Do horses mimic others in regards to stable vices ???

I have been doing stuff with her,
I take her out on the roads in hand to get her used to walking out, I've done lunging & I've had her lunging over different jumps :)
 
yes she probably is not happy if she has started weaving, but you can make it less stressful for her until you find somewhere she can have at least daily turn out.

hang up a supplement bucket with a whole cut in it and filled with chopped carrots and apples.

soak your hay to remove sugar then you can give her more of it so she is busy for longer.

put a haynet inside a haynet so the wholes are smaller so it takes longer to eat the hay inside.

get her out of the stable for as long as you can each day, going for walks like you do is great.

hang the haynet from the middle of the stable so it does not sit against the wall, it will move more as she eats again it will take longer for her to get through it.

put a couple of handfuls of chaff type stuff in a treat ball along with the nuts and they take longer to fall out.

hang a swede up or anything edible.

remember to avoid anything sugary like likits and stuff or she will have sugar rushes causing more stress.

what are you feeding her?
 
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jess2353 said:
well she's got one more week off to let her mouth heel then she'll be back into riding. Hopefully giving her a
Job to do might ease some stress :)
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What is wrong with her mouth? If it is sore from the bit then I would recommend riding her in a hackamore.
 
well they had her on Oats so I've taken her off this & put her on chaff & sugar beat for now.

but she's not having much Of it just literally ramming it into one of those treat balls with some carrots & cool cubes aswel.
keeps her amused :)

Il try some of those jool1234 :)

we're off out on a nice walk after I fInish work :)

She has got a likeit
 
well they had her on Oats so I've taken her off this & put her on chaff & sugar beat for now.

but she's not having much Of it just literally ramming it into one of those treat balls with some carrots & cool cubes aswel.
keeps her amused :)

Il try some of those jool1234 :)

we're off out on a nice walk after I fInish work :)

She has got a likeit but doesn't touch it now it's hanging in middle of the stable :/ to much hard work I think :) haha
 
Mlini said:
Mine is a windsucker. I've had him for a year and none of the others on the yard have picked up on it. It was funny though, someone said they didn't want their horse near mine as 'he will catch it', I think people have very strange perceptions of vices and see them like a disease.

He has been out all summer and now when I bring him in overnight, he box walks! :rolleyes: Sure he just prefers to be out and its all boredom related.

He was a windsucker last winter and a box walker this winter!! :confused:
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I have this!! Mine cribs and some people are really funny about it but no horses have ever copied him!!
 
Horses aren't capable of copying behaviour. Vices or more correctly stereotypical behaviours are usually developed within the first month of weaning as a coping mechanism for the stress induced by the process. In my opinion it is wrong to stop a horse performing stereotypical behaviour as that essentially takes away their coping mechanism for whatever stress they are experiencing what should be done in an ideal situation is for the stressor to be identified and removed which will stop the behaviour as the horse has no need to do it. I hope that all makes sense :)
 
it makes sence, but I just can figure out what she's getting stressed about :/ she was weaving when I turned up at the yard earlier, she's moving stables later up to the other end where she can't see out to the fields perhaps may help. Fingers crosses. Plus she'll be up the other end with the quiet relaxed horses
 
jess2353 said:
it makes sence, but I just can figure out what she's getting stressed about :/ she was weaving when I turned up at the yard earlier, she's moving stables later up to the other end where she can't see out to the fields perhaps may help. Fingers crosses. Plus she'll be up the other end with the quiet relaxed horses
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irregularor not enough turn out is enought o stress a horse-maybe she has done this before you had her but as you say she was being worked hard twice a day so maybe that reduced her stress levels
 
i dont think they copy... there used to be a horse opposite mine in the barn and he used to bite people and try and pull them over the door as they walked pass.. when my horse was on box rest for 8 months he began doing it too.. he also started box walking and door kicking. now there were horses that did all of these in the barn but i think it was because he was bored and stressed but even on acp he did it so he was just left to it... 5 years later he still does all of the things he learnt while on box rest including climbing over the door which hes done a dozen times in the last 5 years but he only doesit when hes upset by something... no other horse has ever copied him :)
 
I got a horse last January who is a chronic windsucker, my 4 other horses had never seen anything like it, when he first did it they all looked completely amazed and did a sort of 'WTF' face at the noise, but quickly took no notice of him, not one of them has copied him though lol x
 
well my horsey must be shattered tonight lunged for a good half hour then we walked out about 3 miles in hand & then she thought was great fun to charge up & down the fields when we got back. one sleepy horsey :)))
 
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