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We are in the midst of winter and boredom from being cooped up has set in. I am not talking about people, I am talking about horses. With the cold winter and short daylight hours, chances are that our horses are spending long hours in the stable. Of course, they are bored being cooped up! The biggest problem with horse boredom is the behavioral issues that crop up from being bored. These issues range from cribbing or chewing his stall to weaving or becoming aggressive.


What to do? Easy answer - break that boredom and prevent the behavioral problems from even beginning. There are many horse "toys" that are available. My favorite ones are manufacutred by Talisker Bay. All the toys I describe use Likits.

In case you are unfamiliar with Likits, let me explain. Likits are a naturally flavored molasses or glucose based treat (depends on the flavor). They come in a variety of flavors, such as apple, carrot, mint, honey, salt, molasses and more! Each flavor is fortified with Vitamin E and Biotin. Likits are available in standard size or small size, known as a Little Likit.

My horse's favorite is the Likit Boredom Breaker, appropriately name, is a combination toy. The picture above shows how it includes a Likit Holder that holds a regular size Likit and a robust ball that will hold two Little Likits. This product is designed to be hung in the stable and comes in red, blue, pink or purple. The Boredom Breaker is most effective when hung a minimum of 3 feet away from any wall, that way the horses can't pin it down. I will say that she was not too keen on this product at first when I filled it with carrot likits. She loves carrots, but I guess she was apprehensive about the "unknown" object hung in her stall. I changed the Likits to molasses and left her alone. The molasses Likits were a hit, as was the Likit Boredom Breaker toy. She now gets carrot, apple and honey; along with her favorite molasses. She hates the mint and she lets me know how unhappy she is with that flavor.

My sister's horse likes the Likit Tongue Twister. This toy is mounted on the stable wall and will hold 2 Little Likits. The Likit Tongue Twister swivels as the horse licks at it. It should be attached it to the wall above the height of the horse's shoulders and haunches, so the horse cannot bang into it.

You may need to experiment with the horse toys to see which one works for your horse. Just like people, all horses are not interested in the same thing.

Let's hope spring arrives soon and WE all can get back outside~!

Labels: Talisker Bay Likit