September 20, 2018

Simon is one of those ponies that’s always into something. I can’t keep a halter or fly mask on him. He runs around with his feed pan in his mouth. He has been spotted standing partially in the water troth.  He chases his field mate with sticks and I can’t leave anything he can damage out in this field or anything he can reach through the fence.

He is a pony that gets bored very easily and he recently became an only pony so he no longer has a field mate to chase around and force to play with him. This means he has been extra mischievous lately.  He has broken into the hay room twice, rampaging through the hay, and tearing open bags of shavings.  He also started busting out the side of the run in.  I think he enjoys this because he can flap the metal sheets to make a lot of noise.

I was at Tractor Supply on Tuesday and I saw a Shires Ball Feeder in stock for $20. I’ve thought about getting one before and this felt like the right day to give it a try.

I was skeptical at first. Is it a pain to load? Does the feed just pour right out? Is it too difficult to get the feed out? Will my pony have interest?

Time to give it a try:

Last night I put Simon’s dinner into the ball. It poured in super easy. No mess. I shook it so he could hear his dinner inside and I sat it on the ground.

Here is a video of him trying it out for the first time.

He figured it out immediately and got some of his feed out in just a few pushes. He stopped and ate the feed he got out and then went back to pushing the ball around. Sometimes he flipped it quickly to the correct side, and other times it took him quite a few rolls to get just a little bit out.

He spent a good while rolling that ball around and eating his dinner. And his mischievous brain was occupied the whole time.

I found the ball easy to load, the grain came out in different amounts depending on his roll, and it kept him occupied and engaged. I also really enjoyed watching him.

I don’t think it would work in taller grass but it worked well in my small yard paddock where the grass is short.

When I stepped out onto my porch this morning, I found him rolling it around, with what sounded like one single grain pellet inside. I happily put a small handful in and gave it back to him. He was still rolling it around when I left for work a little later.

He did not seem frustrated at all, simply engaged.

I am going to continue giving him his dinner in the Feed Ball. And I am going to pick up some of the large pellet shaped horse treats to load it up with.

I am very satisfied with this purchase!