Over the Top?!

What grid have you used?

I've got the Stubbs anti weaver grille fitted routinely to all my stables.

http://www.stubbsengland.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=63_99

image.jpg1_zps4iqkyqie.jpg


I add the insert when the hunt are in the vicinity!

image.jpg2_zpskzztdgya.jpg


And I used this mesh grid in the youngster's stable at weaning time.

image.jpg4_zpsomxnpzat.jpg


I had to add the grilles when I got my new stables. They are lovely and airy with a high roof, but that meant there is room for a horse to jump over the door if it's minded to (and my mare WAS minded to when on a period of box rest, and when the hunt are around.)

Electrifying anything in the stable would be an absolute last resort.
 
If he can be out 24/7 for now, I'd leave him out. When we moved to our current yard, Mac jumped the door when I was 10 mins later getting there the first weekend. They went on 24/7 turnout that weekend, and all summer, he was absolutely not going in a stable. People asked me what I would do when they had to come in of a night, and I didn't have a clue. He would come in and tie up on the yard, was ridden fine, but threw a fit if I tried to stable him.

Once the weather turned, he started fence walking when the others came in, and was quite happy to be stabled overnight. Never had a problem since. Would stable all year round now I think.
 
I too think electric fencing the stable could be asking for trouble. Electric fencing is really for fields so if horse brushes up against it he has plenty of room to retract from it - in a stable he wouldn't have. Getting caught trying to jump it will really send him over the edge mentally as well as physically not to mention being left with hefty vet bill - not worth it IMO plus if that happened you would never get him in said stable again! The grilles above look ideal for what you need. I also think the suggestion of spending time with him in the stable with food and leaving him alone longer each time sounds a good idea too.
 
Jay Man has a grille. I started with a full one, and have moved to an anti weave. If the hunt is in the area he goes back to a full one for the day :-)

I dare say he would be fine without, but the anti weave one is no problem, so it is just there.

I have also helped a client with a horse who needed a grid. There were 2 horses and it would not be contained when the other one went out. A few times left for short periods with a grid she has settled, and now the other can go out in the lorry with no drama.

That horse has learned to be independent, it has improved he hacking solo, and generally she has settled.

Never say never, but I would not be comfortable with electric at a stable door, they cannot get far enough away, and it could lead to problems passing through the doorway.
 
I think if you electrify it you run the risk of him getting halfway out and then completely losing the plot.

Can he not just go out in the field for a bit, and just bring in when you can supervise/for a feed? You have a while til october so I wouldn't panic yet.
 
Last edited:
Quote Originally Posted by rascal: "OP asked for ideas and that's what they got."


Illusion100 said:
Nothing gets past you.
Click to expand...
lol
But to be serious, OP sounds like she is having a teenage type strop, leave the damn thing outside rather than risk injury, and make his stable a welcome place to be, where comes to get his FOOD. He may need a pal with him, so be it, they are herd animals.
More turnout, more regular work, more interesting lessons, less hard feed, no licks no molasses no treats. More company, and a more calm attitude from owner.
Toys, mirrors, bells, its not a budgie in a cage!
 
Last edited:
Bonkers2 said:
Quote Originally Posted by rascal: "OP asked for ideas and that's what they got."



lol
But to be serious, OP sounds like she is having a teenage type strop, leave the damn thing outside rather than risk injury, and make his stable a welcome place to be, where comes to get his FOOD. He may need a pal with him, so be it, they are herd animals.
More turnout, more regular work, more interesting lessons, less hard feed, no licks no molasses no treats. More company, and a more calm attitude from owner.
Toys, mirrors, bells, its not a budgie in a cage!
Click to expand...

Exactly x
 
Bonkers2 said:
But to be serious, OP sounds like she is having a teenage type strop,
Click to expand...

That's unnecessarily unkind. A horse that tries to jump stable doors is a PITA - and finding a way to deal with the problem is a legitimate horse management question.

I certainly wouldn't use eectric fence because it could easily create extra problems and it will add nothing to the horse's qualityy of life. YEARS ago, I had a couple of horses on livery near home when I was working in London, and I was absolutely FURIOUS when I came home one week-end and found that the livery yard owner had electric fenced the inside of one stable wall because the big lump of a Percheron x mare kept pushing the wall over!

And there is nothing wrong with using 'toys' or mirrors to keep a horse more settled and happy when it's in a stable - I have a couple who have solid rubber balls hanging from the ceiling - they spend hours batting their balls back and forth. Keeps them happy and stops them opening the top bolt and then kicking the door until the bottom bolt flips.
 
Haven't read all the posts but electrifying the stable is common practice for show jumpers travelling stallions all over the place. The just run a tape round off a battery, saw it in loads of temporary stables at major international show last week, and i think it may actually be a rule.
I've also seen it at a big showing yard to prevent the M and Ms rubbing their tails.
Some horses jump out just because they can.
 
Illusion100 said:
Nothing gets past you.
Click to expand...

Mooseontheloose said:
Haven't read all the posts but electrifying the stable is common practice for show jumpers travelling stallions all over the place. The just run a tape round off a battery, saw it in loads of temporary stables at major international show last week, and i think it may actually be a rule.
I've also seen it at a big showing yard to prevent the M and Ms rubbing their tails.
Some horses jump out just because they can.
Click to expand...
I think this one jumps out because it does not want to be stabled, and the OP is best to let it have all the turnout it wants, and to introduce stabling steadily and later in the year when it need to come in. If it is in on its own it will be a lot more stressed than if it is with a yard full of its pals.
Kungfoo-hamster said:
He's trying to tell me that he is in the middle of a teenage paddy - I have listened, I am not prepared to give in to his tantrums, but I don't want him hurt.?
Click to expand...
I don't really think horses have tantrums, this something spoiled children specialise in, he is stressed and is reacting in an instinctive way. I don't think toys will distract him, well they haven't so far, and I would try to make his stabling experience something to be enjoyed not endured.
 
Last edited:
horselib said:
i bought an ex racer 17hh some 17 years ago he was terrified of going in a stable to the point of dangerous would canter around the stable screaming barging the door throwing his head and half rearing.I bought him in April and because our fields were heavy clay knew he would need to be stabled at night from October.!!!
The stables were off a concrete yard fully enclosed.
I would bring in all 4 horses putting 3 in their stables for a feed and leaving his door open with a feed in the door way.I did this am and pm and gradually he would go to the bucket just inside the doorway.
Gradually I moved the bucket further into the stable until he was in the stable eating the feed (door open)
I then shut the door whilst he was eating letting them all out once food was finished.
I could gradually leave him longer and longer after they had finished their food .
By September he was happy in his stable for long periods of time so long as another horse was in.
In October I switched to overnight in and he was absolutely fine and began to love his stable
H is 27 now happily comes in and out and loves his stable
I don't know why he was terrified of his stable but slowly slowly without force we turned him around
I wouldn't have like to try to force him to stay in he would have trashed the place!!!!
Click to expand...

I'd be happy to be your horse. Problem dealt with by using a safe and sensible strategy.
 
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.

I could do without the personal attacks and comments, but there we go.

For those who have provided advice, I am going to try a mesh grill and see if that helps, if it doesn't then I will try some of the other options, perhaps seeing if I can get some professional thoughts on it too.

He already happily comes into the stable to eat, chill, be groomed and generally have a period of time in there on a daily basis - he is not scared of the stable and knows it is a place where food and good things happen.

I am trying to prevent him from suffering injury, which is why I was considering all options to try and stop him coming over the door.

I will not just turn him out 24/7 as he needs to come in at the yard we are at, and what if he ever needed box rest.

And for those who say horses never strop, have you never made a horse continue on a hack when they didn't want to go past something? Never schooled a horse who was not going into canter on your immediate request, or heard a horse stamping to get out of a lorry or have someone take notice of them?

He is a confident horse who will happily hack alone or in company, goes to competitions, where he travels in a box or trailer and has done lots of things to enrich and educate him.

I will fix this, for his own safety and my peace of mind.
 
I think that sounds like best plan OP, I too would just worry that with a climber he might get half way stuck/wrapped up in electric tape and panic and end up in a worse mess.

I can understand why they use it on temporary stables with stallions etc, they aren't the strongest/you can't adjust it much to suit so to keep them back off the door is probably sensible -but presumably none of them are expected to actually try and come out like the OP's horse, it is just a safety net.
 
I cannot justify using electric tape on a horse that doesn't want to be in his stable, I think it's the sort of behaviour that you need to gradually work to adjust as horselib has suggested rather than just forcing him to stay in there.

How does he respond to mirrors/toys/etc?
 
Your right to face up to this issue and not run away from it and end up with a horse who does not 'do ' stables .
I think the bad weather in winter may well solve your issue , don't over rug him or perhaps no rug at all and let him get cold and wet then standing in the stable seems a good plan .
 
Kungfoo-hamster said:
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.

I could do without the personal attacks and comments, but there we go.

For those who have provided advice, I am going to try a mesh grill and see if that helps, if it doesn't then I will try some of the other options, perhaps seeing if I can get some professional thoughts on it too.

He already happily comes into the stable to eat, chill, be groomed and generally have a period of time in there on a daily basis - he is not scared of the stable and knows it is a place where food and good things happen.

I am trying to prevent him from suffering injury, which is why I was considering all options to try and stop him coming over the door.

I will not just turn him out 24/7 as he needs to come in at the yard we are at, and what if he ever needed box rest.

And for those who say horses never strop, have you never made a horse continue on a hack when they didn't want to go past something? Never schooled a horse who was not going into canter on your immediate request, or heard a horse stamping to get out of a lorry or have someone take notice of them?

He is a confident horse who will happily hack alone or in company, goes to competitions, where he travels in a box or trailer and has done lots of things to enrich and educate him.

I will fix this, for his own safety and my peace of mind.
Click to expand...

Sometimes you just need to ignore the posts that are not "nice"!

We have a gelding, who before he was cut decided to jump OUT of his stable and INTO another - and succeeded in getting the mare in foal! Even though that was 15 years ago, we still have to be careful when he's in his stable and will put up a mesh guard on his door when he's "got one on him" - he settles down really well when he knows he can't get over the door. I would highly recommend using a mesh gguard for your horse until you know he's safe. Much better that than a huge vet's bill and an injured horse.
 
Or a dead horse. Or a horse that you can't take to over night shows. Or sell. Or have on box rest. Or have at Equine Hospital. The OP sounds like a sensible person. Sounds like horse jumps out because he can and knows he can. Remove that option for safety.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top