Which calmer

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Amie-Sian

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trying desperatly to find a clamer for my horse that will help his weaving as now winter is here he has to be in the stable at night, there is no way around that, he is out as much as possible during the day but at night is in. He does weave a lot, i have tried toys etc but nothing seems to help so wanted to try a different approach, if anyone has any experienece or know something that would help, i would love to hear what you all suggest.

Thank you​
 
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Does he have friends next door or is he on his own?

Reason I ask is, if he is alone maybe a mirror would help if it's the fact he is alone that's stressing him out?
 
You have not given us a history ............ there is no calmer which will "Stop Weaving"
Why is he weaving, when does he do it, when does he stop, how much exercise does he get, why can't you find somewhere else, etc etc.
Have you tried hard work and an anti-weaving grill, if not why not?
Can he go in a pen with a friend, is it boredom, habit, nerves, or what? Has this started recently, is it worse is it better, is it bad, is it acceptable, not acceptable ?????????
 
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i dont want it to stop the weaving i want something that will make him feel more at ease in the stable because it is the stress of him being in which makes him weave. In answer to your questions why- because he finds being in the stable stressfull and doesnt particularly like enclosed spaces he is the same in a trailer or lorry, unfortunatley cannot find a yard that allows 24/7 turnout in winter. when- he does it when he comes in for the night. he is ridden 5 times a week from schooling to hacking usually at least an hour at a time, he has an anti weaving grill but still manages to do it or he just stands back from the stable door and does it there. i think its mainly to do with bordem and stress its definatley worse when he first starts coming in for the winter but once in a routine it seems more like a habit. He has always done it but seeing as i have no other alternative but to stable him i want to try and find something which will help him feel more relaxed. to me its acceptable it doesnt bother me that he weaves i just want him to be a bit happier and less stressy.
 
Well, almost all calmers are magnesium based, and you may also need something to help his internals, as this [stereotypical] behaviour must almost certainly be stressful.
I like Feedmark Steady up, and would try that at full dose. Obviously you may need to build it up over week, but monitor behaviour, it will take 2-3 weeks either way.
Does he have a friend he can be stabled next to, or is there some thing which makes him worse?
If he has forage to pick at all the time this may help, if you want you can soak it or use a small holed net, so he has something to do for as long as possible. I would try two small nets around the stable. Maybe a few tiny carrots in one.
Is it better to bring him in late, or early, if you can pick up on some "trigger" this will help.
You may find that having toys [or turnips hung ]around the stable may help.
He may worry about any upset to his routine, so try to make sure his day to day routine is the same day in day out. Some horses as like that.
Is it possible that he would do better in another stable? I used to remove the rear window from my [wooden] stable so ponies could always look out at the fields, OK bedding got a bit wet sometimes, but my boys liked to see what was happening even if they were not involved.
I know it seem contradictory, but routine, and also variety may be the key. I could never live with a weaver, I hate it, any stereotypical behaviour stresses me out!
If he does it mostly when first stabled, maybe try to distract with a feed which he has to work hard on, like chaff and non molassed sugar beet, placed at the back of "his" stable so he does not feel he is "competing" for his dinner.......... do you see where I am coming from?
 
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he has horses either side of him and does panic if he is the only one in, he has 1 and a half haynets at the moment both are small holes. have tried putting carrots in but he juts gets frustred with the haynet when he cant get them out which makes him stroppy lol, he has health tummy chaff so this does help his tummy he also has a general supplement daily and is on top spec cool balancer as he is a nervous horse anyway.as for toys have tried the ball on the ground with treats in but he wouldnt go near it no matter how much i showed him it wasnt a monster lol. as for routine it doesnt seem to bother him but he has a set routine anyway because of when i start and finish work so its the same times everyday. i do leave it late to bring him in also so he is essentaily out more than he is in. thank you for the advise i will try him on the feedmark steady up see if that helps him any.
 
If it were me, I would try to make the transition from summer to winter regime a bit less abrupt [I am not being critical, I am trying to help!]
I had a horse whisperer come along to my boy to do some physio, she immediately picked up on "he needs routine", well every horse needs routine, but in his case, due to various things, and he was subsequently moved around, to the point where this really upset him.
In his case it was a "dominance " issues, if he was not clear who was the "boss" he had to try to become the boss, but because this was not his natural place in the herd, he got very re-active, triggering very sharp behaviours when hacking on his own, and re-acting adversely to any yard change.
 
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Yes, well I don't think he should ever be left on his own, he obviously can't cope with that. Try just putting some of his hay on the floor, see if that helps,it hardly matters if you need to feed a bit more over a week. OK no carrots hidden deep in nets, what about giving him something to look for in his bedding [if straw]
 
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