Agitated at feeding time

[dwi]

Daisy has always been one for kicking the door at feeding time, we suspect because her last owner used to feed her to make her quiet if she created so she never learnt any self control.

I believe that routine is important so she is always fed last thing but this means that she can guess when she is going to be fed and kicks the door. Last night she went one step further and apparently did a mini buck in her stable and double barrelled the wall. I didn't see her because I was in the feed shed but this is what I was told.

She only has a small handful of happy hoof so I can't split it into several feeds to lessen the excitement. She always has her hay from when she goes into her stable so its not like she has nothing to eat. I was told to never walk towards her with the feed when she was banging so I stop walking if she bangs. She has now learnt that this won't work so she only bangs when I'm getting her feed. Its not just a feed room though, I keep all of my stuff in there so its not like she doesn't see me going in and out all of the time, ususally without getting fed.

I'd really like to stop her doing it because the stables have wooden partitions and she is going to do it serious damage, quite apart from how stressed she seems to get.

 

[EllieBeast]

I'm sorry to hear she has started this habit. my horse is an absolute asbo if left in overnight (i doubt i need to post the pics again

). so she is now turned out = problem solved. however this obviously isnt an option for everyone. could you hang a tyre where she usually kicks? this has worked for many horses i know. however not for mine, as i couldent really line all 4 walls with tyres

 

[Skhosu]

why not feed her first?

 

[spike123]

how about lining her door with carpet and possibly put a bit of rubber matting against the wall she kicks.This will stop the noise and make her realise she isn't going to gain anything from the kicking.Something which we have done in the past with a confirmed door kicker was basically have someone sitting outside the stable with a hosepipe and everytime he kicked at the door he got squirted with water.He learnt very quickly that each kick resulted in getting wet and stopped doing it.

 

[Tia]

Oh I was browsing another forum a few weeks ago and a horse there had exactly the same character as your girl. The suggestions from most of the posters was to put an electric dog collar on the horse's tail and zap it every time it kicked out whilst she was making up the feed.........see I told you all I lived in a pretty strange place.

Personally I would have the feed already in the stable waiting for her when she comes in from the field. OR if she is already in much earlier than you normally feed, then everytime she created I would walk out of the feed room and disappear for a few minutes, go back and if she does it again, then do the same thing until she learns to stand quietly. I would even forsake her her evening meal if she still didn't get it. If she is a nuisance when you take the feed to her door then I would leave it outside her stable until she behaves.

But then I don't stand for nonsense like this and will be very harsh with any of mine if they don't wait their turn - they all know they risk not getting any dinner if they do this.

 

[lilpete]

I had a horse that banged the stable door at feed times, I tried alsorts to stop him, and nothing worked. Iv seen something advertised before that you fit on the stable door, and it squirts water at the horses legs everytime it bangs the door.
I also know someone that fitted a dog zapping collar on the horses leg, and everytime it banged, they gave it a shock. It soon stopped doing it.

 

[Bossanova]

If we have bangers they get a sharp word the first time, shooed back from the door on subsequent times and if it persists, a swishy noise is made with a schooling whip.
We do have some persistant offenders and the only way to shut them up is to keep them stocked up with hay and always fed first.

 

[dwi]

I don't want to feed her the second she comes in because that would be avoding the problem rather than addressing it. If I bring her back from schooling or a hack I obviously won't have the feed in there waiting for her because she needs an absolute min of 30 mins before feeding so that she can cool down.

She can't stay out at night because of livery regulations, even if I asked for an exception to be made which I doubt would be allowed she wouldn't be happy because she'd be on her own.

She does have hay in there so its not like she's suffering being in there without her feed.

I really like the idea of the dog collar. I've seen them before on dog borstal so I might try fitting one to her stable door.

*toddles off for the weekly visit to the pet shop*

 

[dwi]

Eeek , I just had a bit of a browse for dog collars, pets at home are selling them for £129!, ebay cheapest price is about £35 but that still seems like a lot of money, I think at that price I'll just have to pay someone to stand there with a water pistol

 

[siennamiller]

[ QUOTE ]
Personally I would have the feed already in the stable waiting for her when she comes in from the field. OR if she is already in much earlier than you normally feed, then everytime she created I would walk out of the feed room and disappear for a few minutes, go back and if she does it again, then do the same thing until she learns to stand quietly. I would even forsake her her evening meal if she still didn't get it. If she is a nuisance when you take the feed to her door then I would leave it outside her stable until she behaves.



[/ QUOTE ]



I'm with Tia. I have done this with two really bad door bangers and they are both fine now.
xx