A unique DIY horse toy that’s great for relieving boredom and looks super cute! This low-sugar veggie noodle ball is perfect horse enrichment, is low-budget, and you can use the webby ball base for other crafty horse toys, too. Here’s how to make this DIY hanging toy for horses step by step, and don’t miss the video at the end!
A DIY Hanging Stall Toy for Horses
This noodle ball horse toy is a cute DIY project that gives you a hanging stall toy. You can also use this toy in the pasture by hanging against a tree, post, or from a branch.
Hanging stall toys for horses are must-have enrichment items. As part of an enrichment plan for your stalled horse, they prevent boredom and its negative consequences.
Horses need enrichment, but providing it can be a lot of fun for you, too. This DIY project does take a little longer than some other feeding toys, but it’s great for when you have a little time and want a healthy treat for your horse. If you buy premade veggie noodles, you’ll save time and prep work.
How the Hanging Noodle Ball DIY Horse Toy Works
The hanging noodle ball simulates browsing. That’s when horses eat plants other than grass, like tree leaves and shrubs.
Most horses today don’t get much opportunity to browse for different flavors and textures. Enrichment is all about encouraging natural behaviors, providing variety, and giving your horse a positive way to act like a horse!
The DIY hanging noodle ball stall toy is cute, but also relieves boredom and gives your horse a way to browse that doesn’t involve chewing on pasture trees or buildings.
It’s a cute and silly enrichment item, but the variety, coordination skills, and mental stimulation are great for your horse!
Veggie noodles give bounce, flavor variety, and texture. Then, when they’re all gone, you can reuse the webby ball base for other great horse enrichment ideas!
How to Make the Hanging Noodle Ball DIY Stall Toy
What You Need
For this equine treat toy, you’ll start with a webby ball. I’m using the Bright Starts O-Ball toy for human babies.
Yep, it’s a baby toy!
You can use other webby balls – like the JW Pets Hol-ee Roller toy that we’ve reviewed in other posts. They’re SO versatile as horse enrichment items.
But for the hanging veggie noodle toy, I like the O-ball because it’s more rigid (but still flexible) with smaller holes that hold the noodles better. It’s about the size of a softball.
You can get it on Amazon for about 6 USD, which is ridiculously budget-friendly compared to toys made just for horses.
You’ll also need one carabiner clip. For safety, a toy the size of the O-ball should not be given loose on the ground.
Step 1. Make the Veggie Noodles
Did you know that horses can eat veggies other than carrots?
The secret to this cute DIY toy are noodles made from different veggies. Horse approved vegetables for this toy include:
- Carrot
- Squash
- Zucchini
- Beet
- Sweet potato (NOT white potato)
- Pumpkin
- Cucumber
You can use an electric spiralizer, or a hand-cranked veggie noodle maker like the one pictured – it’s this model.
You can use the short bits as filler for the toy (they will drop out into a pan for extra enrichment) or just use the long noodles.
For convenience, you can also buy veggie noodles from a store, but for maximum freshness and usability I definitely recommend making your own if possible.
Step 2. Fill the DIY Hanging Stall Toy with Noodles
Next, carefully layer the noodles into the ball. Some of them will escape or break even with gentle handling, so work over a clean surface so you can pick up loose noodles and re-stuff them.
Sticking the ends of a few noodles and gently lowering them into the ball works well to avoid breaking them.
It’s okay if only a few noodles hang out of the ball, because when your horse touches the toy, more noodle ends will slip out!
You can use as many noodles as is appropriate for your horse, but a single O-ball full is a good maximum amount.
Step 3. Hang up the Stall Toy for Your Horse
This DIY horse toy is meant to be used as a hanging stall toy. The noodles will break or collect dirt if you use it on the ground.
You’ll want to use the hanging noodle toy immediately after filling it up, because the veggie noodles are perishable.
Installing safe tie rings in the stall or on fenceposts and shelter walls is a great way to make enrichment easy. Here, the toy goes onto an enrichment post in the pasture:
And that’s it!
Most horses will enjoy the toy right away. If they don’t have much interest, this toy or the veggie flavors may be new to them. This article covers ways to teach your horse to use enrichment if your horse doesn’t seem to understand.
DIY Hanging Stall Toy Safety
The video is next, but read this section first. Safety is important.
Safety is non-negotiable when caring for horses, including enrichment! Keep your noodle ball DIY hanging stall toy safe by keeping these points in mind:
- Use fresh veggie noodles. If you buy from a store, make sure they’re fresh enough for you to eat before giving them to your horse.
- Supervise this toy. When your horse is finished, take it down.
- Check the O-ball before each use to make sure your horse hasn’t damaged it by chewing. It’s very sturdy, but you should still check every time.
- Clean the O-ball after each use to make sure all food is gone before storing it.
Noodle Ball DIY Hanging Stall Toy: Video
This is a crafty, fun DIY hanging stall toy for horses that uses healthy ingredients. Add it to your regular rotation of enrichment activities to bring some fun and silliness to your horse’s routine!
Related Enrichment
This horse enrichment item encourages browsing. For similar ideas, try:
The DIY Browsing Board (shaped like a horse!)
DIY Bucket Lid Hanging Browse Toy
For more ways to use a webby ball for horses, try:
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