Starting to box walk...

G

ginger_dressage_pony

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 March 2013
Messages
73
Visit site
One of my horses, 5yo mare, has started box walking, in the mornings from about 5am when it's light and I assume, she wants to go out in the field. She paces around the box and when she gets to the door, leans right over as if hoping to get out. My other horse next door, is as chilled as anything, stands snoozing ignoring her. They can seer each other, i have half walls with a grill on top. She is quite jealous, when I go to tack up the horse next door, or even change rugs, she starts pacing and almost when she comes near the wall with the grill, ears back making faces towards him. I have found the best way to stop that, is when I am going to be in his stable for a longer period of time,i.e. Tack up or plait, I tie her up in hers, and she stands still just watching. When I'm about to take their her horse away, untie her, put grill in top door and away we go. Once were gone and out of earshot, she settles and is fine.
The box walking however, starts before i am even out on the yard in the mornings, pacing around for hours. I have a foot ball hanging down in the middle of her stable anyway, and I have read people saying hang stuff down, haynets/cones/likits and she will soon get bored of having to duck. I was wondering also, about putting a wall accross the middle of her stable, high enough not to step over, but made out of something she can't hurt herself on, and leaving just a gap for her to get through from her bedding side, to her hay/water etc. I have long boxes, 10ft x 20ft and I wondered whether that would be worth trying? Or even two shorter staggered walls, from different sides, so she hasn't got a big clear area to pace around?! Then the only area she has is her bedding, obviously she can still lie down etc, but might break the habit as she likes to get to the door on each circuit? Any other ideas very welcome! I broached the subject of a companion Shetland with my OH a while ago but we decided to try and cope without, - don't want her becoming to needy towards something if I can help it, she is a competition horse and if I can, I would rather not have to go down that route.
Sadly being out at night really isn't an option either, she is a horse that thrives on routine, and even if I could manage having them out in the summer, the winters are impossible so I would rather find something to help. Thanks for reading!
 
Horses that thrive on routine often like to set their own routine and vices such as box walking or weaving are often the result of not being able to, I have a pony here that came as a box walker and weaver, he also thrives on a routine, he lives out 24/7 most of the year and is more than happy in at night during the winter so I expect yours would be the same once the days get shorter and the weather cold, so don't rule out turning her out over night as an option, you can still have a routine where she comes in by day to work, get her feed and hay, that is what my competition horses do and it fits in well with days out competing, they do accept staying in sometimes for an early start in the morning.

I think trying to prevent the walking by physical barriers will just mean she finds a different way to walk, or may end up weaving instead, they certainly will not get bored with ducking under or getting around things, it is to a degree boredom that causes the walking, combined with stress and desire to get out, does she run out of hay overnight?

She sounds as if she is a stressy type and that having a third would help break her attachment to your other horse, my first suggestion would be if you will not turn out at night to get a mirror and see if that helps, you may need to move it a few times to find the best place but it has worked for 2 friends of mine who had horses that hated being left alone.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, yes she is a right stress head! I have got a mirror but I haven't noticed it making much difference, will try moving it around a few times and see whether that helps. I think I will go back to putting her hay in a haynet, maybe one with small holes, at the moment she is fed from the floor, but obviously the trouble is everything gets mixed in to her bed so doesn't look very appetising by the morning anyway. I wasn't sure about barriers etc, I have been doing lots of googling and people were suggesting all sorts, but I don't want her to show her stress in another way, like you say. Il have a play with moving the mirror and maybe a couple of small haynets so she has something to eat slowly all night and see if it helps. If not il try having them out, but one of my worries was if I have them out 24/7, when she does have to come in, whilst they are worked etc she will be even more stressed? And if I have her out at night and in during the day, she will do what she does anyway during the day? Thanks for the ideas, I will have a go and see if I can help her. Strangely, during the winter they are in a lot, my ground is very wet so turnout is near impossible quite often, (I have a big turnout pen they go in instead, but still they are getting less time out by a long way) and she was much more settled then, it's almost like now the weather is nice and it is light early, she wants to be out!?
 
You may find getting the mirror in the "right place" helps also giving her a net of hay so she doesn't mess it all up will help, mine that come in during the day have always had breakfast, snoozed, worked, snoozed, eaten some hay when they can be bothered, snoozed some more then had tea before being turned out, they seem to be more than content in out of the heat and flies.
I did have one cob who kicked his door at first light once summer was here, he was in as he had sweet itch, the alarm calls became difficult to ignore at 4am!!
 
I will try moving the mirror about and giving her haynets, fingers crossed..! The trouble is if I have them in during the day, the nature of my job is long hours, often they would in in at 5am and I would be back around 7pm to start riding them etc. this means I often turn them out now at 5am, but she always beats me to it and starts box walking before I get there, if that makes sense! They are only right outside our bedroom window, so I can hear/see every little thing!
 
I had a mare that would box walk and chew the stable door if stabled she was worse in the summer so I used to put them on night turnout as soon as I could, and she would come in for about 5 hours during the day to have a sleep and she would be fine as she was tired out from being out all night, she was also a stressy type horse but it really helped her calm down and she was much happier in this routine.
 
ginger_dressage_pony said:
I will try moving the mirror about and giving her haynets, fingers crossed..! The trouble is if I have them in during the day, the nature of my job is long hours, often they would in in at 5am and I would be back around 7pm to start riding them etc. this means I often turn them out now at 5am, but she always beats me to it and starts box walking before I get there, if that makes sense! They are only right outside our bedroom window, so I can hear/see every little thing!
Click to expand...

my set up is similar to yours the horses are very close to the bedroom windows, and I used to hear my mare run her teeth up and down the door in the mornings, one reason why I changed the turnout routine, I would give the night turnout a try it might just suit her.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top