Odd behaviour

[Peggs]

Evening all, was looking to see if anyone has any opinions on my friend's mares behaviour.

We've both googled it and not found anyone ever mention their horse doing it, perhaps we need to up our googling skills. She has a habit of running her teeth along the metal on the top of her stable door or occasionally when tied up next to the metal livestock gate. Not sucking in air and seems more like an impatience behaviour as only appears to do it when she's expecting food/others are being fed and she's not first or tied up and being ignored. Its like an alternative door banging or pouring the ground type behaviour. We wouldn't class it as cribbing, perhaps others would?

She's on ad lib good forage, only on chaff and fibre nuts and is turned out in the field or a large woodchip area when we've had a few consecutive days of rain, so never spends a day in the stable and when she is in at night she has her treat ball and other toys to keep her entertained for when she's bored of hay.

To counteract the issue we've tried cribox over the top, plastic pipe to see if it was the noise she had taken a fancy to and just bought a anti weave guard as a last resort. Rather crack the habit now as she's still young than it turn into other different behaviours.

As a side note, will ask the vet about ulcers next time she comes, but other than this she's showing no red flags for ulcers.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We have one who scrapes her teeth down her wooden door, it is just an expression of her impatience. It makes a truly horrible noise!

 

[Sussexbythesea]

My gelding does this. He started when I moved to a yard with an indoor barn which he hated as he couldn't stand the other horses and wanted his privacy (he's totally different outside). He used to run his front teeth along the bars separating the stables.

When I moved him he continued to do it on his door and stable walls and also does it to the metal door where he is sometimes tied up. He's fed a high fibre low-sugar diet but mainly does it when he's waiting for something e.g. To go out.

 

[Peggs]

We have one who scrapes her teeth down her wooden door, it is just an expression of her impatience. It makes a truly horrible noise!

Erph! Yes isn't it horrid! It's like the equine equivalent to nails down a black board.

 

[be positive]

I have a pony who does it, she is basically attention seeking, it is learned behaviour much as kicking the door is, if it gets what they want whether that is food, turn out or just attention in general they are achieving something, mine is a greedy pony who likes to be fed first and it is hard to ignore the noise, she never does it when left alone.

 

[jumping.jack_flash]

It's really refreshing to read a thread, where the 'thought' process behind the actions. Has been thought about. I.e, does the mare like the noise

Good idea to try and stop it, before it becomes a habit.

 

[Bav]

My mare does this occasionally but I don't think it's her actually asking for attention, I think she just likes the noise? It's a strange one, she's never been caught wind sucking and she isn't a crib biter as has loads of wood she could do it to in her stable. She regularly has her teeth checked so I don't think it's that. I put it down to her being young. That and being a mare, so looking for ways to worry me 😂

 

[poiuytrewq]

I work on a racing yard and we have a few who do this regularly.
One does it across the brick wall so it doesn't make a bad noise but teeth on brick makes me cringe!

 

[SEL]

We've got one on the yard who does it when breakfast is being served. He's down the end so last to get fed.

 

[Dubsie]

Our mare does it - bit of a stress reliever/attention seeking move cos we hate the noise and go and make a fuss to shut her up! Does it on anything metal.

 

[cowgirl16]

An old friend of mine had a mare that used to run her teeth along the metal on the stable door top. She also appeared to really enjoy having her teeth rasped. (!!!!)

 

[Wagtail]

Yes a mare here runs her teeth along the metal grill between stables. She taught her son to do it too. Both of them sometimes pick up their empty feed buckets and use them to rub against the bars. It's an annoying noise but they only do it if you are in the stable next to them. It's like 'hey, give me some attention' or 'do you realise this bucket is EMPTY?'

 

[meleeka]

Sometimes bad attention is better than no attention. It's something she does to relieve stress/excitement/boredom.
Can you cover the metal with something else? Rubber door mats are cheap.

 

[Pinkvboots]

my mare used to run her teeth along the metal bars that were protecting the glass windows in the stable, she would also put her head over the stable door and grate her teeth along that as well it was mainly in the mornings before turnout or before feed time, she was never keen on being stabled so I always thought it was a frustration boredom type behaviour.

 

[Nasicus]

20mo Filly used to do this occasionally if she was particularly impatient about something, she's stopped now after I provided her other things to vent her frustrations on (A giant rope dog toy hanging down from her stable door is a favourite!) and if I was next to her at the time, making her back up, so she learnt it didn't get her anything but 'work'.

 

[Peggs]

Thanks for the replies!

Anti weave grill has finally arrived after a right palaver with myhermes! Fingers crossed she doesnt go from horizontally scrapping along the door to vertically up the bars!!

Will give the dog toy idea a try as well