Our expert
Push comes to shove
Who’s playing?
Someone your own size
Play on
Play is such an important part of a horse’s development – yet it’s often unfairly categorised as naughty, unruly or undesirable behaviour. In reality, play provides horses with an opportunity to develop their cognitive and motor skills, and also provides them with a way to interact with their companions. Horses typically engage in a variety of different types of play that often involve running, jumping, bucking and rearing and, even though it might not look like it serves any apparent purpose, this actually couldn’t be further from the truth. Let’s take a closer look.
Colts are known to play for longer and more roughly than fillies and, although foals play more than adult horses, all equines may take part in play at any time in their lives. Some geldings are very playful for their whole lives and it’s possible that this is down to the gelding process interrupting development.