How to enrich your horse’s life

In the wild, horses travel up to 30km a day, graze for up to 18 hours, and enjoy constant social contact. In domestic life, this freedom is limited – and that’s where environmental enrichment for horses becomes essential. It encourages natural behaviours such as foraging, playing, mutual grooming and exploring, which are all key to a horse’s happiness and welfare.

Why enrichment for horses matters

Horses are naturally inquisitive, intelligent animals. Left without stimulation, they can become bored, anxious or develop behavioural issues such as weaving, cribbing or excessive chewing.

A well-rounded horse enrichment plan helps encourage movement and natural behaviour, prevents boredom and stress, improves welfare and even performance, and also strengthens the horse-human bond.

Here, we look at the different types of equine enrichment.

Social enrichment for horses

Horses feel safest and most content in the company of other horses. Enrichment for horses starts with providing safe, positive social opportunities. Providing access to equine friends – whether through group turnout or stabling next to other horses – helps fulfil this essential need.

Tips for supporting equine social needs

• Ensure stabled horses can see or touch their neighbours through stable doors, partitions or windows.
• For horses on box rest or on isolation for medical reasons, owner interaction is especially important. Grooming, talking, or gentle contact can help reduce stress and loneliness.
• Allow horses to mutually groom safely, for example over a stable door, to maintain social bonds.

Physical enrichment for horses

In the wild, horses encounter diverse terrain and stimuli that encourage movement and exploration. Horse paddock enrichment encourages more steps, engagement and exploration. Simple problem-solving activities help keep your horse mentally engaged as well as physically active.

Ideas to encourage movement and interaction

• Track systems around paddocks will promote more walking.
• Multiple food and water points placed at varied locations to encourage movement and exploration.
• Different forage presentations such as hay nets, loose hay on the floor, or compressed hay blocks that support chewing and slow feeding are great ‘boredom busters’ that promote natural foraging behaviour.
• Sand or dirt patches for rolling. Scratching posts or telegraph poles for rubbing itches.
• Stable toys such as treat balls, hanging feeders and scratch pads that provide environmental interaction.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on toys – DIY horse enrichment toys can be just as effective. Drill a hole in a swede and hang it from a string, or fill a cardboard box with forage, treats and inedible filler. Your horse will use their senses and problem-solving skills to uncover the rewards inside.

Always supervise new toys or enrichment setups at first. Ensure items are non-toxic, free of sharp edges, and won’t pose entanglement or choking risks.

Nutritional enrichment for horses

Horses are designed to graze almost constantly. When confined, stable enrichment for horses can replicate this natural rhythm. Feeding little and often, in interesting ways, helps mimic their instinctive foraging behaviour.

Creative feeding strategies

• Use horse enrichment toys such as puzzle feeders and treat balls that require problem-solving to release hay or treats, engaging their minds and encouraging slow feeding.
• Rotate forage types and supplements, such as herbs, to add variety and stimulate interest. Growing a small herb garden allows horses to choose their favourite tastes safely.
• Seasonal treats such as safe leaves or plants placed in paddocks, or ice lollies made with apple or mint on hot days, offer sensory and nutritional enrichment.
• Hide treats in hay piles to encourage foraging behaviours.

Sensory enrichment for horses

Stimulating the senses is a powerful way to deliver environmental enrichment for horses. Vision, touch, smell and sound all play a role in your horse’s emotional wellbeing.

How to engage your horse’s senses to replicate natural stimuli

• Visual: Mirrors for stabled horses can provide stimulation, but monitor in case they are spooked. Keep stable doors or windows open to allow views of the outside world and other horses. Introduce new objects occasionally to spark curiosity.
• Olfactory: Hide herbs and treats for your horse to sniff out in hay or bedding. Use familiar scents, such as their old bedding when moving stables, to reduce stress. Adding succulents or aromatic herbs to feed can encourage picky eaters.
• Tactile: Provide ample bedding and space for rolling scratching posts. Grooming and scratching, especially at sensitive areas like withers, helps to reduce heart rate and calm horses. Water features or access to streams offer playful tactile experiences.
• Auditory: Play different music genres and observe your horse’s response. Classical music often reduces anxiety and promotes eating and relaxation. Also ensure quiet periods without loud or stressful noises to avoid overstimulation.

Extra tips for effective enrichment

• Consider your horse’s breed, age and temperament when choosing enrichment – a young thoroughbred may enjoy fast-paced puzzles, while an older cob might prefer gentle sensory exploration.
• Rotate enrichment activities weekly or bi-weekly to maintain novelty and keep your horse engaged. Horses may lose interest if stimuli become too predictable.
• Combine enrichment types for the best results – social plus physical, or sensory plus nutritional – to meet multiple needs simultaneously.
• Design a daily rhythm of enrichment. Combining movement, feeding puzzles and social time helps mimic the natural grazing and social cycles horses would experience in the wild.
• Monitor your horse’s reactions carefully to any new enrichment. Not all horses respond the same way – some may find mirrors unsettling, or certain toys frustrating rather than fun. Adjust based on their comfort and enjoyment.

Providing a more natural and engaging environment can support your horse’s overall wellbeing and may even help prevent some common issues before they arise.