Have you ever heard someone say that toys are frustrating for horses? Are you worried that your horse’s puzzles and stall enrichment are frustrating, or that treat toys are cruel or mean because your horse has to work to get food? Let’s uncover whether toys and enrichment for horses causes frustration, and how to provide toys that aren’t frustrating for horses.
What are Toys for Horses?
Toys for horses are enrichment items that encourage natural horse behavior. They get your horse using their bodies and minds in positive, fun ways. Toys and other enrichment items for horses are crucial for good horse welfare and relieving boredom.
Horse toys come in many shapes and sizes. Some encourage play, but many “toys” for horses are actually puzzles or slow feeders. Horse enrichment covers more than just toys, but it’s okay to refer to your horse’s enrichment items as horse toys for convenience.
Bottom line, horses need enrichment in their lives for mental and physical health (here’s a deeper dive into why). But do food based toys and puzzle feeders cause frustration and negative feelings?
Horses and Frustration
Most horse toys are definitely not frustrating for most horses. There are exceptions, and some basic ways to use toys correctly that don’t make your horse irritated or frustrated.
First, what is frustration, and how do we know that horses get frustrated the same way that people do?
Frustration is the unpleasant emotion that animals feel when they aren’t able to accomplish their goals. We can’t be sure that your horse feels frustration in exactly the same way as people, but we can tell by their behavior that it’s not a pleasant emotion.
A horse frustrated by toys or other situations shows body language that indicates anger or resentment. They may show their emotion with pinned ears and a fixed facial expression. If they’re frustrated at a toy or puzzle, they may act out physically by biting, kicking, or stomping at it.
Frustration happens when your horse wants something but can’t get it – like when they can’t solve a treat puzzle to get the reward.
Since many horse toys are puzzle feeders or other mentally stimulating enrichment, does this mean that horse toys cause frustration?
How Do Horses Feel About Toys and Enrichment?
When you give your horse a toy, it’s important to watch them closely and see how they feel about it. Are they comfortable with it and able to use the toy correctly? There might be a little bit of a learning curve as your horse learns to use their enrichment. After that, does your horse use their toy calmly?
It’s important to let your horse’s behavior be your guide. Don’t assume that your horse won’t enjoy a puzzle because it seems challenging – or that they’ll love a toy that’s easy to use. All horses are individuals and some enjoy more challenge with their toys – a toy that one horse finds unsolvable and frustrating might be another horse’s favorite.
Is Frustration Natural for Horses?
Frustration is a natural emotion and it occurs in the wild as well as in human care. It’s not a pleasant emotion, but frustration is probably almost universal for animals that have to solve problems to survive. Sometimes they have trouble getting it right or fail a few times, especially when learning new skills.
Even for grazing animals like horses, food isn’t always easy to come by. The behaviors and situations needed to get their next bite of grass or even roots and leaves might be difficult and challenging.
Frustration doesn’t mean total failure. When the horse accomplishes their goal, the frustration goes away, and they feel successful instead. A little bit of frustration while using an enrichment toy, followed by success, is normal.
But since frustration doesn’t feel good for horses, should we try to avoid it by never giving horses toys that cause frustration?
Horse Toys: Frustration vs. Benefits
Toys and enrichment are a must-have for good horse welfare. They give your horse the chance to experience variety, express natural behaviors, and relieve boredom. Enrichment is essential for equine mental and physical health.
Most toys aren’t frustrating for horses – and you shouldn’t eschew toys or enrichment in an attempt to avoid frustration. In fact, offering a variety of toys to your horse is the best way to improve their puzzle-solving skill! The more experience they get with toys, the better your horse will be at playing with them.
This does not mean that you should make every horse toy or puzzle as challenging as possible. Instead, strive for a good balance of simple and complex activities to give your horses a more complete life experience.
Are Horse Toys and Puzzle Feeders Mean?
What’s natural about forcing a horse to “work” in order to get treats? Is it better, or kinder, to just give them the goodies without all the work?
“Working for food” is something that all animals do. A better term is “behave for food,” because the word work has some unpleasant associations in English. We often think of work as something difficult or unpleasant, and that’s not necessarily how animals feel about it.
When horses walk long distances to reach good pasture, they’re working for food. When they dig and paw at the ground to uncover edible roots, that’s also working for food. They use their bodies and minds to figure out the best way to get food. Sometimes, foraging is difficult and involves work and time.
Puzzle feeders, slow-feed devices, and other food-related enrichment items for horses create the same challenges for our horses. It’s tempting to think that we should make things as easy as possible for them. Isn’t this kinder?
The science tells a different story. Research indicates that animals prefer to work for food rather than have it for free! This is called contrafreeloading, and it’s one of the best reasons to give enrichment.
Find more on contrafreeloading and its role in horse care and training here.
So don’t worry about giving your horse challenging toys and puzzles. They’ll still get their regular meals – and there’s nothing wrong with occasionally giving your horse treats for free, no toys required.
But can horse toys cause frustration?
Absolutely – some toys and enrichment could cause your horse to be frustrated. It’s your job to give them the right toys and puzzles to create the right amount of challenge.
Puzzles that are too difficult to solve could make your horse angry. Tasty treats inside a very slow-dispensing feeder might aggravate a horse. Feeling as though a hay pillow or net doesn’t allow them to get enough forage might create so much frustration that the horse acts out and rips up the net.
Any enrichment activity or horse toy can cause frustration if it’s not well-designed for horses or is too challenging for that particular horse.
Feeding behaviors and problem solving skills take learning and practice. This is especially true for horses who are new to toys or have lived in very carefully managed settings their entire lives. And every horse has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to solving puzzles and playing with toys.
Food toys and puzzles aren’t always frustrating to horses, but they can be. The key is in how the toy, puzzle, or activity is presented to the horse.
How to Give Horses Toys Without Frustration
A good rule of thumb is to start out with simple versions of different toys. Let your horse learn the concept before increasing the difficulty level.
Using lower-value, less tasty treats inside horse toys and puzzles can help by reducing the “stakes” for success or failure. Instead of sugary treats and peppermints, try hay pellets or in-shell peanuts in treat balls or puzzle feeders.
Observe your horse when they use a new item to make sure they figure out what to do. This is a fundamental part of horse toy safety and helps you check for toy frustration. If your horse does seem frustrated with their toys, you can step in and help the horse or remove the toy and replace it with one your horse likes better. and replace it with something the horse can solve.
Frustration Free Horse Toys and Enrichment
All horses are unique, but there are some horse toys and enrichment that are frustration-free for almost all equines. Try some of these ideas if your horse is prone to toy-related irritation:
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