Boxwalking...

tonitot

tonitot

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My mare seems to be chronically box walikng, I've never seen her do it but have been told by people on the yard that she does it, plus the neat circle in her bed is a give away! There are a few things that could be the reason why she's doing it:
1. She hasn't gotten into the routine of coming in at night yet although she stands by the gate waiting
2. She's bored
3. She's stressed/has too much energy, out if work at the moment but starting her again this week

Will it cause her any real harm? I've bought her a likit and she has been given a treat ball tonight to see if they help at all. She always has plenty of hay. I can't keep her out as all the other horses are now coming in at night and she won't stay out alone. She does get fed, I'm not keen on changing her feed as it's the only feed I've found that keeps weight on her without making her go nuts.

Any ideas?
 
The kindest option would be for her to be on grass livery, but if this is not possible, could she be turned out with the first horse to go out in the morning ?
 
I had a boy who box walked really badly, when I first got him I had him in a stable facing out into the yard, thought it would help keep him occupied to have something to look at, anyway he was a nightmare so I moved him into a stable in the aisle, voila, he was absolutely fine.

Don't know if something like that is practical for you, though. Just what happened in my experience.
 
It's hard because of the hours I work I'm not able to get there to turn her out in the morning so my friend turns her out when she turns hers out. My mare is in a field on her own although another mare goes in with her most days and I don't think this helps but it's hard, yard is DIY and my friend is the only person really whose willing to help me out. All our stables face out onto the yard so moving her wouldn't make a difference. We use Relaxme on the racehorses at work although found it doesn't help them at all, but I could try it on her and see if it works on her, thanks :)
 
My pony used to weave - but now very rarely does it as he knows his routine.

He gets ...

- Ad lib hay. Literally loads of it so he never runs out. I think having loads makes him more relaxed and not worried about being hungry.

- A treat ball with badmington hi-fibre nuts in. They are very big so harder to get out than normal nuts which makes the ball last longer.

I'd ditch the likit, as they are full of sugar, and might be making your horse a bit more stressy (like Sunny D for kids!! :) ) You could get a salt lick insted.

I give my other horse a sweede on the floor - he rolls it round and takes chunks out of it when he feels like it too.

Also check your horse is not too hot or too cold.
 
Thanks maxapple, she was better this morning after having the treat ball and likit last night, hay was all gone though so will give her a few extra sections tonight. Not sure how long this will last though as I have the week off so can get there to turn her out earlier than my friend does and once I go back to work she could get bad again. Will defiantly buy her a treatball, borrowed friends last night, used to have one but sold it as thought she'd never need it, Doh! Will try the hi fibre nuts, although she gives up with treat balls quickly if she can't get the nuts out so may have to just use normal ones. She absolutly loves her likits, the one she was given last night was half gone this morning. I know they're full of sugar but if they're going to keep her occupied for a bit then she can keep them!
 
my tb always box walked if his haylage ran out so i used to hang nets all over his stable so he never ran out, just a note the lickets contain much more sugar(like 4 times as much) than the big square horslyx ones, you could also hang swedes and hide carrots and apple pieces in the haylage,also you could give a really big bucket of soaked to slop grass nuts or alfabeet as a partial hay replacer.x:)
 
I don't use haynets, I have nightmares about the things! Ethel is very good at getting her rugs caught on them so she has hay on the floor. Will
give her a load tonight in hope she won't run out and is kept occupied. I will be getting one of the big horselyx ones next week but for now the other ones will do :) have tried giving her a whole bucket of fibrebeet before and she ate all that before she ate her dinner! She isn't too keen on swedes, gets fed up of them rolling away :rolleyes:
 
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