Most horse enthusiasts love riding their horse and want to do it as often as possible. But there are also many other things you can do with your horse when you're not in the saddle. It could be that you or the horse needs a 'day off,' or you don't have time to tack up, ride, and untack. So here are 12 cozy things you can do with your horse. We hope you can find some inspiration.

Advertisement

Read also: From 1-2 horses: Points to consider

12 cosy and fun things you can do with your horse

1. Take a hack. Bring your horse along for a walk, through the town or out in nature. It's both cosy, delightful, and relaxing to get out a bit.
2. Simply enjoy your horse's company. Sit in the field or nearby your horse. Maybe it will even come over to you and stand there, cuddling and grazing a little?
3. Do some environmental training. Give your horse a challenge with things like umbrellas or tarps, for example. It's good mental training for the horse, and it never hurts to have a horse trained not to jump around as soon as something moves.
4. Give your horse the royal treatment. Get out the grooming kit and groom its whole body, oil the hooves, and brush through its mane and tail.
5. Try to find your horse's favorite treat. Have various types of treats and see if you can find the one your horse likes the most.
6. Find your horse's sweet spot (if you haven't already). Spend some time finding your horse's favorite spot to be scratched or rubbed. Is it on the shoulder? Or what about the hindquarters?
7. Stretch with your horse. Just like for us humans, it can be really good for a horse to stretch a bit—so why not try some stretching exercises?
8. Teach your horse to smile—or other tricks. Tricks are always fun; they're fun to train and fun to show off. So find different tricks and start training.
9. Create an obstacle course for your horse. Build an obstacle course with different things, and if you do it multiple times, you can add new elements each time.
10. Braid your horse's mane. There are many options when it comes to braiding. Find the prettiest one and get started.
11. Do groundwork. Train in lunging, with poles, or without anything at all—it's great exercise for the horse.
12. Train vet-related things. Make your horse comfortable with being touched all over, and train, for example, for the horse to accept getting a syringe in its mouth—just like when it needs deworming.

Read also: Do you know the meaning of the different ribbons in the tail?