Need help stopping a door banger!!!

lochpearl

lochpearl

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I'm nearlly at the end of my tether with my youngster as he kicks his stable door. He only does it to get a reaction, but if he doesn't get the reaction he wants he belts it with his front feet.

The major problem I have is that he has serious collateral damage to both of his coffin joints and is currently on box rest for 6 months, having shock wave and IRAP, he only has one IRAP and one Shock wave left and he doesn't seem to making any recovery - I assume due to him kicking the stable door.

When yard quiet he has fine and doesn't do it, but anyone he associates with feeding or me comes on to the yard he starts. Now when going off to do his feed I tie him up in his stable and that helps, but when I'm not around people shout, scream and hit him, so much so that when he does it and I go near he shoots to the back of the stable.

Any ideas????

Oh and if we muffle the sound ie. stick his rug on there he kicks harder for the noise.

Cookies and tea for getting this far.
 
id attach some brush doormats to the inside of the stable door. ok he might try harder to get a noise out of it at first but when he doesnt get anyone reacting to it he'll calm down and stop as it doesnt get him what he wants.

it'll be an easier noise for people to ignore too

id also tell other people to keep their hands to themselves and leave my horse alone
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id be mad if someone else hit my horse
 
take the door off as prittstick - we have and have a box with just a chain across (wooden slip rail is more 'secure' although chain quicker and easier but they *can* escape)
 
I agree mole, but I have never caught anyone doing it, I just see the tell tale signs. He is a very clever horse and seems to tell me what is going on. There are 2 people in particular on the yard that as soon as he hears their voice he pins his ears back and as soon as they disappear or he can't hear them anymore his ears go forwards again lol!!
 
Mine is a nightmare for kicking the door at feed/hays, t/o times. I put a chain up and he doesnt do it so 1st person @ the yard opens and put up chain and last to leave shuts door.
 
I've got one too, so I'm reading with interest.

I had a friend years ago with an anglo arab who used to door bang, and she kept a nice bucket of ice cold water outside his stable. As soon as he banged, she would dash over and slosh him in the face.

It worked a treat, he gave up completley, but he was a great girl of a horse and I can't imagine my cob much caring if he gets a soaking, it would just make more mess for me!
 
Forgot to say, I do have a chain but he just gets his foot out of the stable and smashes it on the floor, I have rubber matting so there is a bit of a ledge and he kicks over it and tries to paw the floor.

The water thing is a good idea however he shoots to the back of the stable before you could get to him so wont really work.
 
Hi M

Have you tried the water buckets right in front of the door so he gets wet if he kicks the door?

also, does he have to lean his head over the door to kick? if so, can you fit a wooden slip rail at sort of head height, so he can still look out etc but can hang his head over the door to kick?
 
I've heard of people hanging tyres on the door to stop them getting close enough to kick... you could always try stable boots, putting a rug on the door, using a chain, water bucket in front of the door.... erm not sure what else to suggest!!

Hope it helps!
 
I can only recommend the bristly door mats, nailed to the inside of his door and a thick cow comfort mat fitted to the floor just inside the door to stop him scraping.
 
Hi M, he can still kick without getting his head out and he also uses his shoulder to ram it too!!.

The water bucket thing was a pain as he plays with his water buckets as it is, he picks them up and throws them even with the water in there.

I guess I could possibly put a tyre at the front of his stable or would that be dangerous?? (for him that is, I know it would be dangerous for us when he throws it out the stable lol)
 
I'm sure I have seen a machine thing that spurts a jet of water upwards if the door is kicked - wouldn't know where to find one tho , What about if you put the chain on an angle in his stable that cuts off the corner near the door - He can still see out but not reach out to hit the floor, I guess that depends how big his stable is tho. I have also seen the tyre work which would help with the concusion of the joints.
 
chickeninabun - THANKYOU!!!!!!! I actually think it might work!!, just finding out what I need to order and then I will buy one. It can't hurt can it?? I will also try and pad the door more too.
 
Try getting old sofa cushions and fixing them to the back of the door with a layer of carpet. Sounds odd but it really works - absolutely impossible to make noise through all the padding.
Is there any way of taking away the cause of it more? Ie can he go out in a small area, does he have stable toys, plenty of hay etc? Sorry to state the obvious.

I would be fuming if anyone hit my horse - door banger or not - but I do have sympathy for fellow liveries at your yard I'm afraid! There are two door bangers on my yard who I frequently shout at to shut up - I'm often first up and as soon as they finish their breakfasts they will boot the cr@p out of the doors due to lack of hay/boredom etc. The noise echoing round the barn is like some form of torture. WIth them the issue is management - they don't have enough to eat or do! - but that's not my fault and I'll often leave the yard with a headache because of them!
 
There are 5 others that bang the door and I agree they have management, boredom and hunger issues however Henry is the most pampered horse there. He has a constant supply of food. There is always hay left over the the morning and at the end of the day before he has his evening nets and feed. He cannot go in a pen at all - he's not allowed really to move due to the severity of his damage.

He has a mirror and toys etc. He's just a very sociable animal and likes to speak to people if they are there.

And yes if I caught someone touching or shouting at him I would be dealing with them but I haven't so I can't xx
 
i had a horse that was very bad at kicking his door and i took the door of, used a thick scaffolding plank of wood with and anti weave grill for extra security. i also used a thin rubber mat on the lover part of the plank as a draft exculder said horse can now go into satble with door and does nto kick the door. good luck
 
We bought the material things you put across the doors for ours. They are more substantial than a chain so cant get under it/caught on it and cant escape! They are brill
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I have got a doorbanger aswell ,

I bought foam from a sofa shop so it is really thick and covered it with a plastic tablecloth (you can buy these from hardware stores off a roll only cost a couple of pound) easier to clean than carpet (but I do like that idea aswell.) I bought a hiddeous flowery one and every one laughs at it when I open the door. I was hoping she would be a bit spooked by it and stay away from the door.

I also put knee boots on her as she was using her knee, also have rubber matting as she paws like mad, this seems to work,

Unfortunatly they do it for attention whether it be good or bad i.e you feed them first to shut them up or you scream at them or someone gives them a clout to shut up,
someone has done this to my horse and when she is kicking the door and you walk towards her door quickly she shoots to the back of the stable. I dont like people doing it as she is a flighty enough mare and ends up banging her head on the doorframe.

Ignoring it is the best policy, not easy I know, especially when there are other door kickers on the yard, and everyone else has different opinions of dealing with it.

Im thinking of of putting a sign on my horses door saying please ignore me I am attention seeker (just like my owner LOL)
 
QR

Most of the above suggestions are not about actually stopping the behaviour from happening though. You can cure doorbangers with clicker training. Just takes a bit of time and patience
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n our yard, we stand with a cup of water, just out of sight and at the 1st kick - soak! I have never known it not work and is cheaper than buying a machine, just needs someone to stand outside the stable in waiting a few times......
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I'm begining to think how lucky I am to own my own place. Have been in livery yards in the distaned past and can remember how stressing that was for me and my horses. The fact I have a mare that suffers from sweet itch and weaves when stress, I'm thinking what she would be like in a livery yard as she already had these problems when I bought her and over the years she has got better as in she no longer tries to kill me. So best of luck, look for a smaller yard.
 
Just to say that those quitkicks really work. Two horses at a yard I was on used them and after only a short while they didn't need them anymore. They can also help bargey horses because the machine is activated as soon as the door moves - in fact horse soon learns to move away from the door as soon as you start to touch it in readiness for the alarm and jet of water
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(but you can deactivate them so you don't get splashed...not that horsey knows this
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) I shall be getting one once my annoying cob comes in for winter!
 
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Just to say that those quitkicks really work. Two horses at a yard I was on used them and after only a short while they didn't need them anymore

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Suppose then though youv'e paid 200 squid for a machine that is not needed for very long- would be idea if you could hire them ???

On my old yard my TB used to head nod and his neighbour used to kick the door so we had one nodding, one kicking in the end after being stabled next door to each other for quite some time they both head nodded and both kicked the door - it was an absolute nightmare. they both had carpet round their doorframes to stop them banging their heads and on their doors to protect hooves - we never did get them to stop it - think we just never kept them in eventually until we ended up parting when moving yards.
 
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