Ground poles for horses aren’t just about riding fitness! You can use ground poles to set up a simple foraging activity in your horse’s paddock. This boredom-busting activity promotes coordination and fitness, is easy to set up, and is super budget-friendly. Here’s how to use ground poles as horse enrichment to encourage your horse to use their body and mind in healthy ways while finding tasty treats.
Foraging Ground Poles for Horses: What Is It?
This enrichment idea is SO simple – but that doesn’t make it any less effective and enjoyable for your horse. Horses love foraging activities that let them seek out and enjoy their own food.
In this activity, you’ll lay out ground poles in a variety of patterns. Near the poles, you’ll place feed pans or simple feed mats and put a few treats or a scoop of feed on each one. As your horse seeks out the food, they’ll step over and around the poles as they choose.
Why Are Ground Poles for Horses Great Enrichment?
Enrichment for your horse isn’t all about toys! It’s all about encouraging your horse to use their body and mind in healthy, horse-appropriate ways. In the process, enrichment also provides variety and stimulation.
Ground poles are a great addition to your horse’s pasture. They’re also available on a budget – timbers or simple PVC pipes aren’t expensive and you can use them over and over in a variety of ways. We’ve covered using poles to create more texture and variety in the landscape in this article, so don’t forget to check it out after you read through this one.
Ground poles for horses are also safe, and a gentle form of exercise for any horse. That makes them perfect for horses who aren’t ridden or who need help maintaining their flexibility and coordination – think elderly horses, horses recovering from injury or illness, or any horse with a long-term disability that affects their soundness for other exercise.
Forage + Ground Poles for Horses = Enrichment
Adding food to the mix turns the ground poles from passive pasture ornament to foraging activity.
Horses love seeking their own food. It might seem like they’d prefer eating a big meal from a bucket – and that’s definitely fun too – but foraging is crucial for mental and physical health. It keeps your horse moving and using their brain, and it’s great boredom relief.
In this enrichment activity, you’ll place feed or treats on pans and arrange them near the poles. The way you arrange the poles affects how your horse goes after the food.
During the process, they’ll have to be aware of where their body is relative to the poles. This body awareness is called proprioception, and it’s an important part of coordination. So using this activity regularly can help keep your horse’s body awareness in top shape.
How to Do It
This activity is simple. Just source your materials, then use one of the ideas here or create your own. Easy!
First, acquire your poles. No need to be picky: any kind of ground pole is great for this activity. Your poles can range in length and don’t all have to be the same size; 4-8 feet is a good range. Landscape timbers, PVC pipe, and repurposed jump poles are the best choices.
Next, collect feeding pans. You’ll need pans to place the feed or treats on, especially if you have a sandy turnout area or long pasture grass.
You can use any feeding container, but shallow containers work best. Rubber feed pans are a good choice, but for convenience and light weight I love using bucket lids. This link shows you what to look for, but pro tip: they’re usually less expensive at your local farm supply or hardware store.
Arrange the ground poles in your horse’s paddock in whatever layout you choose. Add the pans.
Then, prepare the edible goodies. You can mix and match options, or use just one type of food for this activity. Your horse’s daily grain or feed is a great choice, and this activity can really slow down their meal. Lightly soaked hay pellets are another good option.
Place the food on the ground poles and invite your horse to explore and forage. Easy!
Ground Poles for Horses: Foraging Layout Options
Option 1: The Quad
In this easy layout, you’ll place four poles on the ground in the shape of a cross or +. Place the feed pans next to the poles. This layout is simple and easy, but gives your horse choices: should they step over the poles, or walk around each one?
Option 2: Triangle
If you only have a few poles, a triangle gives you a lot of bang for your enrichment buck. Place the pans alongside the poles, or at the ends as shown. As your horse is motivated to find the food, they’ll need to navigate the poles or get extra flexibility practice as they walk around the edges of the triangle.
Option 3: Poles in a Row
Space your poles 6 to 12 feet apart with a pan between each set of poles. Your horse will either step over the poles, being mindful of where their hooves are, or bend to walk around each pole.
Option 4: Big Shape
Six or more ground poles for horses makes an ideal large pasture shape for this activity. You can make a hexagon as shown or use another shape like a rectangle. An open shape like this gives you lots of flexibility and variety. Move the pans around each day for extra change.
Option 5: Just One
Only have one or two poles – or have several horses? This minimalist take on enrichment using ground poles gives you variety and proprioception practice with only one pole.
Related Enrichment
This equine enrichment idea involves movement and food. For more ideas with those themes in mind, check these out!