The 9 Best Toys for Horses

Toys can help horses in many ways: they keep them entertained in their stall, give them a safe way to burn off extra energy, reduce unwanted behaviors like weaving or cribbing, and keep them happy.

Toys for horses are available in all sorts of different designs and sizes. But which toys are best for your horse?

Why Do Horses Need Toys?

The lives of domesticated horses are quite different from that of their wild ancestors. Often, horses spend 12 hours or more per day in a stall, and that stall lacks entertainment options. The same is true of many turnout situations, where horses might have limited space to explore, move around, and graze.

All of this can lead to boredom. While horses may get exercise and mental stimulation from daily rides, those rides only amount to a short time out of a horse’s entire day. For the rest of the day, horses need a source of activity or entertainment.

Toys for horses can fill in those gaps when horses aren’t eating, being ridden, or playing with herd mates. They’re also invaluable when horses are on limited turnout or stall rest due to injury or illness, when they may have pent-up energy.

How Do You Know If Your Horse Is Bored?

Horses that are bored may appear sullen or uninterested in their surroundings, perhaps standing in the back of their stall. Bored horses may also perform behaviors including:

• Wood chewing: Bored horses may chew on wood, causing damage to stalls and fences.

• Cribbing: Cribbing may be caused by boredom, though other factors—like lack of socialization—can also prompt this behavior. A horse may crib on water buckets, stall doors, pasture fences, or any other convenient surface.

• Pawing: Some horses paw because of boredom. They may dig deep trenches or holes in their stall or turnout.

• Weaving: Bored horses may weave back and forth in a stall or at a paddock gate. Horses may also fence walk or spin in circles.

These behaviors are not only destructive, but they can also cause injury to your horse if not dealt with properly. Horses may easily cut themselves on a sharp edge when weaving, or even pull off a shoe and injure themselves if they get their foot stuck while pawing.

All of these behaviors are signs of stress in a horse and can lead to serious medical conditions such as gastric ulcers, colic, and weight loss.

Best Toys for Horses

The best toy for a horse is one that captures and holds their interest. Many toys incorporate food and appealing scents and textures to grab your horse’s attention.

When choosing a horse toy, make sure it’s durable and designed to prevent potential injury. Look for toys that don’t have any sharp edges and that your horse can’t shred or tear. If a toy has holes, make sure that they’re small enough to prevent your horse from getting a hoof caught inside.

Horse Toys for Stalls

• Hanging toys, such as the Horsemen’s Pride® Jolly Apple Horse Toy, can be hung in your horse’s stall to encourage play and help keep them entertained with its apple scent.

• Horse treat-holder toys, like the Horsemen’s Pride® Stall Snack Holder, offer a long-lasting treat that can help to keep your horse occupied. Refills are available in six flavors.

• Mealtime extender toys, such as the Horsemen’s Pride® Jolly Hay Ball, can be filled with hay for mentally stimulating snacking and enrichment.

Horse Toys for Turnout

• Activity balls, like the Weaver Leather® Stacy Westfall Activity Horse Ball, encourage horses to play and chase while in turnout. These balls can also be used for training.

• Slow feeder toys, including the Shires Equestrian Products® Ball Horse Feeder, are ideal for horses in small layup pens as well for horses in larger turnouts. When rolled, the ball gradually dispenses your horse’s grain, extending feeding time and keeping your horse entertained.

• Toss and play balls, like the Horsemen’s Pride® Jolly Ball Horse Toy, can be hung in a stall or tossed out in your horse’s turnout. These tough toys can withstand pawing, kicking, and chewing, and their rolling and bouncing action can encourage horses to keep playing.

• Tug toys, such as the Horsemen’s Pride® Jolly Tug Horse Toy, encourage horses to play and exercise while in turnout. The ball features two handles for horses to grab on either side.

Horse Toys to Combat Behavioral Issues

• Cribbing: Slow feeder toys, like the Shires Equestrian Products® Carrot Ball Horse Toy, can offer an enticing alternative to cribbing. These toys make snack time a little more challenging and entertaining to keep your horse occupied.

• Weaving: Hanging toys, including the Horsemen's Pride® Jolly Stall Snack Combo Horse Toy, may help to prevent weaving when hung in the area where your horse normally weaves. This toy combines a ball with a treat holder, providing multiple types of entertainment to keep your horse focused on eating and playing, rather than on weaving.

• Pawing: Large hay feeder balls may distract a horse that paws, extending feeding time and keeping the horse entertained.

Slow hay feeders can also help reduce the risk of colic and gastric ulcers by allowing the horse to eat forage for a longer part of the day, reducing the time the horse has an empty stomach.

Toys can offer great enrichment for any horse—not just ones with behavior issues. Just like you’d offer a toddler something to play with, your horse will appreciate the entertainment as well.