Is It A Horse Toy or A Dog Toy?

I think it is loads of fun to mix obstacles, toys and horses. I enjoy seeing how each horse initially responds to various objects. It reveals so much about their personality. I find that fascinating.

Last year, I began seeing some horse-retail websites selling a “Kong Equine Mega Wubba.”

I was already familiar with the usefulness of Kong rubber toys for dogs (through dog sitting periodically for friends) as well as Kong wubba toys that I bought for my own cats and a handful of foster felines.

I was curious how my three horses would respond to this “Kong Equine Mega Wubba” and was definitely game to try it. I finally bought one earlier this year from an online equine retailer.

When I unboxed the toy, the first thing I noticed about it was the attached tag. It features a photo of a boy and a dog with the Kong “Dogs need to play” tagline on the back. No mention of horses whatsoever.

Was I sent the wrong Kong?

I wasn’t sure from where the toy had been sourced, so I decided to contact the Kong Company directly via email. I received a same-day reply. The representative from their Consumer Relations department wrote that Kong does not make a Kong Wubba specifically for horses. Hmmm?

Thanks so much for reaching out to us. I have shared the photo you uploaded with our Wubba product manager and that is our Mega Wubba Toy that we market for dogs.  We do not market it for horses but we have been told that many people do use it with their horses.

Carla with Consumer Relations

While the Kong company does not appear responsible for this advertising switcheroo, I am surprised that some horse-retailers are choosing to market dog wubbas as an equine toy.

Yes, I certainly use items as obstacles/toys with my horses that aren’t specifically made for equines. Things like tarps, cones, traffic cone bars and toy balls come to mind.

But to sell something as a “Kong Equine Mega Wubba” when it is simply a Kong Mega Wubba made for dogs seems like inaccurate advertising to me. Seeing items marked as “equine”, I imagine that they are made with horses and their unique needs in mind. Even more so when I notice that it is sold at a higher price point for horses than dogs.

In the end, does it make a difference whether the wubba is a horse toy or a dog toy? Well, I guess that is left up to the individual consumer. But I think it is important that we know what we are buying so we can make informed choices.

Beyond this issue of marketing, you might be wondering what my horses and I actually think of the Kong Mega Wubba? I’ll tell you the rest of the story in an upcoming post.