Weaving

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Maz55

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I have recently moved to a new yard and to my horror my horse's stable is surrounded by weavers of varying degrees. None of the owners seem to care and have not put up anti-weave grills. I'm really worried my horse will pick this up - should I be worried? Will putting up an anti-weave grill on my stable stop my horse picking up the habit? Thanks
 
When I was on a yard with my weaver no other livery seemed too mind. Their horses certainly never copied him.
It wasn't that I didn't care- I'd have preferred he didn't weave but I'd not use a grid as he would then stand at the back of his box still weaving but also stressed and upset that he couldn't see out.
I now have him weaving and my other wind sucking (both long term habits established before I owned) and a youngster in the middle. He has never shown any inclination to copy either!
I'd not worry if I were you!
 
i would not worry about your horse picking the habit up by copying but i would be asking questions about the management of the horses if lots of horses at the same yard were weavers. it may be that they all came tothe yard with the habit but it may also be that the management at that yard is such that the horses find it stressful/boring and this is what creates weavers
 
Normally, when someone posts "my horse has just moved to a new stable next to a weaver/cribber/windsucker, will he copy?" I post something reassuring because horses don't copy pointless activities.

However - the one thing that comes up again and again in studies of stereotypies is that if you see a lot of horses in a yard displaying stereotypical behaviour, it's not because they've copied each other, it's because they're all living in an environment that is stressful enough to trigger it in susceptible horses.

I would be very concerned about a yard with more than one or two horses weaving :(

Since putting up an anti weave grill in your own horse's stable makes him less able to control his environment (i.e. by restricting his ability to look out, see that there are other horses around, see that nothing scary is happening), I would say you're more likely to cause him to start than by doing nothing. Equally, I'd want to know if the ones who are already weaving did so before moving there.
 
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I have 1 weaver in a barn of 5 younger horses. He came to of like that, they have never shown any sign of copying.
 
Brightbay said:
Normally, when someone posts "my horse has just moved to a new stable next to a weaver/cribber/windsucker, will he copy?" I post something reassuring because horses don't copy pointless activities.

However - the one thing that comes up again and again in studies of stereotypies is that if you see a lot of horses in a yard displaying stereotypical behaviour, it's not because they've copied each other, it's because they're all living in an environment that is stressful enough to trigger it in susceptible horses.

I would be very concerned about a yard with more than one or two horses weaving :(

Since putting up an anti weave grill in your own horse's stable makes him less able to control his environment (i.e. by restricting his ability to look out, see that there are other horses around, see that nothing scary is happening), I would say you're more likely to cause him to start than by doing nothing. Equally, I'd want to know if the ones who are already weaving did so before moving there.
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^^ This.

The old "my horse will copy a weaver" thing has never made sense to me.
 
It has been proven that horses do not copy vices such as weaving.

Agree with other posters though, if lots of horses are weaving I would be slightly alarmed about the yard and how 'stressy' it is
 
I have a windersucker/stamper in my barn of 5, no other signs in any other horse has ever been seen! Think you'll be grand :)
 
Brightbay said:
However - the one thing that comes up again and again in studies of stereotypies is that if you see a lot of horses in a yard displaying stereotypical behaviour, it's not because they've copied each other, it's because they're all living in an environment that is stressful enough to trigger it in susceptible horses.

I would be very concerned about a yard with more than one or two horses weaving :(
.
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This sadly, I wouldn;t worry about copying but I would worry about what was stressing them all out!
 
My mare was horrendiusly bad weaver when bought her but now it only shows at feed time and if stressed but in 7 years no hirse around her even at her worse as copied. i have extremely good and understanding people stabled around me who never moaned at all and just call it "the baby stress relief" shes so so much calmer now with good mangement plenty turn out and routine :)
 
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