Paxx Lick Mat SilverPeony
Lick mats can help calm anxious horses, energise bored ones, and provide your horse with the opportunity to practise natural behaviours. Food toys are great enrichment for horses. Encouraging natural behaviours through enrichment can help make horses happier and healthier!
Benefits
Your horse has the opportunity to practise natural behaviours, including: licking, nibbling with teeth and lips, whisker work and using sensory behaviours like taste and smell.
This enrichment activity also involves you, not just your horse playing with a toy by themselves. By making time and space for equine enrichment, you can build a stronger and happier relationship with your horse.
Research suggests licking can be an effective way to promote calmness by tapping into your horse’s natural instincts for relaxation as it encourages salivation, licking and movement of the jaw.
If your horse gets overwhelmed during washing, grooming or other activities, a lick mat can provide a welcome and delicious distraction.
This enrichment activity offers endless variety by using different licking mat spreads.
You can customise treats for your own horses' requirements.
Details
- Specifically designed for horses
- Extra large size
- Soft surface for sensitive muzzles
- Simple, open texture for big tongues
- Food-grade, 100% silicone, BPA free
- Freezer & dishwasher safe
- Suctions on back
- Corner holes for secure hanging
How to use
The great thing about lick mats is that you can make them as simple or as complex as you like. Choose a single topping or mix and match to create your own gourmet recipes for your horse. Some toppings can also be frozen to make them extra challenging/long lasting!
Start with a clean lick mat. Spread your horse's favourite treat over the surface with a small spatula. You’ll only need a few tablespoons, you don’t need a lot of food on the mat to create a fun enriching food experience for your horse. You can use sticky syrups or thicker pastes can be made from mashed or pureed veggies, fruits, or soaked and pureed grain. Dust & sprinkle with lighter foods for added texture and variety. It can be offered on the ground or secured to a vertical surface.
This activity is not intended to replace your horse's normal feed. Our lick mats have been designed at a size that allows you to introduce a small amount of horse safe foods occasionally.
