Horse Toy Review: JW Pets Megalast Ball | Budget Enrichment

The Megalast Ball by JW Pets is a pretty cool little treat ball for horses. It’s budget friendly, versatile, and easy to work with. Here’s a review of the Megalast Ball, the best ways to use it for horse enrichment, and an honest review. TL/DR: this is an awesome, versatile toy with one important safety concern to watch out for.

What is the Megalast Ball by JW Pets? 

This molded, textured rubber ball is a dog toy. But you can use the Megalast as a horse toy too! The Megalast Ball comes in several colors and sizes. You’ll always want to use the largest size (about the size of a softball) for your horse. The others are too small. 

You can find the Megalast Ball in some pet stores, but it’s easiest to shop online. Amazon carries them. So does Chewy.com. 

In this review, I’ll usually use the full brand name for clarity. I’ve only tried and reviewed the real deal Megalast by JW Pets for horse use. Imitators may use lower quality rubber, so when in doubt, make sure you’re getting the real thing. The “JW” brand is clear on the description and packaging of the name-brand ball.

What Makes the JW Pets Megalast Ball a Good Horse Toy?

This little ball has a lot of perks as a hanging stall toy for horses! First, it’s durable. The JW Pets Megalast Ball is made of thermoplastic rubber – a really nice material for animal toys. It’s really firm but also flexible. 

Most JW Pets toys are made from this material. It’s almost indestructible, so these horse toys are safe for equine use. They won’t break or tear apart under normal conditions. 

The Megalast Ball is also lightly scented with vanilla! This removes the strong smell that some rubber toys have. This is a perk for sensitive horses. My gelding went for the toy right away. 

The Megalast Ball has textured holes on both sides of the ball, and a center hole that goes all the way through. You’ll use the center hole for hanging the ball in your horse’s stall. The other holes in the ball make this a great horse toy – that’s where the food will go. 

What Horse Behavior does the JW Pets Megalast Ball Encourage? 

Enrichment is all about encouraging your horse’s natural behaviors. And this budget friendly horse toy offers a lot of enrichment fun! You’ll be able to target these equine behaviors with the Megalast Ball:

• Feeding and foraging
• Browsing (feeding above ground level)
• Problem solving
• Coordination and fine motor control
• Play (object play and cause-and-effect fun)
• Overall silliness

Easy and Budget Friendly Horse Enrichment 

One thing I like about the Megalast Ball right out of the gate is how easy and budget friendly it is. It’s available on both Amazon and Chewy and is very reasonably priced, in the neighborhood of $5 USD. 

It comes with minimal packaging, which is another perk. Less waste, more horse fun! 

This horse toy’s other strong point is how versatile it is for such an inexpensive toy. Most horses toys are pricey and only have a few options for use. The JW Pets Megalast Ball’s unique texture has lots of potential for different uses. It’s basically several toys in one. 

Best Places to Use It

You can use this dog-toy-turned-horse-toy anywhere you can hang it overhead on a rope. Hanging it up is important – we’ll cover that below.

The Megalast Ball makes an ideal stall toy. It encourages behaviors that are really important for stalled horses. Using enrichment like this helps prevent boredom – and that’s important for your horse’s mental and physical welfare. 

You can also use the Megalast Ball outdoors by hanging it from a tree limb or tall, wooden fence post. 

How to Use the JW Pets Megalast Ball for Horses

The easiest way to use this rubber ball for horse enrichment is by filling the textured holes with treats. That’s what I did before writing this review. 

You’ll want to run a lead rope through the ball and tie a knot in the end, like this. 

This is a great use for a lead rope with a broken or rusted snap. It’s way safer than tying up the toy with twine. I used a knot in the end instead tying the ball like a bead on a necklace. This is also safer because it has no loops. 

The JW Pets Megalast Ball is best used with long skinny treats that stick out of the holes. Try it with: 

• Celery
• Apple wedges
• Carrot sticks
• Pretzel sticks
• Toast fingers of whole wheat bread
• Cucumber spears
• Pumpkin wedges (horses can eat pumpkin and it’s a great seasonal treat!)
• Twists of long-stem hay or fresh grass

For this review, I used celery, apple, and carrot. 

I like how easy it is to load the treats into the ball. And they stay put! You’ll need to cut the treats to the right size, but it’s easy to see what size is best. 

Then just tie up the ball and let your horse enjoy! 

JW Pets Megalast Ball for Horses: The Results

The ball was a big hit but surprisingly challenging! The horse I tested it on wasn’t afraid of the ball, but the bright color and movement might worry some horses. Is your horse nervous around new toys? Be sure to introduce this one the right way.

The tasty treats sticking out vertically really created a challenge for this horse. He appeared to have a good time, but really struggled at first!  That’s not a bad thing: this toy is a food puzzle for your horse. It’s meant to be a little challenging. 

Overall, I was really happy with amount of movement and brainpower this treat toy required. It’s definitely worth purchasing for any horse, especially one in a stall. 

Then, I decided to use it on the ground to see how the JW Pets Megalast Ball would do as a rolling treat ball. 

Safety Risk! Don’t Use It on the Ground

Unfortunately, the Megalast Ball isn’t quite big enough for safe horse use as a treat ball on the ground. Everything seemed good at first, but then my horse tried to fit his teeth around the entire ball – and succeeded! 

The ball is just big enough to fit into the teeth, which means it’s a serious choking hazard. It’s okay when it’s hanging up because it moves too much for a horse to bite down on it. 

I had to quickly step in and remove the ball before my horse put the whole thing into his mouth. 

Keeping enrichment safe for horses is a top priority (big enough that we have an ebook about it). No one wants toys to cause an accident. This is an example of a toy that’s safe while hanging up but unsafe on the ground. 

For this reason, you should always be there to supervise when your horse uses this toy. It’s perfect for keeping your horse occupied in a stall, but you should take it down before you leave for the night. 

Only use the ball unsupervised when you’re sure your horse uses it calmly and safely. 

The Takeaway: The JW Pets Megalast Ball For Horses Is Great…In the Right Place

If you make sure to only use the Megalast Ball as a hanging, swinging horse toy, it’s a lot of fun! And it’s very budget friendly. I liked it so much that I ordered a few more in order to make a multi-ball version! 

Most horse will have a great time using this toy as a puzzle feeder. It’s good for relieving boredom and seems to take a while for a horse to completely empty. 

This toy is risky when used on the ground because it’s not quite big enough. That’s forgivable since my horse used it so happily while hanging up. He has plenty of rolling treat balls in his toy box anyway! 

Related Enrichment

If you’re looking for similar enrichment ideas, you have lots to choose from! Add a few of these to your enrichment routine:

DIY Bucket Lid Browse toy for more hanging, swinging browsing fun

Hol-ee Roller and Other Webby Balls for squashable, rolling, or swinging enrichment

DIY Treat Roller for a slow-dispensing rolling feeder ball you can use on the ground

Canister Toys for a similar but DIY enrichment option

Kong Wobbler for Horses for another ground-based slow feed option