Grumpy pony!! Help!

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LC90

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Hiya,

I have recently moved yards and my mare has started being very grumpy by kicking the walls especially when she is eating. The stable she has moved into is an american barn system so the horses can see each other either side. I know that she is just protecting her food but I don't want her to injure herself or become very grumpy. She is a lovely mare with a kind temperament but I don't want this ruining with her being unhappy in her surroundings!

What would be the best option? Obviously I don't want to move her off the yard as we have only just moved on and everything else is great! I have temporaily popped a rug up next to the bars but it looks unsightly and doesn't cover all the bars. The other problem is blocking the light for the other horses!

If you have any suggestions that would be great!
 
Yes thats what I have done for the time being but as I said its not great to look at and doesn't cover the whole side. Also it blocks the light for the horses at the end of the block.
 
Some horses, especially mares, like their privacy being constantly looked at by neighbours gets them stressed and they will often get worse as time goes on, possibly developing stable vices as they become more anxious.
I would try and move her to an end stable so she just has one direct neighbour and cover the bars to give her the private area she obviously needs.
 
be positive said:
Some horses, especially mares, like their privacy being constantly looked at by neighbours gets them stressed and they will often get worse as time goes on, possibly developing stable vices as they become more anxious.
I would try and move her to an end stable so she just has one direct neighbour and cover the bars to give her the private area she obviously needs.
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^^^^this i had a mare like this she was hideous would actually double barrel the walls towards her neighbour ( i had open barn stabling ) luckily i was able to move her to an end box with the neighbours wall built up and the kicking stopped straight away
 
If you can't get an end box, can you cover the back half of the stable with a sheets of wood (looks tidier than a rug!), so she has a wall to hide behind when she needs it. If you only do half, it shouldn't cut off too much light. You could put her feed and hay there so she doesn't feel threatened. I'm sure the YO wouldn't mind if it saves his stable being double-barrelled!
 
Thats great. Thank you for the help! I think I will ask about moving stables but of course it will mean a lot of shuffling and other owners may not be too keen!
Covering half of the wall is a good idea though which would hopefully stop the behaviour.

Thank you again everyone!
 
Covering some or all of the bars with wood is really easy. You can cable tie the wood on so it is easy and quick to remove too if you need to. It should help her stop feeling threatened.
 
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