Christmas can be exciting, but with the mud, the cold and the darker evenings, it’s not always the most fun time of year for horse owners.

Still, as Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, we wanted to bring a little festive cheer to your stable and share some fun ideas that you could do with your horse…

Carrot stretches

Perfect for before riding, after riding and when you can’t ride, carrot stretches are a great way to get your horse bending, spend time together, and they’ll get a carrot so they’ll be thrilled too!

You can find out exactly how to do these by asking your physio, but we also found this helpful video that you might enjoy. 

Polework

Of course, polework can be undertaken on horseback, but polework clinics or even creating activities and courses using poles and working your horse from the ground can have huge value too.

Spa Day

Is there anything better than a spa day? No, we agree. If you have all the relevant supplies, then why not treat your horse to a winter spa? Depending on your horse’s living conditions and the facilities you have, you might need to adjust what you do, but this could range from tidying up and detangling manes and tails all the way through to a full wash with warm water, hot clothing and everything in between.

Grooming

So simple, but how often do we spend time focused on grooming rather than a quick brush off to get in the saddle? Giving your horse a thorough groom will give you a chance to give them a good check over, look for lumps and bumps and also bond with them

Tricks

Ever wanted to teach your horse to count? Lower his head? Bow? Christmas could be a great time to do this. There are lots of great resources online to help with this, and we found this one to help you get started with target training.

Make Hanging Treats

Horses can eat a variety of fruit and vegetables so making a hanging treat by threading a variety of these onto a rope can be a great boredom breaker. Before you start, just check that the veg you’ve picked are horse safe!

Apple Bobbing

Not just for Halloween, apple bobbing can be a fun activity for the horse that also helps them to stay hydrated, which can also be important at this time of year as many field troughs freeze.

 

Even if the weather is a bit miserable or your time is short, there’s still a lot of fun things that you can do with your horse this Christmas and beyond.

We wish you and your horse a very happy Christmas! 

Author