Common stable vices include:
Horse weaver
Wood chewing: Gnawing on wood out of hunger or boredom.
Cribbing: When the equine grabs hold of a surface with its teeth, arches its neck, and sucks in air.
Weaving: Rocking back and forth in a repetitive fashion, possibly a self-stimulating behavior.
Wall kicking: Kicking the walls of its stall with hind legs.
Biting: A nervous or anxious equine may reach out of its stall to bite at passers-by, human or animal.
Bolting feed: Eating food too fast without adequate chewing, this potentially can lead to certain problems in the digestive system including choke and colic.
Circling: Like weaving, this is a repetitive movement, only the individual circles compulsively in its stall rather than just rocking back and forth.
Pawing or digging: The equine constantly paws with its front feet.
What is horse weaving?
The horse will rock himself from side to side and the head swings with the movement.
This behaviour is usually seen at the stable door and is a nervous habbit.
Watching an animal behave in this manner can be very frustrating.
This habit can be catching and quickly learnt and imitated by others.
A confirmed weaver is incurable, but if a youngster is caught in time and you are able to find out the cause it can be rectified.
Why does my horse display this kind of behaviour?
An equine that is stabled for long periods simply becomes bored.
There is nothing else to do. They are unable to forage so weaving is like therapy.
Endorphins are realised when the animal is displaying this behaviour, so it can become addicted to the feeling it produces.
The horse could also be lacking fibre in the diet.
What do I need to do?
Try to treat the cause not just the symptoms.
It is important to provide the best possible environment, which satisfies the stabled horses needs.
*** Remedies for weaving ***
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What is a crib biter?
What is a box walker.html
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