things that will keep his mind engaged as well. I'm not a huge fan of the solid (non-salt) licks because most have way too much sugar, and I'll be in enough trouble as it is going into spring with a hairy pony that hasn't had any exercise for a while.