This document discusses enrichment for horses and how their natural behaviors have evolved. It provides examples of social, physical, sensory, and cognitive enrichment for horses. The document emphasizes that enrichment is about providing choice to promote natural behaviors and improve welfare. It provides tips for developing an enrichment plan, including observing horses' behaviors and making enrichment safe, stimulating, and durable.

1. Introduction to enrichment for horses
Horse SA
www.horsesa.asn.au
January 2016

2. The modern horse
Modern horses can successfully live in
situations that are quite distant from how
they evolved
Horse care includes feed, water, shelter
and preventative health
Horse care also includes providing for
physical and social environments
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3. iStock
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Let’s take a closer look at the
‘horse’ part of horses

4. Social connections
Horses have evolved as herd animals,
which includes:
 frequently interacting with other
equines (social connections)
 mutual grooming, watching out for
others
 territorial actions, herd dynamics
 teamwork, separation
 reproduction
 curiosity with surroundings
 staying safe from predators
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5. Physical places to hang out
The horse has evolved to:
 walk, eat, drink and rest as a herd
 utilize a variety of landscape features
(akin to prey animal)
 range over a geographical area
following fresh feed and water sources
 seek out landscape features for daily
routines e.g. suitable surface for a roll
 travel distance between water and
grazing
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6. The pantry, kitchen and dining room
The horse has evolved to:
 walk and eat at the same time
 graze and browse a variety of grasses,
herbs, trees & shrubs
 experience a variety of tastes, smells,
textures
 hear different sounds food makes
 use whiskers to help inform choice
 spend approx. 14-16 hrs./24hrs searching
for food & water
 use skills to negotiate food as part of a herd
 select foods, choose ‘good’ from ‘poor’

7. Just do it
The horse has evolved with behaviours
which motivate him to:
 work out how to prolong his survival
and personal safety
 find his own personal space, and place
in the herd
 learn how to navigate his environment
 solve his own problems
 control or respond to situations
 seek out safer places
 reproduce
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8. Sensory sensibility
The horse has evolved to process
information from his senses, which
informs choice (and ultimately
survival).
 sound
 sight
 taste
 smell
 sound
 touch
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9. How well do you know your horse?
Could you write down how your horse
budgets his time each day? For example:
 Graze, browse, lick, chew
 mutual grooming, scratch & roll
 lie down flat, snooze while standing
 interact with other horses, humans
 walk, run, kick and buck
 snort, neigh & nicker
 other behaviours?
When have you observed different
characteristics? E.g. alert, depressed,
anxious
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10. Did you know?
Enrichment is about the offer of choice,
leading to measurable improvements in
the daily life of a horse
Stimuli are triggers which act as
motivation for activity or engagement in
surroundings
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11. Types of enrichment
Enrichment are measurable actions taken
which act as a stimuli to promote natural
behaviours, mental & physical activity.
 Sensory
 Food
 Cognitive (memory, judgement etc.)
 Physical environment
 Social
 Human-animal bond (little researched)
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12. Why wait for something to go wrong?
We are all familiar with the common ‘vices’
(stereotypies) e.g. weaving, fence walking
- but why wait for something to go wrong?
What ways could we improve the day to day
life of our horses, for ‘good’ or ‘positive’
welfare over and above survival needs.
Even if the horse lives in a paddock.
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13. Outdoor physical environments also have
stories to tell about how horses interact
with their surrounds.
Discuss these photos.
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14. DIY enrichment plan for your horse
 write down a description of your horse’s
unique characteristics, living
environment and routine.
 observe and record behaviours and time
budget over 24 hr. period
 review notes, seeking advice from
animal behaviour specialist if required
 write a continuous improvement plan
 monitor results
 review
 try something else, improve the plan
 share your findings
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15. Keep life interesting
Design the living environment to be as
enriching as possible.
Variety can be found in the seasons,
surfaces, searching for food, walking,
use of enrichment toys in different
ways.
Photo: Alayne Blickle

16. Tips for making toys & enrichment tools
 cannot be swallowed, torn, ripped or
broken (and then swallowed)
 cannot trap or entangle the horse
 cannot cut, poke, scrape or injure
 non-toxic
 sturdy, durable and indestructible
 easily cleaned
 easy and economical to construct
 easily carried in and out of the horse’s
physical living environment

17. Keeping enrichment activities safer for
horses
 build a list of potential safety hazards
 thoroughly envision all the ways your
horse might interact with the item
 cross-check potential safety hazards from
others (e.g. horse owners, vets)
 prior to offering enrichment items, create
a response plan should a problem arise
 observe each horse’s interactions with
new enrichment
 revise the enrichment items based on
observations
 share your safety information!

18. Links:
McGreevy, Paul (2012) Equine Behavior: A Guide for Veterinarians and Equine
Scientists
Australian Equine Behaviour Centre
http://www.aebc.com.au/
International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants
https://iaabc.org/
Engaged Equines
http://www.engagedequines.com/
Enrichment safety initiative
http://www.enrichment.org/miniwebfile.php?Region=About_EE&File=safety.ht
ml&NotFlag=1
Tips for the care of confined horses (Horse SA)
http://www.horsesa.asn.au/wp-
content/uploads/2013/08/3100_HSA_CONFINEMENT-TIPS_Final.pdf
Tips for making toys and enrichment tools is adapted from:
https://www.hoglezoo.org/meet_our_animals/animal_enrichment/design_enric
hment_toys/
Keeping enrichment activities safer for horses is adapted from Enrichment
Gone Wrong! Valerie J. Hare, Beth Rich, and Karen E. Worley The Shape of
Enrichment, Inc., San Diego, United States of America
https://www.parsemusfoundation.org/wp-
content/uploads/2012/11/Enrichment-gone-wrong-2008.pdf
Horse SA
E: horsesa@horsesa.asn.au
www.horsesa.asn.au