Stall Enrichment Ideas | Stall Toys for Horses | Infographic

Stall enrichment for horses is crucial for relieving boredom and preventing behavior problems. Stalls are a challenging environment for your horse. Stall toys for horses provide the mental stimulation and boredom relief your horse needs. Are you looking for ideas to make the stall a better place? Let equine behavior be your guide to designing horse stall enrichment. Let’s go through this stall enrichment idea infographic for inspiration. 

Why Stall Enrichment is Important

Stalls for horses can be safe and snug, but they prevent your horse from moving and behaving freely. Too much stall time causes boredom, which can create behavior problems. And because your horse’s body is designed for moving and grazing outdoors, a stall without enrichment results in physical problems too. 

Too much time in the stall is associated with gut, respiratory, and hoof issues in horses. And you’ve seen – or might own – a horse with a behavior problem caused by confinement. Stall vices like weaving, kicking walls, and chewing wood often result from a lack of stimulation.

When horses can’t behave like horses, they’re less happy and healthy. That’s where stall enrichment and stall toys enter the picture! 

Enrichment is all about encouraging your horse’s natural behaviors. It’s a fundamental part of good horse ownership.

Better Equine Welfare

If your horse has been prescribed stall time by your vet, or you’re in a boarding situation where you have to stall for part of the day, horse stall enrichment can help. 

Enrichment for horses is all about encouraging natural behaviors. Stall enrichment gives your horse the chance to eat, rest, and interact more like a horse. Adding stall toys for horses relieves boredom and entertains their mind. 

It’s important to note that enrichment and toys can’t make stalls a perfect place for your horse. They can help with some of the most serious behavior problems caused by stalls. But giving your horse the choice of more turnout is almost always the best option for best horse welfare.

When To Use Toys and Enrichment

It’s important to note that no stall toy or enrichment can make a stall a perfect place for your horse. If your stalled horse seems unhappy or is struggling emotionally, first consider ways to give them more choice in turnout instead of confinement. 

But sometimes, stall time isn’t optional.  Stall enrichment is a must-have if your horse is injured and on stall rest. You can also use stall toys when your horse travels to shows or trail rides.

Some horse stall enrichment ideas are permanent or long term additions to your stall setup. Hay nets or other forage feeders are a good example. Stall toys for horses are usually short-term enrichment items. You’ll add toys for your horse and swap them in and out to keep them fresh and exciting. 

In this infographic, stall enrichment ideas are divided into different behavior categories. That’s the best way to think about which toys and enrichment your horse needs. You should aim to encourage as many of your horse’s natural behaviors as possible.

Stall Enrichment Idea #1: Social Enrichment

Stalls are challenging for horses because they’re such social animals. When your horse is stalled, they can’t be as close to others as they may need. 

A horse recovering from injury is already insecure and stressed, so providing social enrichment is crucial for the healing process.  

Use an equine friend as an easy social stall enrichment. Don’t keep a horse stalled alone in a barn! If you can, removing the upper partitions or bars in part of the stall will let stalled horses touch noses and groom each other. 

Installing some big mirrors (out of reach of the horse for safety) can create the feeling that many more horses are in the stable. Keep your stalled horse connected to their herd by giving them items or clothes from their herdmates, such as a saddle pad. 

Stall Enrichment Idea #2: Feeding Toys and Slow Feeders

Horses need to eat almost constantly for good gastric health. Stalls greatly increase your horse’s risk of painful stomach or intestinal ulcers. 

You can help prevent this by giving stall toys and enrichment that encourages grazing. Never let your horse stand in a bare stall without food. 

The other benefit of food toys for horses is in relaxation, boredom relief, and mental health. Horses love these items.

A simple hay net can occupy your stalled horse for hours. Hay nets come in every style and size, so you’ll find one that works of your horse. For more info on how to choose the best hay net, you’ll find a deep dive here. 

Hay balls encourage movement and natural grazing. They’re an essential part of your horse enrichment toy box! For a lower-budget option, simply hiding handfuls of food throughout the stall is a fast and easy boredom reliever. 

Snuffle mats for horses slow down mealtimes and are really relaxing. If you haven’t tried a snuffle mat, you’re missing out! 

If you can’t be at the stable regularly to add and remove toys, consider a timed feeder that dispenses a little forage or grain throughout the day. 

Stall Enrichment Ideas #3: Sensory Toys for Horses

Sensory stall toys keep your horse’s stall interesting. These enrichment ideas stimulate the senses – like sight, smell, and touch. Use sensory enrichment for your horse every day to keep their minds active and engaged.

For a really simple stall enrichment, change the flavor of your horse’s feed by adding a little juice, herbs, or other flavor like peppermint. Some horses really love the change of pace! 

There are lots of ways to use scent enrichment. A few drops of baking extract or essential oils on an old saddle pad outside the stall makes a budget-friendly, easy stall enrichment. 

Another great budget option is playing music for your horse. Music and other background tracks add extra variety to the stall environment. Before using music, read the details in the linked article on how to pick the right tracks and the right volume. 

Don’t forget texture as an overlooked stall enrichment for your horse! Stalls are all hard walls and edges. You can build a texture board to give your horse a simple sensory enrichment that lets them touch and feel various textures. 

All these enrichment ideas work together to make the stall a calmer, more interesting place. 

Stall Enrichment Ideas #4: Self Maintenance for Horses

Horses do self-care too! They spend a lot of time taking care of their bodies when outdoors. Stalls don’t always let your horse do much equine self-care, but you can change that with some enrichment. 

Add scratch pads to every stall. You can purchase scratch pads for livestock or do a DIY. They’re essential for relieving itches. 

Observe quiet hours at the barn so that your horse can sleep or nap. A busy barn can lead to sleep deprivation in horses! Try to ensure that all lights and sounds are off at night. 

Extra deep bedding is a simple but fun stall enrichment. Go nuts on shavings or straw so that your horse has an extra-cushioned floor for sleeping and rolling. In the summer months, consider investing in a simple misting system on a timer to give your horse a cooling mist throughout the day. 

Horses lick themselves and others during grooming. Your horse will also groom themselves in the stall, but you can also provide an outlet for this important behavior with a licking mat. Licking mats are low-key, relaxing, easy stall enrichment. 

Stall Enrichment #5: Puzzles and Cognitive Toys for Horses

Puzzles give your horse mental stimulation. A brain workout relieves tension and anxiety, and prevents your horse from being bored. 

Horse stall toys that involve puzzles usually dispense food when the horse figures the puzzle out. The amount of skill and smarts needed varies from toy to toy. 

The most basic puzzle feeder for horses is a forage box. You can make a forage box for free from a cardboard box, so giving your horse this stall enrichment a few times a week is easy.

Horses also appreciate more complex stall enrichment. Treat balls are perfect for horses and come in many shapes and sizes – or you can make your own. Get your puzzles off the ground with hanging stall enrichment items like canister feeders or repurposed rubber chew toys:

For mental stall enrichment that doesn’t use toys, try positive reinforcement training! Clicker training and other reward-based techniques involve rewarding your horse for getting a behavior right. You can use clicker training outside the stall for all your horse’s learning, but it’s also perfect for teaching tricks to relieve boredom.

A clicker training session is like a game for your horse. They’ll enjoy learning and performing the behaviors you cue in exchange for some treats. Clicker training is perfect stall enrichment for your horse for providing mental stimulation. 

For help planning a clicker training routine with your horse, check out this planner to keep you on track in 2022.

More Ideas

These ideas only scratch the surface of what you can do with stall toys and stall enrichment! Every horse is unique. To encourage their natural behaviors and keep them healthy in their stall, you’ll have to be creative. 

Just remember that stall enrichment for horses promotes normal horse behavior. Use these five categories of behavior to guide your stall toy purchases or projects. 

For more ideas, you’ll find more inspiration here: Stall Toys and Boredom Busting. 

And don’t miss the page for treat feeders and horse food puzzles!