You love your horse, and you do all that you can to ensure his health. Horse happiness is equally important to horse health. Robin Foster PhD is a certified equine behaviourist who has been a university professor for 30 years. She shared her tips on how horse owners can determine if their horses are happy and healthy. We learned more about the four main characteristics of happy horses: engaged, enriched and social.

1.Engaged

Happy horses are happy and engaged in the world around them. They are involved in their social groups and keenly interested in exploring their surroundings.

2.Enriched

Dr Foster stated that enrichment opportunities for horses had increased dramatically and credited positive changes in zoo environments for large animals kept in confinement. She said that zoos face the same challenges as horses and have learned how to minimize the negative effects of stress, isolation, and limited movement.

There are three types of enrichment: sensory, movement, and feeding. This allows horses to have treats and work for food. Problem-solving horse toys are one example. ” Dr Foster stated that cognitive enrichment helps horses think clearly and saves them energy,” Dr Foster stated.

KONG is a well-known company that produces toys specifically for horses. KONG Equine classic horse toys are similar to their canine counterparts that riders may be familiar with. However, they are much larger for horses and require 13 large KONG Classics to make one . For extended horse fun, these can be filled with treats and frozen. A favourite toy for horses is the Boredom Breaker.

The first thing you need to do is make sure your horse can use it. While some horses are drawn to certain enrichment items, others sit there. Dr Foster suggested that you shop around and try different things. Horses learn quickly by their curiosity or by watching other horses. Dr Foster said that horses learn quickly when they see other horses and will try it out.

3.Social

Horses need to interact with other horses from a young age to fulfil their social needs. Horses can have very limited social interaction with other horses, depending on their housing situation. The same holds for human-horse interactions.

“Horses have complex lives and many demands, no matter how well you take care of them. You only have an hour per day with your horse. A person’s time with their horse is limited. What happens to the horse the rest of the day? Dr Foster stated that horses who don’t have a stable environment and social interaction with other horses would exhibit poor behaviour.

4.Moving

Dr Foster strongly recommended that horses should be able to move freely. Happy horses can run, roll, turn wildly and race around, kick their heels up, and not only move in a controlled manner like lunging. These factors can all play a part in a horse’s behaviour.

Horses that can move more freely are more likely to be able to compete or ride. Dr Foster stated that horses with more freedom are mentally stronger and better able to cope with stressors. Think about how a barn-kept animal might react to an owl extending her wings to fly from a tree. This is in contrast to a pasture-kept horse with an intermittent turnout.

These four traits can be correlated to the happiness of your horse. Are you noticing any of these signs in your horse