Random bucking/rearing in stable.

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Rockman

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I don't post very often on here but some of you may remember I have an ex racing thoroughbred who I've had a few problems with but he is coming good slowly but surely.

However he always likes to become a challenge in winter! He lives in a barn stable with bars from the top to half way down so he can see the horse's nextdoor.

So here's my latest problem, he has taken to bucking, rearing and kicking out in his stable for no apparent reason, he will do it whether I am around or not and I have never been able to see anything which would trigger it (neither have the other owners in the barn) however he even does it if I am actually in the stable, it is never directed at me but when you're skipping out etc it's not a great thing to be around.

But yesterday my friend was doing him for me and he was almost an inch away from hitting her head which has left me mortified!

Does anybody know what could be triggering this as this is why I am struggling to deal with it because he doesn't always do it at the same time! And how I could deal with it, at the minute I just shout to make him stop it but this isn't ideal and I don't want to carry on! I do have a trainer coming to see him next week but don't know how much help he can be as like I said the horse doesn't do it regularly!
 
I wonder if he actually wants his privacy away from the others, try hanging rugs over the bars so he can't see the others and see if that helps.
 
Ella19 said:
I wonder if he actually wants his privacy away from the others, try hanging rugs over the bars so he can't see the others and see if that helps.
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This not all horses like to be constantly looked at, he may be getting anxious over his food and protecting his space from the horses next door, try putting a barrier up, rugs are ideal if he will leave them alone, so he can at least have some part of his box closed off from the others, his feed and hay area preferably.
 
We had plyboard to cover half the bars and it made a big difference.. as someone else said some like their privacy. The only time our big Sec D has ever come close to kicking me was when we were at former yard which had 'friendship' windows. The trouble was there was no yard policy to feed all horses at once so whenever he ate his neighbour would be frantically sniffing and snorting at the window and one day it just got too uch for him. We covered the window and never had another problem.
 
Ella19 said:
I wonder if he actually wants his privacy away from the others, try hanging rugs over the bars so he can't see the others and see if that helps.
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That would be my take on this.

My mare was in a similar indoor box when I viewed her. She had a big haynet available but she kicked out as another horse was walked past her. She is better here, where her box is more enclosed, although she can still see her neighbours.
 
I know a mare who goes mad with others beside her, so she always has a stable between her and horses. She will buck and rear and make a right **** of herself.
 
Thankyou all, I hadn't thought of this as the majority of the time he seems really settled! I will put some rugs over today and see if he gets any better!
 
Agree with others some horses can't stand being overlooked when in an enclosed space.

A few years ago I had him in an indoor barn for a while with railings either side and he was very stressed by it more so than I realised at the time, he used to run his teeth down the railing and kick the sides. I moved as he never really settled there for many reasons that being one. More recently when I moved to a bigger box on my current yard that is an enclosed stable but where the doors are directly next to each other and the youngster next door keep looking in and he started to buck and whack out at the walls. He became quite aggressive rushing at the door when actually he normally gets on well with other horses and is normally an absolute lamb to handle. I had to move him again so he is not now overlooked and that behaviour has completely stopped.
 
Our ex racer started doing this, well not the bucking and rearing but the kicking out, when he had grade two ulcers.

It's one or our signs his belly is hurting so we can give him the gg
 
My mare used to do this too, squeal and buck/kick at wall. It was purely boredom from being stabled half the year 24/7, she's now been retired and living out 24/7 for 4 years and she couldn't be happier.
 
I agree with the living out if possible. Many ex racers also have ulcers. Make sure he is tied up when he is being skipped out or only do it while he is turned out. I hope you get it sorted.
 
Another thought entirely but we have had this happen to a couple to horses on our yard recently and it turned out they had deer mites/some other insect jumping on them. It has little pincers and runs through the coat - when it moves the horses were rearing, bucking and generally flinging themselves around the stables (all entirely out of character). If you can, have a look in his tail does he have any scabs or eggs in his tail?
 
ktj1891 said:
My mare used to do this too, squeal and buck/kick at wall. It was purely boredom from being stabled half the year 24/7, she's now been retired and living out 24/7 for 4 years and she couldn't be happier.
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This

My ex racer did this when on box rest. He had random mad moments when he would buck and roll out of sheer frustration. He had never done it when he has had adequate turnout.
This was in a completely enclosed stable.

He has also been in stables with bars between him and the next horse and actually seemed more settled like this. Thinking about it when he had box rest here he didn't have these mad moments. He would make evil protective faces when eating but we just made sure that neighbours were not fed right next to each other so they had some space.
 
One of our horses used to do this- she was wintered in an open yard shared with other horses, with open door stables to go in if they wished (so like field shelters) she would go alone (other horses would be nowhere near, food nowhere near) into a stable and just leap around bucking, kicking the walls, rearing etc then roll and come back out. We later discovered that she actually had many problems (kissing spines and SI problems) which led to ulcers and the discomfort was causing the behaviour.
 
Ensure good enough turnout OP? You dont say if the horse is turned out or kept in permanently, but I know I'd probably start pissing about if I was bored to death living in a box all the time! I find it a bit miserable that so many people aren't suggesting that as the first port of call, but saying instead to block all sight of other horses which IMO is further taking away a basic need of a horse :(
 
Thankyou everyone for your advice! I had stopped doing anything with him in the stable for safety, but my dad but some boarding up so he couldn't see the other horses and I can't believe the change in him! I didn't know it wold affect him that much. Unfortunately where I am stabled have now switched to winter turnout which is only 4 hours a day. He can now still see the horse on one side which is mare he adores but not the one on the otherside which must have been causing the problem! He's gone back to his usual happy settled self :)
 
Excellent news and well done on figuring things out.

My youngster would behave in the same way, it got so bad on a couple of occasions he tried to come over the stable door. This stable was along the back of the block, but had a back window and he was stabled next to his buddy - the only thing I could think off was whether there was a rat run in the bank behind the wall and their movements were spooking him...

We moved his stable from a back one to a front one, and have never had a problem since.
 
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good new$! Frank i$ a bit of a dope but we had a $imilar rail $et up and having been fine with hi$ girly neighbour for age$ $uddenly all hell wa$ breaking lo$e in the morning$! Changed $table$ to a normal box and all good again :D
 
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