Much to my AMAZEMENT when Bill got home from work, he threw himself into creating a basketball hoop for the horses.
We took it to the lower barn at night feed and tested it with the horses there. Everyone but Blue participated. Pax DEMANDED to have a turn! And, he was eating. I didn’t think anything could be more important to him than EATING.
I started with Zelador. He wanted to examine the basket which included sniffing, biting, chewing, pushing…. He finally took pity on me and sort of lifted the ball to the bucket which was hanging on the door.
Zeloso was also fascinated with the bucket which I hung on the stall door and after a careful inspection of it he allowed me to coax the ball into it and reward him with a piece of carrot.
Kye thought the whole thing was juvenile, but he liked the treats. (Bill made me play with Kye.)
Meanwhile Pax was hammering the floor with his massive hoof in his stall. I went in there and he taught me to hold the bucket at waist height so he could put the ridged ball through it.
Hmmm….
I gave each horse two or three more turns with the new toy.
Went back to Zelador and did not hang the bucket on the door. I held it. No problem. He understands that game. Thinks the “falling through the bucket onto the floor” is interesting.
Zeloso also benefited from Pax’s coaching.
Kye still thought the whole thing juvenile.
Pax was a pro. I’m not quite sure how he could hold the ball in the bucket AND eat a large hunk of carrot without dropping the ball.
