Help and Ideas needed. Please.

Eliza2009

Eliza2009

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I would like to ask all you guys out there for some ideas on how I can sort my youngster. She is really trying me at the moment.

I have been lucky enough to have been given a brand spanking new box. So I have been getting her use to it steadily. We have now got to the point were I believe she is trying me. Rearing up in the box, weaving at the door way(a weave grid is on the way), stopping on the floor with her front feet. I know she has an attitude but nothing like I saw tonight. Water bucket tossed over. Head butting her hay nets.

I even tied her up tonight and she tried to rear to get away, madly pawing the ground. She won't settle to eat her hay.

She even does this when her friends are in the stable too.

After all this attention seeking, she stands still for me to clip her lead rope on, waits till the door is open and walks out of the stable like a lamb. So behaved at this point. Doesn't pull or mess on the way to the field.

Last winter she was never like this. Would tie up and stand calmly. Was a lamb in her box. Just wondering if it is her way of testing me so I will do things her way.

I was wondering if any of you would have any ideas on how i can tackle these problems. Or I should just percivere and tell her she is wrong when she does this.

Kinda at a loss... please can anyone help
 
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If she was fine last winter then it can't purely be claustrophobia which was my first thought, but there must be something about this new box that upsets her. Horses don't play up just because they feel like it, there is always a reason so you need to try and look at it through her eyes before getting cross with her.

In what way is this box different to her last one?
 
It is a larger box 12' x 12' instead of a 10' x 12'. It is a meatal gril type stable, Grill at the top and wood to the bottom. The only thing I can say that is different - Instead of the metal grill/wood going all away around the box, she has a metal/wood front with a centre doorand the other 3 walls are wooden.

She doesn't kick out at the walls, just rears. I did think it might be down to her wanting to see out.

I understand where you are coming from though.
 
You are probably right, it could well be because she can't see out. I presume this means she can't see her friends on either side?

One of mine goes nutty in his stable, he is like that in any confined area, but he is a lot calmer since I took down the sides low enough for him to see over.
 
I don't know how hard it would be to remove some of the pannels so she could see out. I couldn't even swop to another box as all the large boxes are of the same contruction. I will havw to think of something, maybe remove some of the wood and replace with some perspex. That might work.

What do you think?

But this wouldn't affect her behaviour when being tied up though...would it?
 
Personally I would start thinking about trying to lower the sides, if that is possible without starting a major construction job!

As for being tied up, it could be because she has wound herself into a state about being confined... really hard to say without being there :confused:

How about trying to get her to associate the box with something nice - when she comes in from the field putting her straight into the box with a tub of food waiting? Apologies if you already do that.
 
More thoughts - is the atmosphere different in the new place, such as noise, more activity?

My nutty one is fairly okay now, but as soon as people talk loudly or a sheep at the other end of the barn baa's he gets hysterical!
He will rear and buck on the spot, and spin in circles slinging his head around. I know him well enough to understand that it is loud noises and the inability to escape that sets him off.
 
Does she have to be stabled?
If she does then another thing to consider is smell.
When I first got my horse I excitedly got him from the field in and parked him in his lovely big stable. He went from lamb to ballistic tiger,my life was at risk trying to release him from this hellish prison......He had been fine in a stable when I went to view him........took me a while to work out that there USED to be a pig on my yard. The pig had died months before(and sent to hunt!) but I guess he could still smell it.
Maybe there is an offending smell in your lovely new box,glue,rubber,type of wood?
 
If a horse says no, you asked the question wrong. There could be a smell in this new box that you don't register that could be bothering her. Maybe you could start over and just take baby steps. Like one day let her sniff the box and then leave it there, then get her to put her feet in/on the ramp, end it there. Do this and if at any point she objects, you'll know that this is her breaking point and this is what needs to be worked on.
 
I would say it is because she cannot see the other horses and this sends her into a temper tantrum.

I would get 'cross' with her by growling and arm waving so she concentrated on me as she is in danger of hurting herself.

Give it a few days and see if she settles, if not see what can be done about opening one of the sides so she can see through.

One of the best things I did when having our barn built was to have metal grills rather than solid walls so horses can see the full length of the barn, they settle so much easier and if two horses dislike each other they soon accept they are neighbours and settle. None feel confined because it is so open.
 
We have a youngster that used to behave like this when first stabled in winter, or when brought in for short periods. if she has been living out it could just be that she has to get used to coming in again and being put in a stable on her own. I would just ignore the behaviour for a few days, leave her to get it out of her system, she will begin to eat her hay when she is hungry and gradually settle down. Ours used to rear at his door but once he had been in a few times he began to settle and then learned to love his stable so much he didn't want to come out.
 
The horses brain is not set up to 'try you to make you do it her way'. I would suggest being very gradual with it and persisting. It's a shame it has got to the stage she is so stressed she has developed weaving. I would bring her in daily, have a feed and nice haylage waiting in her box. A friend opposite so she can see him/her, a nice deep bed in the box. Don't stand and watch her, walk away and leave her for a couple of hours.(not toos hort, or she'll not have a chance to settle) Then turn her out again. With time she should get used to it. If she is rearing, walk away and let her settle. Could you cut a window out of one side so she can see the horse next to her?
You are right this needs to be nipped in the bud so that she is not compromised in the future.
 
Thank you all for your comments.... I understand were you are coming with the new smells etc, so I have left all her straw untouched so she can scent it upso it smells of her.

The mirror sounds a good idea.

I just can't understand her at times, she will eat her feed very calmly. then all the camotion. I will try the leaving her to it. Be out of the way so to speak but still there.

I don't think I will be allowed to lower the sides as it isn't my own box but on a livery yard. Might see if i could remove a few planks so she has a small window if all else fails.

The weaving i think started from another horse she was stabled across from last winter. But i have a weave grill coming so hopefully it will be nipped in the bud.

She doesn't rush out of her stable when I open the door as I would expect a horse suffering from seperation/fear of small spaces to do. She doesn't call either unless there is alot of up raw. Noises don't seem to bother her...so I thought a radio might help break up the noise so it isn't so quiet. Play some classical lol.
 
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