Destructive horse

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MissBaker

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Hi I seem to have a problem my horse is so bolshie in the stable and gets really bored when he's in always kicking the door and trying to bite stuff, what would be the best thing to keep him occupied??
 
Turn him out 24/7, but to be honest you need to get some advice from an instructor or someone who is able to see him. What does he bite? Does he have hay when he is in, why is he in, and for how long, is he on his own?
 
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He needs ad-lib forage of some kind, depending on why he is in. If you are trying to keep his weight down, feed him well-soaked hay and oat straw chaff. He might be more settled with a stale mirror if he is in without company. But of course 24/7 turnout would solve the problem.
 
at my yard there isn't 24/7 turn out and yes I will have to try that he comes in over night and has hay and feed ect. I don't know whether I should try stable toys ?
 
Up his workload, cut his hard feed, and ad lib his hay but in very small holed net.
Remove anything he can destroy from the stable.
Be firm and consistent in your handling. Nip any bolshy behaviour in the bud quickly.

If you are still struggling then consider getting an experienced instructor in to help you (that's probably a good idea anyway).
 
If turnout isn't available you could try stable toys. But dont be put off if he doesn't like the first one you buy. The ponies at my yard are very picky. They especially like the ones with treats in (i wonder why!) good luck :)
 
Don't reward him with attention when he does it - and as best you can make sure no-one else does either. If he kicks at meal times and then gets fed you are rewarding him for kicking. With one of our new ones who came to us with a habit of kicking for attention we used to stand with our back to him, feed in hand, waiting for the kicks to stop and then really quickly feed. He learned in about 3 or 4 days that kicking got him nowhere in the feed department. You can hang old carpet or similar on the door or walls to deaden the noise and protect his shoes. Just make sure it is safe! Stable toys are good - most of ours like the hanging licky treat thing - but we seldom actually put licks in it because of the sugar. They just like to mash it about. Hanging salt licks are also popular. Hexagonal balls are good - round ones move too far and too fast. We don't have mirrors at the moment - but they are always a possibility for horses who don't stable well.

Of course 24/7 turn out works. But not all yards have it - and you can't turn out at a show. All mine have to be well mannered - if you kick event stabling it might fall down!!
 
thankyou all so much this advice has really helped hes made some improvements, I went out and bought him a Bizzy bites toy I herd they were good and hes making improvements, doesn't kick the door half as much really please and I haven't been giving him attention either when he doesn't have his toy and already getting better thankyou all so much :)
 
Work him harder and longer and twice in a day if you can and give him no hard food , only fibre some horses settle more if giving lots of different forage .
It would be better to get him to a yard with better turn out .
 
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