Random wall kicking - any ideas?

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Annagain

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Sorry, this ended up longer than I intended!

My 16.3 ISH share horse has recently started kicking the wall of his stable. It seems to be totally random and there doesn't seem to be a pattern. He used to do it years ago when he was stabled between two mares but since he was moved to have two geldings either side and having rubber put on the walls 4 years ago, he stopped doing it - until the last few weeks. We thought that either the threat of the mares was gone, or the reward of the noise of kicking the wall was no longer there so he stopped.

He's always totally calm when he does it, normally just standing there or eating his hay. Occasionally he might be eating his feed but it doesn't seem to be an influencing factor. All of a sudden, his ears go back, he pulls a face and lets one big kick fly, then goes back to eating / standing / snoozing as if nothing happened. It's like an imaginary horse has come up and bitten him on the bum then run away!

It can be evening or morning, he's never impatient or wound up at the time (too lazy), he's not desperate to get out and his stable is more than big enough for him. He never does it in the field.

Everything else about him seems perfect. He's a good weight, seems very happy otherwise and nothing has changed recently. He's just had his teeth and back checked - all fine. He's working brilliantly - just had our best ever dressage score of 77% (still in shock at that one!) and jumping as well as ever (which is very well)

At Christmas he was a bit under the weather so had a blood test and it came back fine. Everything that had a target level was slap bang on the target and everything that should be in a range was slap bang in the middle of the range. The vet said he'd never seen blood so perfect! It turned out he had a bruised sole - although he was never lame as such, it was making him lethargic and lazy.

He's since been fine, he went to a camp at Stockland Lovell 3 weeks ago and even stabled next to strange horses and being in a smaller stable he didn't do it there.

Anybody got any ideas what could be causing it? I did wonder about ulcers but surely that would show up in other ways?

Thanks for getting so far.
 
Not showing signs of itchiness, in that he's not trying to scratch or rub his legs, but he does have a little patch of dry flaky skin on his back legs. I never thought of that. Thanks!
 
Odd idea, but could it be a shadow? Mine will very occasionally jump at his own shadow on a wall in his stable at this time of year when he has "spring fever" and he is totally grounded and non-spooky. He'll put his ears back ready for an argument before he twigs it is not another horse.
 
one of ours does that and we worked out he only did it when there was no bedding or too little and he wanted a wee and didn't want to do it on bare floor!!!!
 
Itchy tickles it sounds like maybe. Horses are so sensitive it could be something you can barely see (think grass right up the bum crack :D)
 
Thanks for all the ideas people. It could well be a shadow as it seems to happening since the sun's been here and he's antisocial enough to want to kick another horse, even an imaginary one! Could as easily be photosensitivity causing discomfort I suppose. He has a decent enough bed and as he's only in overnight it's always down before he comes in so I don't think it's that. Glad he can stay out from the weekend but will give his legs a good going over with the hibiscrub and calamine just in case I think!
 
Interesting, my 17 ISH also does this. More when he's waiting for food or actually eating his dinner. He also bumps into the wall quiet hard or backs his bum into a corner then kicks it, as if he didn't realise they were that close (his stable is huge but i don't think he realises his own size)

Mostly i think he's just impatient, he def does it more when he wants something or of the other pony goes out without him. Currently i'm putting it down to being down to being a demanding diva. He also gets forceful with his dinner it gets thrown everywhere!

Be interested to hear if you find anything causing it.
 
Thanks for the suggestion - but surely if this happened he would also do it in the field?

I know I can't say he's never done it in the field but YO is around nearly all the time, he is in the field next to the yard and he's never been seen to do it in the field. I'm almost sure this is behavioural rather than physical?

He also seems to actively look to kick the wall not just kick out and catch the wall?
 
I'd prefer to paint Cameron and Clegg on there myself but what a wonderful idea!

Any other nominations? And can anybody on here paint muriels?
 
My horse does this, although he's stopped doing it now but when he first started coming in on a night he'd kick out at the walls at times, but that was just because got a bit stressy and he learnt if he kicks, he can sus away out (he's booted his door down once and also one of the boards from his previous wooden loose box, thankfully the gab was too low for him to get out) took chunks out of the walls in the stable he's in now, YO said he'd goes to board it out so if he does it come winter time when he comes back in, least it will cushion the blows and protect the walls, nowt up with him, it's just his character I'm afraid.
 
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