The best horse toys are simple, versatile, and budget friendly. This spiral shaped rubber toy called the JW Pets Dogs in Action makes a great multipurpose horse toy that you can DIY into many different enrichment activities! Here’s a review and instructions for making easy treat spiral toy for your horse.
What is the Spiral Treat Toy for Horses from JW Pets?
First things first: this toy isn’t actually for horses! It’s made by pet toy brand JW Pets and is actually named the “Dogs in Action” toy. I guess JW Pets wanted a general name for this toy, because it IS a little hard to describe.
The Dogs in Action (Horses in Action?!) toy is made of firm but flexible rubber in the shape of a helix. It looks a lot like a cartoony model of DNA from a school textbook and is about the size of a horse brush.
You can use the JW Pets Dogs in Action toy as a horse toy by just hanging it in the stall, but it really shines as a DIY hay or treat puzzle for your horse.
What Horse Behaviors Does the JW Pets Dogs in Action Toy Encourage?
Enrichment for horses is all about encouraging natural behaviors. You also give your horse enrichment because it prevents boredom and gives them mental stimulation.
When you add food to it, this spiral shaped toy is a treat feeder perfect for promoting natural foraging.
Your horse needs foraging opportunities besides eating a big tasty meal from a bucket each day. Even when horses have grassy pasture, they’ll seek out other plants to eat (there’s a deeper dive on feeding behavior in this article). Eating shrubs, tree leaves, or other plant food above grand level is called browsing, and the plants you provide for this purpose are called browse.
The Dogs in Action toy by JW Pets is perfect for holding lots of different kinds of browse. The spiral shape has lots of places to slip twists of hay, branches, sprigs of herbs, and other tasty options. The rubber surface is soft and gentle on your horse’s lips and nose, but has excellent grip on the browse material.
Where to Get the JW Pets Spiral Toy for Horses
This toy is popular with dog owners, and you might be able to pick one up from a local pet supply store. It’s also available on Amazon, which I where I ordered the Dogs in Action toy used in this review.
You’ll want to make sure you get the Large size, not the Small. Bigger is usually better when it comes to repurposed toys for horses, and the Small size isn’t big enough to stay safely outside your horse’s mouth!
The Large JW Pets Dogs in Action toy retails for less than $15 USD, so it’s definitely on the affordable side and worth the purchase.
How to Use the JW Pets Dogs in Action Toy for Horses
First, check the toy over and make sure it’s in good shape. Then remove all parts of the tag.
Then, decide what treats and browse you want to use with the toy.
To use branches and leaves, pick soft, twiggy ends from horse-safe tree species. Tree species vary hugely from region to region, so check your local veterinary college or agriculture program for a list of livestock-safe options in your area.
Thread the branches through the spiral, using it to wrap around the browse material. Add twigs at all angles until the toy won’t hold any more. This is also the technique to use with herbs and edible flowers for browse.
To use it as pictured with fruits and veggies, you’ll need to add a little bulk so that the treats don’t fall out. Coarse, long stem hay is perfect for this project.
Take some long-stem hay and twist it into a ropelike length, adding more hay and twisting until it’s a little longer than the Dogs in Action toy.
Spiral the hay twist into the toy, and add more hay until it’s fairly tight but not stuffed. Then, add fruit or veggie sticks. Carrots and celery make ideal choices. You can use apples, pears, or even pumpkin cut into sticks, too. Wedge the treats gently between the hay and the toy. For best results, add a carabiner clip so that you can hang up the toy in the stall or against a fencepost or tree in the pasture. And then you’re ready to go!
The JW Pets Dogs in Action Toy for Horses: Review
This toy was pretty great and worked as intended. I used it with carrots, celery, and apple and a generous amount of hay.
The toy holds quite a bit of hay twisted into a spiral and has lots of room for treats. Once your horse has finished finding the tasty fruits and veggies, they’ll be able to munch on the hay – so this toy doubles as a slow feeder.
My horse was interested in the treats but left the toy alone after finishing all the goodies. He came back later and gradually ate the hay until the toy was completely empty.
I like how versatile this item is – it’s easy to use in several ways, and versatility is important when space and budget are limited. It’s also fast to put together. On the minus side, it’s not the longest-lasting toy (for that, you’ll want the Kong Wobbler or the DIY plastic jar feeder – THOSE can last all day). But it’s really accessible for horses who aren’t as motivated for food-based toys, or are new to enrichment.
The rubber is durable but probably won’t stand up to serious biting or chewing. For this reason, I recommend you use the Dogs in Action toy for your horse under supervision. The carabiner clip makes it easy to give your horse the toy and remove when they seem finished, so that they aren’t left unattended with it. I’m comfortable leaving it in my horse’s pasture but always like to err on the side of caution.
The Verdict
Overall, I really like this toy for options and versatility! It’s not the fastest toy to put together or the longest-lasting enrichment activity, but it definitely gives you more options than most single enrichment items.
The Dogs in Action spiral toy is a framework that you can use to create lots of other enrichment activities for your horse, so it definitely has a place in every equestrian’s toybox.
Related Enrichment
Several toys from JW Pets make great repurposed equine enrichment. Check these out for more easy-to-use toys:
And don’t forget slow feeders and DIY enrichment that works a lot like the Dogs in Action toy: