HELP! Fence walking....

[[69117]]

I have a 23 yr old Hanoverian gelding who has started pacing the fence line...and I've tried everything I can think of to stop him!
I've had him for 5 years, and last summer he became over attached to one of our mares, and would run up and down the fence line screaming his head off if she wasn't with him. It got to the point where he was giving himself nosebleeds when she wasn't with him, either outside running up and down, or inside throwing himself around his box. The mare was sold, and the problem stopped.
However, he has recently started to pace again, and this time he has no reason to - he has a companion who never leaves him as she is retired, and due to his frantic box walking, he now has a large barn with a concrete yard around it to go into at night with his new woman.
He doesn't pace at regular times, or for any reason, he'll pace whether there are horses in the field next to his or not. Sometimes it's immediate and he goes on all day, or sometimes he'll be pacing when I go out to get him in. This time it seems to be more a habit - he isn't stressed, and just walks up and down up and down up and down rather than trotting or cantering, and he doesn't neigh.
Does anyone have any idea what else I could try? He's having to stay in his concrete yard at the moment because in this wet weather since the snow has gone he has absolutely trashed a 20ft wide strip all along one fenceline, and he's a poor doer anyway so can't afford to lose weight doing this! HELP HELP HELP I'm getting desperate!

 

[MontyandZoom]

I have a 'fence walker'. It was originally caused by his woman but now he has been living out in a mixed group for a while, he doesn't care about the mare on the other side of the fence! He still does it sometimes though.

Has anything changed at all that could upset him? Maybe a new horse arriving, people going out in the lorry, lack of riding due to weather?

 

[[69117]]

That's the irritating thing! Nothing at all has changed, when he first started again it was because one of our liveries decided to take her horse out of the field without bringing him in and he lost the plot, but since then it's just carried on for no apparent reason!
It's almost like this has become a habit almost like weaving - only he weaves with his whole body!
He's a grass horse, so I can't keep him in forever or he'll look dreadful and get depressed, but I can't turn him out if he's going to destroy the whole field. He used to just pace a small strip, no wider than 5ft, but now he just works his way across the field away from the mud!

 

[MontyandZoom]

God, he sounds like Monty! He sometimes even weaves in the field. Unfortunately, I don't think there is much you can do.

The only thing I would suggest is make sure NO-ONE gives him any attention when he does it. People were forever taking Monty out of the field and giving him treats when he weaved or paced which made it 10 times worse.

Sorry not much to offer but my sympathy. It drives you nuts!!!!

 

[[69117]]

Thank you!
I think that is what has made things worse too - when he first started I asked all the liveries to ignore him until he stopped, so that he could be brought in and rewarded for grazing like a normal horse, but the buggers decided to catch him and give him lots of treats too!
I think I might just shoot all the liveries and hobble him!
Sending non-pacing vibes to you and Monty!

 

[Mrs_Wishkabibble]

My mare did this when I got her but only really when she was on restricted grazing (can be a piggy!) she wore tracks in the field and it drove me mad! She then managed to get my retired 20 year old TB to do it that I have had for 15 years they would look like demented animals in an institution!

They sort of did it walking straight but with their necks slightly turned to the direction of the fence.

Anyway, I managed to "cure" it by placing poles out along the fence line so that she had to actually look where she was going otherwise she would trip over the poles, she would still try and go along the fence but after a couple of times got really fed up and stopped. I placed them at about 4 - 5 m but quite randomly spaced if that makes sense!

I felt very smug!! I dont have any poles out at all now and no doubt she will do it again in the Summer until I put the poles back out!

Give it a try, I was most surprised

 

[sare_bear]

Sadly I have one of those, so can definately sympathise.

Mine had only done it occasionally, when I changed her routine, but the last year she has got much worse. I had my other mare with her as a companion, but after a while she kept walking regardless. Any time someone moved a horse around her, despite her having loads of other friends it initiated the fence walking. Eventually, I had to bring her home as she was digging a trench at the livery yard! She could walk for hours and hours!!

She is now out in a small herd that never changes. They all live out 24/7 and as I have no stables, nothing ever leaves the field. She is as happy as can be now. The only time she has fence walked since is when the joyful hunt arrived and galloped up and down past are field for 3 hours!!! This did initiate the fence walking, but has since settled.

I think in my case it is both a stress reaction and an insecurety problem. This has been the only way to 'fix' it as it was driving me and everyone else nuts.

Sorry, not much help.

Good luck.

 

[[69117]]

Thank you people! I will definitely try whacking some poles out there - hadn't thought of that!

 

[Echo Bravo]

Get him a pig! My late old boy was a fence walker the track he made you can still see after several years, He'd get stressed out and walk up and down blindly and then I started breeding pigs and he was in seventh heaven he liked the pigs, specially the piglets and the pigs loved him.

 

[[69117]]

Sadly, he already has three Kune Kune pigs! And he just walks through them in a terribly rude way! i think I might just have to turn him out and run away to try and avoid looking at the mess he's made!

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I'm bouncing this thread, apologies.......

But: Has anyone got any other solutions to a committed fence walker/runner?
Again, no particular reason sets it off, plenty of grazing (and I mean plenty of grass) and has companions over 2 different adjoining fences.
One minute happily grazing, then all of a sudden mindless marching or trotting/ even cantering backwards & forwards for minutes or even a couple of hours - and It IS mindless as feed/horses etc do not work.
Horse does not keep condition well, is 19 & a gelding.
Weaves like a trojan when in, will fence walk the entire time when turned out.
Tried turning out for 24/7 (still on this) and its been 4 weeks - there is a huge deep 'ditch' along the boundary now.
Is very nasty piece of work if others in paddock so has to associate over secure fencing - and is fine on nose to nose contact (he uses hind legs to batter anything)

Poles have been tried, he falls over them & each time icks himself up & carries on.
Sedation works - till it wears off.
He can go a full day & all is well - then the next day off he goes again.

Suggestions please to help this owner out. If it was mine I'd have shot it by now (honestly!)

Owner is desperate for advice as otherwise will have to leave livery yard & knows its going to be horrid to find another place locally

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Not quite the same but, I used to ride past a horse that wore a track in his field. Everytime I went past there for months he was walking and walking, never grazing. Instead of going up and down the fence, he walked in a circle, he also appeared mindless and spaced out. Then one day I rode past and he was gone... I later was able to talk to his owner and it turned out he had a brain tumour and was PTS.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Faracat, not nice at all

Anyone got any ideas on curtailing this?