When I first bought Oscar home, he ate his feed then licked
his bowl and the slices of chopped apple and carrot clean...does he not like fruit and veg I pondered? Never
one to be deterred I continued to ‘dangle the carrot’ so to speak. Eventually
he understood and it’s fair to say he hasn’t looked back since, therefore when
Haynet asked whether Oscar and I would like to try the Likit Starter Kit, I
jumped at the opportunity to learn more…
The Likit Starter Kit is fabulously packaged in a fun and
colourful box complete with animated instructions on how to un-wrap the Likit’s,
piece together, hang in the stable from the rope provided and includes the
following;
1. x1 Likit Holder
2. x3 Likit’s apple, cherry and carrot
3. x1 bag of mint and eucalyptus Likit Snaks
4. x1 bag of apple and cinnamon Likit Snaks
Because of Oscar’s native breeding and natural tendency to
be a good-doer I am always conscious of the sugar content in his diet and the
recent removal of his back shoes has only heightened my awareness. On the other
hand I also understand that horses have evolved as herbivores, eating grass and
other pasture plants that are naturally high in sugar, meaning sugar is a
normal component of a horse’s diet and not something to be dismissed. With this
knowledge in mind I delved into researching the Likit brand…
Firstly I congratulate Likit for making no secret of the
sugar content in their product range, openly sharing recommended daily
allowances on their website, plus for those completely adverse to sugar providing
a range of salt, sport (electrolyte) and ice (Himalayan Rock salt) Likit’s.
Likit offer low, medium, high and high+ products in their
unique Challenge System range that bring wellbeing benefits to the stabled
horse by promoting licking, chewing, mimicking grazing behaviour, diverting
attention away from stable vices and relieving boredom. This enriches the
environment and the Likit Starter Kit is the perfect introduction, graded as
low level.
My Likit Starter Kit arrived last Saturday and Monday welcomed
the start of a very wet week. This saw Oscar stabled without turnout offering the
perfect opportunity to test my Likit…I chose to try Apple first!
The Likit Holder was simple to put together and the plastic
around the Apple Likit easy to remove. As per the instructions I assessed the
structure of Oscar’s stable, grabbed a mounting block and hung the rope around
one of the rafters before clipping the Likit Holder on. If you don’t have a
beam to hang it from Likit recommend baler twine/rope hung across a corner of
the stable to create a beam and hang the Likit from the middle. The benefit
being the Likit moves making the reward a boredom busting challenge.
Proud of my handy work I waited…it was a tentative start and
I had to unclip the Likit and place it under Oscar’s nose for him to get the
idea. He soon realised how tasty it was and stood quietly playing, biting,
licking, twisting and swinging the Likit as I skipped out, groomed and changed
rugs.
Since my Likit has been out twice a day as I do my yard
chores, successfully diverting Oscar’s attention from being stabled and feeling
like a real treat. Something he twitches his nose with joy at when he sees coming.
I wish I would have realised the boredom busting benefits of
Likit’s Challenge System before now because there is a definite place for them
in the life of a stabled horse, be it overnight, due to bad weather or box
rest. I am already planning to buy a banana refill once my Starter Kit has ran
out and I think this is the start of a colourful collection.
I’d love a Likit Snak-A-Ball – challenge level medium - to
fill with the delicious heart shaped Likit Snaks that were included in the
Likit Starter Kit. Oscar loves these super cute munchies.
Jessica and Oscar
Written on behalf of Haynet as a Cream Of The Crop Blogger
