What to do when the horse can't graze?

We know there are a huge number of horses who can't graze due to health issues, a too dry climate, or a lack of suitable grazing facilities. But we also understand the importance of what grazing provides for horses.

The behaviour associated with grazing is deeply rooted in horses and it can be difficult for us as horse owners when we can't let our horses graze. But there are ways we can provide horses with opportunities to express similar behaviours.

Grazing is more than simply eating grass. It is a whole set of behaviours that horses naturally perform throughout the day.

If we break grazing down into smaller parts, we can identify things such as:

Searching for food, pulling hay, taking small steps while eating, eating with head down, being surrounded by other horses, tasting different flavours, (and much more).

And when we look at grazing this way, we can start asking a different question. What if we can't bring the horse to the pasture? Can we bring some of the opportunities that grazing provides to the horse?

And this is where the Fluffy Feeder can help.

The Fluffy Feeder is designed to bring many of these natural grazing behaviours to the horse, even when grazing itself isn't possible. Its soft, gentle design makes it pleasant and comfortable for horses to use.

It's super simple, yet very engaging, because it offers horses opportunities to express some of their most basic natural behaviours. Especially for horses who may be bored or stressed by their environment, or for horses who need to be on restricted hay and/or restricted movement.

We know there are horse owners who are looking for tools to enrich their horse's daily lives, because we've been there ourselves. Trying to figure out how to keep our horses happy while we're at work or when they've been on stall rest. Trying to keep their joints and muscles from getting stiff. Trying to find a way for them to eat with their head down and making sure they get enough chewing WITHOUT gaining too much weight. And at the same time, making sure they get enough energy from their roughage while keeping it clean.

Feeding is always balancing between different needs. There are physical needs that are easier to measure and there is the mental side including the behavioural needs, that are not so easy to measure but are still super important.

We may not always be able to give horses access to pasture, but we can still give them opportunities to express the behaviours that grazing provides.