Horse stable vices are those behaviours that are unwanted, and generally repetitive. There are 4 main vices that stabled and stalled horses can suffer with; box walking, cribbing, weaving, and windsucking.
When a horse is stabled, especially for an extended period, it may develop behaviours that are unwelcome. These vices can be detrimental to your horse’s health, and are often related to stress and/or boredom.
This article outlines the main vices and reasons for these behaviours. Read on for possible changes to the management of your horse to reduce stress and therefore unwanted vices.
Horse vices meaning
If your horse has a vice it’s because the horse is trying to tell you something. The vice unfortunately may be so long held, that even when the reason for the original behaviour has been removed, the habit remains.
If your horse has only recently developed signs of a vice, ensure that you investigate the reasons why and make efforts to remove any negative stimuli. All vices have an underlying cause and it is good horsemanship to alter your care regime if it has a negative impact on your horse.
Horse vices symptoms
You may be wondering what causes stable vices, and although all horses are different there are often underlying commonalities: boredom, stress, hunger, to name but three.
Whilst many of the vices can be related to stress, cribbing (or crib biting) has been suggested as a sign of digestive discomfort. According to Succeed-equine a horse that cribs may have found a way to expand the stomach to relieve portions of the stomach lining from being hurt by the stomach acids.
Wood chewing may be a sign that your horse lacks specific nutrients in his diet and is trying to find his own supplement (Does my horse need a balancer?).
Box Walking
What is box walking?
Box walking is exactly as it sounds. A horse who box walks will continuously move round and round his stable and never completely settle.
On the surface, box walking may not seem too bad a vice, but it can bring about the following problems for both horse and owner:
- lack of rest for the horse: if a horse doesn’t settle and relax in its stable then it will not get the desirable amount of rest for its mental and physical health. Indeed, the horse may be too tired to carry out the work asked of it
- bedding: walking round and round will increase the amount of soiled bedding making mucking out more onerous and expensive for the owner
- muscles: most horses have a preferred side, just like humans are right or left handed. If the horse walks round and round in the same direction its muscles will form more prominently on one side, and weaken on the other. This can make ridden work harder as the horse will become less balanced, and will make the likelihood of the saddle not fitting higher. Ill-fitting tack can then lead to ridden vices
Why do horses box walk?
Horses box walk for several reasons. Stress is one of the main ones which is often brought about by the horse being brought into the yard alone. It has also been suggested that the method of weaning can lead to box walking (source).
How to stop a horse box walking
You could try the following to reduce box walking:
- Company: Bring your horse into the yard with other horses or companions. Being alone can be stressful to your horse
- Change stable: Some horses simply prefer a different outlook and will settle in a different stable for no apparent reason
- Grills: Talk grills between stables for horses that get on well together can limit stress and encourage natural grooming behaviours
- Turnout: Most horses fare better with as much turnout as possible and will show unwanted behaviour when stabled for too long. Especially with a box walker, keep stabling to a minimum as far as possible
- Desensitization: If your horse isn’t used to spending long in the stable, try to desensitize him by stabling him for increasing amounts of time so that he gets used to ‘his’ space and is happy being left alone for increasing lengths of time. Ensure that you provide ad lib forage.
- Stable toys: Keeping your horse distracted and relaxed is of the utmost importance. Stable toys will help keep your horse entertained whilst he has to be stabled
It may be possible to reduce the amount of box-walking, or even eliminate it with patient handling and increased turnout.
However, sometimes, regardless of the steps you take to reduce a behaviour the vice is so ingrained that it will feel that very little progress is being made. Using rubber matting to reduce the amount of bedding will save you time and expense. If you keep a small bed at the back of the stable the horse will still be able to lie down should he want to, but there will be less to track around.
If your horse has a tendency to walk in one direction only then you will need to spend longer building up the muscles on the weaker side. Regular physio and saddle checks will help your horse be as balanced as possible.
Cribbing
What is crib biting?
Crib biting or cribbing is a vice that can cause permanent harm to your horse. This vice can do damage to to your horse’s teeth and digestive system. The horse will grab onto any object, stable door, fence post/rail, gate etc. and tense their neck muscles whilst pulling back. You will know that the horse is crib biting by the grunt that they make (source).
Cribbing can cause the following problems for horse and owner:
- Teeth: By continually grabbing hold of objects with their teeth, the horse will wear down their teeth (especially the incisors) far more quickly than desirable.
- Property damage: Recurrent cribbing will lead to damage to stable doors, gates, and fencing etc. These will all need to be replacement more frequently than for a horse without such a vice. It may be difficult to find livery yards that accept a horse that is known to crib
- Weight-loss: Cribbing and weight-loss appear to go together. This may be because cribbers spend more time cribbing than eating. However, loss of condition and not eating sufficiently regularly can lead to further digestive problems and ulcers
- Muscle: With frequent muscle tensing the neck muscles grow incorrectly and out of proportion. This can cause other linked musculoskeletal problems
How to manage crib biting
There are a few different ways to try to stop a crib biter:
- Collar: Cribbing collars attempt to stop the cribbing action. However, leaving the horse without a stress outlet may be arguably more detrimental long term
- Paint: There are paints and unpleasant oils that you can paste over known cribbing points to reduce the temptation to crib owning to the bad taste
- Chilli: In much the same way as above, chilli is used to reduce the satisfaction gained by cribbing
- Stable toys: Hanging treats such as carrot and swede ropes can help your horse focus on something other than the door but also engages the jaw, so may provide an alternative to cribbing
As yet there has been no definitive reason for cribbing to happen. As we don’t know what causes this behaviour it’s difficult to formulate a treatment.
Weaving
What is weaving?
Weaving horses are those that move from side to side in one place, like swaying to non existent music. Some horses weave only with their heads, but a horse weaving in stall/stables is a horse with a vice nonetheless.
Like box walking, weaving doesn’t immediately seem like a huge problem. However, especially on a hard surface such as a concrete stable floor, the extra wear on a horses hooves can prove disastrous.
The main problems associated with weaving are:
- Hooves: Uneven wear on a horses hooves can present problems for your farrier, and may mean that expensive remedial shoeing is required on a frequent basis
- Joints: Continuous on the spot movement can strain joints and lead to lameness
- Muscles: These can develop abnormally and hinder natural movement
Weaving in horses signs
Reduced energy and condition are signs of weaving to watch out for. If you’re looking to purchase a new horse and there is uneven wear on the hooves, ask specifically about stable vices and weaving.
Causes of weaving in horses
Horses weave for a variety of reasons:
- Stable time: Too much time in a stable can lead to all types of vices, weaving being one
- Stable size: If the horse does not have enough room in the stable to move round comfortably they may start weaving so as to feel like they are moving even within too small a confine (source)
- Turnout/Exercise: Lack of turnout and exercise can cause weaving to begin. Horses are animals that historically travel many miles every day. As such, having to remain in a small area for long period of time can have negative effects on their mental health
- Sociable: Horses are herd animals and can become stressed without company. It has been recorded that horses who are kept in sociable environments are less prone to resorting to weaving to reduce stress (source)
- Pain: Pain could be a reason for weaving. Having the vet and chiropractor visit to give your horse a full work up could highlight any underlying problems
If you can increase turnout time, change the stable or bring other horses in at the same time and use a talk grill between stalls, you may find that the incidents of weaving reduces. An anti-weave grill may reduce the time spent weaving. If this is not possible, adding a radio or a mirror in the stable may also help.
Windsucking
What is windsucking?
Windsucking is very similar to cribbing. The horse tenses neck muscles and draws in air making a gulping sound. Windsuckers don’t have to have a surface to perform the vice.
Why do horses windsuck
Horses windsuck for many reasons, the most common being:
- Boredom
- Ulcers – as with cribbing the air taken in expands the stomach and can move painful acid off sensitive sections
- Hunger
- Habit – if the horse has learnt to windsuck and the cause has been removed, this may not stop the vices as it may have become learned behaviour
How to stop windsucking
Providing company, increasing time turned out, and increasing forage and exercise are just some of the ways to reduce the likelihood of windsucking.
If you have to stable your horse, then using small holed nets to slow down feeding, and toys such as hay or treat balls may help. The idea being that the majority of horses are food orientated, and giving them something to concentrate on, and spending more time eating, will reduce the time that they suffer boredom and resort to windsucking or another vice.
Other Vices
This article has focused on the 4 main stable vices. There are however many others, many of which are bad habits rather than vices. Even when the cause of a vice has been removed, the habit may remain making it appear to be a vice.
- Wood chewing: Horses that chew wood, as separate from grabbing wood for cribbing and windsucking, may be hungry, have a nutrient deficiency or may simply suffer from boredom. However, damage to doors and fences, and the possibility of splinters and teeth damage is still real. The costs to the health of the horse and to the owners wallet can be staggering over the lifetime of owning such a horse. Providing extra forage, a balancer, and stimuli in and out of the field would be the first suggestion when dealing with a wood chewer Does my horse need a balancer?
- Head bobbing: Some horses bob their heads because of flies, pollens, dust, or as a learnt behaviour. Using a fly mask and horse suitable antihistamines may solve the problem almost instantly. If not then asking a very to check for head shakers syndrome would be appropriate. Head Shaking in horses
- Pawing for attention: Pawing the ground in anticipation of food or treats or even wanting to move off on a ride is widespread. If it isn’t for too prolonged a period or too frequently it’s something not to get too fixated on. Check with your farrier that they aren’t doing any damage to their hoof though, just to be on the safe side.
- Pawing due to pain: If pawing is unusual for your horse, check their legs for warmth and signs of inflammation. Also check hooves for any foreign objects that may be causing pain. Call the vet if you are concerned
Trying to ensure that your horse has a life that is as near to natural as possible will reduce the likelihood of vices starting in the first place.
Managing vices in horses
If you horse has stable vices you could try the following to relieve stress and anxiety:
- Radio: If you don’t have a companion to bring your horse in, a radio can provide interest and soothing noise to reduce your horses anxiety
- Mirrors: As above. If your horse has the illusion of company it may pacify him enough to reduce unwanted behaviours
- Hanging treats: If your horse’s vices are down to simply boredom, especially if your horse is on box rest, then try hanging treats to give them something to do. Carrots, parsnips, and swedes on a hanging rope will provide entertainment and will give your horse something to focus on which may reduce vices
- Company: Horses are herd animals and often feel stressed when removed from their friends. If you cannot bring in others when you bring in your horse, or cannot afford another horse, then sheep, goats, and smaller ponies such as Shetlands have all been successfully used to relax and calm a stressed horse
- Exercise: If your horse is bored, increasing your horse’s exercise programme may also reduce vices. If the horse can’t be ridden, then in-hand walking, trick training, or long-lining can also stimulate your horse’s brain and body
- Forage: Ensuring your horse has plenty of forage whilst stabled can reduce vices that come about through hunger. If your horse needs limited calories, try soaking your hay or feeding smaller quantities more regularly to keep the gut healthy. You could even slowly add an amount of oat straw to the hay which will provide forage without so many calories. What hay is best for horses.
Should I buy a horse with vices?
Buying a horse with known vices can be a challenge. However, if for example, the horse that is perfect in every other way is a known box-walker, and you intend to provide 24/7 turnout in a herd situation, then it may not be too much of a concern.
If the horse cribs or windsucks then you may find it difficult to find a livery yard that will accept the horse. Remember, that if you fail to divulge to a yard that the horse has stable vices, you may be in breech of contract and be asked to leave. Housing a horse with these vices is more costly to the livery owner, not just in terms of replacing stable doors and posts, but also in the time and effort to do this on a regular basis.
Horses with the above vices can cost an owner more in time, patience, finances. Remedial farriery is not inexpensive, and whilst many horses enjoy regular chiropractic attention, a horse with vices may need more than an annual check up.
Conclusion
A horse with vices can not only have mental insecurities, but also physical issues that need addressing. Whilst you can do many things to reduce the triggers of unwanted behaviours, sometimes such behaviour is so ingrained that changing habits can be difficult, if not impossible. Providing companionship and as much turnout as possible will reduce the likelihood of vices occurring in the first place.
