Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I would have given this ball 5 stars if directions were better. I would have given it one star if I had to review on the day I blew it up. The manufacturer recommends you buy the cover, or the ball may not last long. Read all the reviews so you will be emotionally prepared for this test of your nerves preparing this ball for use. If you have nerve pills, take one. Alcohol...a stiff one. Plan on two hours. Snacks, chairs, shade. If you have a big family , use the enclosed manual pump to inflate the ball. Take turns. Think of it like CPR...for an hour. An electric air pump is best. You have to put the ball inside the cover before the blow up....making sure the ball air hole stays at the small cover opening. This is the first time you will start questioning your purchase. If you can get it accomplished..great. Knowing when to stop pumping air is your biggest challenge. No help from the manufacturer. They suggest you keep measuring the ball. Kind of hard to measure the height of a round gigantic ball. If you have a horse measuring stick with a sliding right angle at the top......that would be a big help. Or if you are not alone one can hold a stick across the top of the ball , while the other measures down to ground....40". Manufacturer tells you to check "the bounce"..But doesn't say how high.. Although you realize that the cover, in the pictures on the box, looks tight to the ball..........still the suspense builds as the ball gets very tight while the cover still has 6 inches of loose fabric hanging. You know the ball can't roll with fabric hanging. The horse will step on it. At this point you will start to wonder if you should have washed the cover first, so it can shrink. Not an option. It was so hard to get the ball inside the cover...Getting it out has to be near impossible. (To put the airless ball inside the cover you first roll it up to "snake" dimensions. Not easy. Once it's inside the cover, it unrolls.) You just have to live with fear, wondering if / when the ball will explode & you kiss $75 goodbye. I went very slowly from this point, stopping to measure the ball over and over. I didn't have the chutzpah to blow till the cover was skin tight. I was at 40". (as best as I could figure) So my cover is a tiny bit loose. The instructions mention washing the cover now & then. Trust me.....You will never wash the cover....unless you are a masochist. Or unless instructions meant wash like a car. It stays clean. Dirt seems to just fall off. Even mud. Looks fresh. Instructions recommend you keep the horse on a lead when first introducing him to the ball. My gut was not to do that. A loose horse running with an attached lead slapping him on the rump can be disaster. If you are sure you can hold onto a freaked horse..no problem. My horse has a walk-out stall from a barn into a 2 acre private pasture. I just put the ball in the pasture and let her investigate it on her own. It worked out fine. At first she stayed close to her stall door so she could run back inside & be safe.. But slowly accepted the ball. I stayed with the ball that first day and rolled it around slowly a bit so she could see it didn't hurt me. I gave her mints when she joined me with the ball. I have a feeling that, "boys", are going to be the ones that jump on the ball & raise Hell with it. Just a guess. A feisty filly might play hard too. My horse just pushes it with her nose & lips. And she gallops along beside it if it takes off with the wind. She's 6. 16 hands. Instructions say "don't leave ball outside". Doesn't help to bring in at night. I think it's the sun that's bad for it. Will have to think on that. Enjoy!