Feeling happy

Your fave pony is epic – always there when you need a friend, gives amazing cuddles (okay, receives cuddles, sometimes reluctantly), and the two of you are on an amazing journey together, whatever riding level you’re at. But do you know how to help ensure he’s happy? Well, we’re here to guide you – behaviourists have identified three important areas that matter to ponies, and ensuring your fave pony is getting all of these will help him feel confident, happy and healthy. Let’s take a closer look…

Food

Munching on high-quality forage throughout the day and night is important for keeping your pony healthy.

Ponies have evolved to eat for 16-18 hours a day, which is why plenty of time in the field, and lots of forage in the stable is really important! If your pony is greedy, or on a diet, he still needs to eat for this long but you’ll need to think carefully about how to limit the calories, for example feeding lower energy forage such as soaked hay, or double-netting it to make his ration last longer.

Think about how you can enrich his environment, for example by hanging multiple haynets around his stable, using a snack ball with his hard feed in to increase eating time, and even hiding apple and carrot slices around his box.

Ponies love to browse on leaves and even bark – if your pony doesn’t have access to hedges or trees in his field, why not look up some pony-safe options? You can put a fallen branch in his stable, and even hide treats among the leaves.

Top tip

If your pony’s paddock is short of grass, put piles of hay – at least two more than the number of ponies in the herd – around the field to extend eating time.

Did you know?

Fibre helps keep your pony’s gut working normally and helps to prevent ulcers from developing.

Discover more ways to keep your pony happy and healthy  in September PONY – out now!