How can I stop her from getting bored in her stable

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nelle48

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My horse comes in at night and has recently started pulling her hay net down and chewing it and kicking her feed bucket around. I think this is because she is bored. Do you guys have any suggestions as to things i could give her to stop her getting bored. I want to do something now to try and avoid her cribbing or box walking etc caused by boredom, and to save buying millions of hay nets etc! Do you think getting a hay bar would be a good idea or just pile it on the floor instead of putting it in a net?
Any suggestions? :)
 
i have a munch station because i thought my horse would just pull it all out from the hay bar because he is a destructive little turd :D it is completely fantastic!
he also has a feed ball thing and a ball with lickits hung from the roof and an old football in a haynet.
 
What about one of those balls that drops odd treats out when pushed around? Or a swede on string. Put a horse mirror in the stable if she's in on here own. You could put the hay on the floor but she may just kick it about as she may just be getting enough grass out in the day.
 
put up fruit kebabs covered in honey on string jolly ball covered in apple paste and chaff horse mirrors likits and corner manger cause they cant knock um if there on the wall fruit in haynet thatll keep her busy our 2 year old loves her toys whens shes in during the winter
 
Will go and research munch stations, never heard of those before. She's in the middle of two other horses, so she's not really lonely. Will go buy a swede to experiment with, my friends horse loves them. Let's hope mine does too haha. Will try and make some honey covered fruit kebabs and try and maybe tie some things in her stable and see if she approves. Knowing her she'll scoff it because she eats literally anything! Do you think a football would help or would she just pop it?
Thanks (:
 
Thanks. Yeah, will try and get hold of a jolly ball and a likit holder thingy, I think she would enjoy one of those. Will let you know if anything works (: thanks
 
Give her more to do when she's not in her stable, so she's been mentally challenged a bit more and you just might find she's more settled. Check her diet isn't causing any risk of gastric ulcers as the discomfort is well known to cause 'angst' potentially leading to stable vices.
My horses all seem to like being in their boxes at night coz they have hay to eat - from munch stations on the floor, a nice warm, clean easibed to lie on, can see each other through the bars between the top halves of their boxes and have a quuiet radio to listen to in the evening - Classic FM quite a lot of the time. It's chill time for them and they know they can relax. They are 20, 5 and 3, can put their heads over their and none of them has any stables vices at all. The two youngsters are stallions. Take a close look at your management - I reckon your horse is trying to tell you something and is having to shout pretty loudly!
 
Here's what my boy likes:

Snack Ball to kick around.
Stable mirror, so he can chat to his handsome friend.
Haybar, although more fun to lift hay out and dump on floor thanks.

He was on box rest for several weeks once and these things worked wonders.

Good luck!
 
Well she's just been off for a month with a bad back and is just back in work which was only started with conformation from physio and vet with a new saddle, but we're bringing her back slowly. She has just gone back onto chaff and carrots for her tea, this week, only given her a little bit though.she has a nice clean bed each night, a huge hay net, water and is stabled in-between two ponies, but cannot see them inside, only if she looks out of her door. Is there anything I should change? I'm going to do some groundwork with her tomorrow before my sister rides as I'm not riding until Saturday as I've had a bit of a confidence knock so going to do some groundwork with her first before I get back on. could I change anything to make things better for her? Thanks
 
Hoodlum said:
Give her more to do when she's not in her stable, so she's been mentally challenged a bit more and you just might find she's more settled...... Take a close look at your management - I reckon your horse is trying to tell you something and is having to shout pretty loudly!
Click to expand...

I think you'll find she is aware of this and why she has posted this question in the first place:rolleyes:
 
Does your horse have to come in at night? If not, perhaps she is better left out? I have an ex racer whom I bought in feb this yr, he cribbed quite a lot when he first arrived, but once the better weather comes, we are allowed 24hr turn out at the DIY yard I'm at. I bring him in during the day for 6 - 7 hrs with a feed and ad lib hay and he is quite happy with this routine. Has your horse been creating for some time or has she only just started being on this routine? Horses (some more than others) do take more time to adjust. Do you find she is more unsettled if others are having their tea, haynets etc? I find with mine being in during the day, we tend to avoid the busy feeding and coming and going times
 
She could stay out but she'd be on her own, and the yard is by a dual carriage way. There is only her and the two other ponies on the yard, so it's not particularly busy, and they all come in and go out together * in at about 8pm and out at about 9am*. She has only just started doing this in the past few days but she's been on the in at night routine since she arrived in may, and I don't really know any of her history as she came from an auction in Ireland and i bought her off a dealer ( I tried to contact her last owner and I think breeder in Ireland, but as yet I have had no reply as I did it by letter as his address was the only bit on her passport about him ) so she could have had a different routine over there, and I know she mainly lived out at the dealers yard too. As they all eat at the same time, I don't think that has upset her, but she does get agitated when she cannot see the others, eg when she is in her stable and they are out or if she is in one of the fields on the other side of the yard. Do you think her being out all the time or in in the day and out at night would help her? Thanks
 
I wouldn't keep her out on her own if she gets agitated when she can't see others. She sounds like she needs a bit of security at the moment and she hasn't been with you long so she'll take a few more months to settle, I guess. Her behaviour sounds quite normal in the context you've given.:)
 
my pony messes about with buckes so his water bucket is attached to the wall(they do specail bucket and fixing in robinsons) and he has a corner feed manger hasnt pulled his haynet down yet
also he loves his boredom breaker the one you put lickits in if yo pu it in the right place they can get it but not so much its bad for them y pony spends hours playing with his :p also i give him a health lick which s ina salt lick holder attached to the wall
 
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