Box walkers-

[JCbruce]

Does anyone have any advice on box walking and how to maybe reduce this also is more bedding or less bedding better.

I have a secret box walker, no one ever sees him doing it but his box is always a mess with a clear circle in it. He’s still currently out over night and in during the day. He was better over summer I think he was so busy eating grass he just slept all day and when ever I could borrow another horse for company he would stay out 24/7. He’s currently the last horse to be turned out which isn’t helping but he’s always calm as a cucumber when I get there. When they turn around for winter he can be the first one out and last one in but it didn’t really make a difference last winter. He was also not backed last winter so I’m hoping being tiered from work might help.

Is there anything I can do to help reduce this like I said no one ever notices him doing it he’s usually super calm in the stable and a happy chappy. He has a back window got all his friends with him and a mirror. I think it’s just him. He’s on a super quiet yard only 5 horses in an American barn.

We have a big barn and last winter I tried keeping him in there a lot over night with a round bale and a friend but he just kept cutting himself and we couldn’t find anything he was cutting himself on so he is now banned.

Also advice on bedding with pellets. We are only allowed to use pellets. Should I do a big bed, small bed, deep litter. Anything I have tried is just a mess and costs me a fortune.

Thanks very much and I before you suggest leaving him out 24/7 it’s not an option as I don’t have company and I wouldn’t consider moving yard as there is so little livery around us and this is the only yard I found in the area we don’t have any turn out restrictions and also have loads of fields.

Thanks very much I think I’m just dreading winter

 

[Barton Bounty]

BB was a box walker, sawdust only, bed of 6 bales and top up one bale a week

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

You could try a different stable I had one on a livery yard I used to run and he was on a row of 5 stables that faced another row of 5, I moved him around the corner to a stable that looked out onto fields and the school so he had a better view and he stopped immediately, I do think that horses in barn type stables can make them worse so I would maybe move him near the entrance if you don't have any outdoor stables.

You never know it might work.

 

[JCbruce]

BB was a box walker, sawdust only, bed of 6 bales and top up one bale a week

Thank you but I can only use pellet bedding

 

[JCbruce]

You could try a different stable I had one on a livery yard I used to run and he was on a row of 5 stables that faced another row of 5, I moved him around the corner to a stable that looked out onto fields and the school so he had a better view and he stopped immediately, I do think that horses in barn type stables can make them worse so I would maybe move him near the entrance if you don't have any outdoor stables.

You never know it might work.

He’s on the last stable. He did it on his last yard as well which was an outside block I was hoping he would grow out of it

 

[ycbm]

Can you put a camera up to find out when and for how long he's doing it? All night, I'd be worried and do anything it took stop him, it's so bad for his joints and indicates mental stress. Half an hour at six in the morning just before the staff arrive, I'd try and forget about it.

 

[dottylottie]

lily is a bit like this, she doesn’t box walk as such (camera in the stables so i know she doesn’t), but she has a window at the back and she’s constantly backwards and forwards between nibbling her net and taking in the scenery.

the only thing that works for her is a very good bed, but she’s on straw. she’s actually been cleaner since being on this yard, at our old yard i ended up just putting down a small bed of straw and taking it all out daily.

 

[JCbruce]

Can you put a camera up to find out when and for how long he's doing it? All night, I'd be worried and do anything it took stop him, it's so bad for his joints and indicates mental stress. Half an hour at six in the morning just before the staff arrive, I'd try and forget about it.

I think it’s more nearing time to go out. It’s not messy enough to be the whole time he’s also very wet which doesn’t help. They are in at day at the moment and the girl who is on the yard says he’s either eating or flat out sleeping all day.

lily is a bit like this, she doesn’t box walk as such (camera in the stables so i know she doesn’t), but she has a window at the back and she’s constantly backwards and forwards between nibbling her net and taking in the scenery.

the only thing that works for her is a very good bed, but she’s on straw. she’s actually been cleaner since being on this yard, at our old yard i ended up just putting down a small bed of straw and taking it all out daily.

I think he’s a bit more like this just wants to see what’s going on. I wish I could have straw. They let me have straw pellets because the wood pellets they use are £10 a bag and I use three bags a week in the winter

 

[asmp]

Mine does it but I’m pretty sure it’s mostly done while I’m getting his feed. He can see me arrive and theres a few minutes while I go to the feed room. It could be worse though - my daughter’s horse digs! He has to be on straw as he will wreck a shavings bed by churning it all up.

 

[Carrottom]

Do you feed hay in a net? If so, you could experiment with trying it in different places. One of mine can make a bit or a track around his stable because he tends to walk around the stable from his net to the door. (He now lives out so not a problem. )