Benny vs. the slow feeder hay net

In an ongoing effort to keep Benny sane while on stall rest, I have been brainstorming all manner of ways to keep him entertained besides offering the sweet release of sedatives. The lik-it was barely given one lick, never mind several, and quickly collected dust. A jolly ball just seemed like tempting the fate of the injury-driven horse gods. I will let you know now that this horse has even injured himself in a padded room - he scratched his cornea coming out of the anaesthetic after having a tooth removed surgically. Nowhere is safe. He is an absolute injury evil genius. The only thing that really seemed to keep him happy, for short periods at least, was to leave his mineral block in a black feed tub. He loves the block, and also loves to throw around the tub, so that helped. But that still didn't offer a long-term solution.

So I decided to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a webbed nylon vet-issue slow feeder hay net. Because the vet's office only has regular working hours, I trekked out from my job at lunch time to pick it up and take it to the farm. Benny did the horse equivalent of my dog's happy dinner dance while I filled it up (wearing my work clothes, of course), and watched it come into his pen with saucer eyes of delight.

Then came the disappointment.

He was able to squeak out about three pieces of hay, then gave me the horse equivalent of crossed arms and a look that clearly said "This. Is. Bulls***." He punched the bag with his nose, picked it up with his teeth and pouted. Eventually, his resolve to eat things triumphed, and he returned to the painful hay picking process. It was kind of like watching someone type on a computer keyboard with only their two index fingers. Hilarious, yet frustrating.

Mission accomplished I suppose given it seems to be helping him pass the time, but I can't help thinking this experienced is being banked somewhere in his brain, and I'm going to pay for it later.



The offensive hay net.




Bentley giving said hay net the cold shoulder. Hay net took no notice of the attitude coming its way.


Bentley also got a pony buddy to keep him company. He loves all manner of tiny horse folk, so he was pretty stoked by this development. Until, that is, I took him out to graze. Then pony no longer existed.



Lurking pony in the background.




Bite-y pony trying to get Benny's attention. It didn't work.



Stifling

And it's not the heat, especially here in the frigid north. It's a stifle injury for the Ben. From what I've heard and seen around the barn, my vet's thesis that all horses around here have been set to self-destruct seems to be more and more likely. Spring stupids? Message from the home planet? Hard to say.

It looks to just be a sprain, which is an incredible relief. I'm worried, sad, and disappointed, though. As much as I know that's part of the game, it's tough to watch my boy so unhappy, see his muscle tone seemingly melt before my eyes, and cancel all plans that I even considered making.

Being a 24/7 outdoor pony at a barn where no horses stay inside, he is not a fan of the stall rest. He loves his girlfriends, his pals across the fence and daily shenanigans. He's happy enough at night when it's quiet, and when the barn kitties keep him company in his hay pile, but the activity during peak riding times stresses him out. He was set up in an outdoor pen, but then the snowpocalypse hit and his happy pen became a massive mudhole. So, back inside we go. All manner of equine entertainment devices have gone untouched. So, I decided to put him on a slow-release sedative that my vet gave me to take the edge off.

I also have been enlisting others in entertaining him, including my long-suffering coach. My bestie let me ride her super awesome horse, and Bentley looked rather sad and confused by the whole process taking place right in front of his eyes. So, my coach was gracious enough to take the lead of a 1200-pound dog for an hour-long walk in the arena. He had a great time, relocating pylons and blocking coach's view of my riding. We think we may have him fetching pylons and setting up patterns by the end of his stall rest period.

I was also offered the use of a neighbor's donkey, but the complications with that option are a whole other story.

Not lame Bentley at a show last fall