Boys enjoying there ice poles in this warm weather they did have a bowl each but chose to share 😂 🧊 🍦♥️#horseicepops #equinebehaviourist #perceptivehorsemanship #keepingcool #horsewelfare
STABLE ENRICHMENT
Horses are herd animals who in their natural habitat would live in a social group and travel many kilometres every day. As winter is now upon us and our horse potentially spending more time stabled and or with limited turnout it is important, we don’t forget about what our horses needs really are. As a recommendation horses should be offered as a minimum what’s known as Brambell’s Five Freedoms these are the following;
Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from disease
Freedom from excessive heat or cold
Freedom of movement
Freedom to act out most normal behaviours.
We may feel we are offering our horses most of these but ask yourself if my horse was in the wild and in his natural habitat am I really fulfilling his needs? In line with a horse ethogram a horse, when they are in the wild, would eat for an average of sixteen hours per day. So, can we really say that we are allowing the horses to meet their basic needs when it comes to natural feeding behaviours when they are stabled?
General rules for enrichment are to provide different things each day, so that the items don’t become just another boring feature of their stable. Variety is the spice of life as they say, and this is the same for your horse! Always Try to mix it up and give your horse different enrichments each day. Don’t forget many enrichment ideas can be used in your horses’ field to especially over winter months when grazing can be in short supply.
#rememberanceday2021 #lestweforget🌹 #neverforget #war #11day11month11hour ♥️
LIBERTY - no strings attached, just mental and emotional connection between horse and owner ♥️
#naturalhorsemanship #perceptivehorsemanship #equinebehaviourist #exracehorse #lovehim #liberty #nosringsattached #connection
Rio enjoying his ruffle snuffle in the stable on these dark cold wintery nights 🐎🐴
The idea of natural enrichment is to mimic the horse’s natural environment in a domesticated setting. This could include mimicking space, companionship, forage sources, water sources and general environment. Natural enrichment is difficult to fully achieve in an artificial setting due to time and resource constraints and what is realistic when managing the domesticated horse. However, it could be partially achieved by increasing turnout time, allowing social interactions between horses and providing sufficient forage opportunities.
The behavioural approach to enrichment was first introduced in 1925 by primatologist Robert Yerkes who suggested that human made devices could help encourage play in primate enclosures. These devices are designed to fulfil the needs to express appetitive behaviour (the searching behaviour) and consummatory (the consuming behaviour). There are many enrichment devices on the equestrian market including licks, foodballs and mirrors. Whilst the devices may look artificial, the behaviour which is expressed can be the same as if it was in natural circumstances. It has been suggested an animal has an inherent need to express appetitive behaviour and their welfare could be compromised if they are unable to.
The horse’s internal need to express appetitive behaviour and consummatory foraging behaviour is evident. Providing the horse with sufficient foraging opportunities and enrichment should not be underestimated as the consequences of lack of foraging opportunity can cause frustration, health complications such as gastric ulceration, the development of stereotypical behaviour and can ultimately compromise welfare. This could be achieved by making small changes such as increasing turnout time, providing forage in a more natural way, providing more than one type of forage and giving enrichment devices such as foodballs and licks.
#enrichment #horse #st
MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄
I hope you have all had a lovely day, what a year 2020 has been here’s to hoping 2021 we will be able to get out and about more and seeing existing and new clients. 🐎
#merrychristmas🎄 #equinebehaviourist
🎉CONGRATULATIONS Erin Louise Morris🎉
I will be in touch shortly to get your prize sent to you 🙌🏼
Thanks to everyone who took part and I wish you all a merry Christmas 🎄