When there is a natural need to explore and forage for food, but the only option available is one big round bale in the paddock

I want to compare the horse world to the dog world again, because feeding practices for dogs are way ahead of those for horses. Especially when it comes to enrichment and supporting dogs’ behavioural needs through feeding.

Food-based enrichment is already used quite a lot with dogs. Many dog owners want to give their dog at least one meal a day in a way that allows them to use their senses and solve a little “puzzle”. And that is a really great thing!

In the horse world, slow feeders are certainly used, but the main focus is on slowing down eating. How often do we actually stop to think about how a horse could express its natural behaviour while eating? Does the feeding setup encourage the horse to move? Or does the horse, for example, have the opportunity to make choices related to eating (other than simply eating or not eating)?

I understand that it is incredibly easy to organise feeding for a group of horses by simply putting a round bale in the paddock and covering it with a net. But it is unbelievably PASSIVATING.

And if we think about how horses behave when several feeding stations are available at the same time, they move from one place to another. They naturally go and investigate the other options instead of just sticking to the one food source. As the horses move between feeding stations, they also spend more time eating. And movement has a direct positive effect on gut function as well as on the horse as a whole, particularly on the digestive system.

The horse is built to move, every part of its body has evolved around movement. Light, calm movement while eating is exactly what a horse would naturally do while grazing. And when a horse is able to engage in the kind of behaviour it has evolved to perform, it has the opportunity to feel like a horse.

Even in a small paddock, there are ways to organise feeding so that it encourages movement and gives the horse choices. We already have the tools to make the environment more active.