27/12/2025
Day 3 of our 12 Days of Enrichment touches on a favorite topic of most horses - Food!
But how can something horses do all day, every day - eating- be an enrichment activity?
Any time we introduce a novel food that is safe but unfamiliar to a horse, OR offer a familiar food served in an unfamiliar way, this can fall into the food enrichment category.
Offering a selection of safe items gives horses the opportunity to self select. You might find it interesting to learn which horses favor which foods.
Today I've selected a few fruits that we don't often offer. Truthfully, we dont use many fruits due to their sugary content, but in moderation, most horses are able to safely consume a few fruits treats from time to time.
My rules for feeding novel foods are simple:
1. It must be horse safe
2. It must be appropriate for the individual (no sweet fruits for horses struggling with obesity or IR, no large, hard peices for horses prone to choke...)
3. Everything in moderation - too much of a good thing can be a problem even for horses with no prior metabolic issues
Its ok if your horse doesn't want to eat something novel that you offer. Free choice is an important part of enrichment, and just like us, horses have individual preferences. Just the act of smelling something new creates an enriching experience! But more on that another day.
Check back to see how our herd responds!
