20/04/2026
Not all enrichment works for every horse…
As part of my massage treatments I love to work with owners to enhance their horses’ living environment, making them more supportive - physically and mentally.
Research shows that appropriate enrichment can play a valuable role in pain management, while also improving the wellbeing of anxious or nervous horses.
Each horse is an individual so it’s important to tailor enrichment to suit their needs, providing enough stimulation without causing frustration.
One client I’ve worked closely with has two very different horses, an intelligent Thoroughbred and a much loved Shetland, both have been with the family for years.
She’s noticed that her thoroughbred thrives on more challenging enrichment, like a freely hanging treatball, whereas her Shetland would find this frustrating.
Instead we introduced a large dog snuffle mat placed in an old cat litter tray. And it’s now a favourite in his daily routine.
Enrichment doesn’t have to be expensive, time consuming and it shouldn’t cause stress for either of you, sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. And in this case feeding from the floor offers lots of musculoskeletal benefits.
It’s something I often look at alongside treatment, because small changes in your horses daily routine can make a big difference to how they feel in their body.
If you’re not sure where to start with enrichment or feel like your horse could benefit from a more tailored approach, I have a couple of weekday and weekend spaces coming up in the next few weeks.
Click on the link below to send me a message
Cath 💚
