can weaving be stopped?

[Boxers]

Jay, who is rising 4, turns out to be a weaver. he had a grille on his stable door but broke it and he weaves. until it is repaired I am tying a couple of ropes across his door.

also discovered that he is petrified of the top door being shut towards him. YO thinks someone may have slammed a top door in his face at some point to stop him weaving.

so can weaving be stopped, or is it just a case of using a grille all the time?

 

[peaceandquiet1]

I have an Arab mare who weaves when she is stabled, especially if she is uptight about something. I don't try to stop her but just minimise the time she is inside. Its quite distressing to watch but if I go away then usually she calms down and stops. I can tell by listening to her from an unseen place. I got her when she was 11 and she is now 15.

 

[Jesstickle]

Why would you want to stop it. It is a coping mechanism. I hate weave grills and would never put one up (and yes, I do have a weaver so it's not just idealism)

If they're weaving you need to look at why, not just trying to stop them through force. For eg, mine weaves if there is no hay in her box and when other horses go out before her in the morning. So I make sure she doesn't stand in with no haynet and I try and put her out reasonably early. I would ideally like her to live out full time and it's something I'm working towards as she doesn't like being stabled.

 

[Boxers]

He has been back on the yard from winter turn away for about 3 weeks now and a grille was put up 'just in case' because before he was turned away YO saw him weave a little bit when he was in overnight for worming.

He won't be out full time til about the middle of April when the summer paddocks are opened up.

He is one of the first to be put out in the morning. It is mostly in the late afternoon/evening when people are around on the yard, doing their horses etc. we are on restricted turnout so he only gets 3 hours out. he shares a small rough paddock with another horse, and they interact and groom each other alot.

I make sure his haynet is full and it is not finished when I go to put him to bed in the evening.

someone has lent me a treatball today and I have put some carrots and pony nuts in it. so that might keep him occupied for a little while hopefully.

 

[Goldenstar]

Are you using the grille because the YO does not like to see him doing it?
I don't think that horses start each other off weaving but it is showing stress so you need to remove as much stress as possible .
I did have one who started weaving during a long period of box rest it did stop when it when back to normal life you are doing the right things tie a Hay net at the door if you done already

 

[Ibblebibble]

a grille won't stop him either! determined weavers will just stand behind the grille and weave, the best way to deal with it is change your management rather than trying to force him to stop with gadgets

 

[Orangehorse]

I had one that was "an occasional weaver" as the adverts say! She did it in the stable or even out in the field if there was something to make her anxious. She liked to be able to see all around, so she had a stable with a front and back window. She always had ad lib hay and a deep comfortable bed. I turned her out early and fetched her in late. She got better when she settled in as she would weave if taken to a different place (holiday livery).

She didn't like change of routine. I put a rubber stable mat in front of the door, so if she was weaving there was a bit of "give" so as not to damage her joints. Actually, she was a very sound horse while I had her!

I sold her and the new owner found she hated the first livery yard, so she moved her to a yard with internal stables that only came so far up, so she could see all round,a nd she settled straight away.

 

[Spyda]

Mine will weave once in a blue moon. She's a homebred 5 year old who's never seen another horse weave and has never been cooped up or 'gone without' for more than about 5 minutes. None of her female dam line weaved (she's 5th generation I've bred) and her sire was a pretty chilled chap. She only ever lightly weaves if she's thirsty and I'm filling her water bucket at the tap outside her stable when she's brought in for a feed. As soon as she's had her drink she's fine. She in ATM with an injury - and has been in for the past 4 days but hasn't weaved - even when the other horses in the barn are being turned out in the morning or being fed. She happily eats hay, snoozes at the back of her box or dozes over her door. The weaving only happens when she's thirsty (which is a rare occurence). I dont worry about it. Might, if she did it more though.

.....she moved her to a yard with internal stables that only came so far up, so she could see all round,a nd she settled straight away.

Interesting that, as mines in a similar stable with low sides that enable her to have a good view of everything going on. Wonder how mine would be in a 'traditional' loosebox?

 

[Jesstickle]

I sold her and the new owner found she hated the first livery yard, so she moved her to a yard with internal stables that only came so far up, so she could see all round,a nd she settled straight away.

I moved mine to a box which is only half height the entire front and side next door to her neighbour. She is much better in this one than she was in a proper loose box.

ETS: so her box now is massive and she can see out, touch noses etc