Understanding Your Horse: The Stall Weaver

Weaving is a very common stable vice of horses and, for any owners who have ever experienced, it's equally maddening to humans. Weaving horses will shift their weight from side to side, moving their head and neck back and forth, sometimes almost violently. While it's not one of the more dangerous stable vices that a horse can have, it can actually cause uneven hoof wear and can put a great deal of stress upon their joints over time. More importantly, however, weaving can often be a sign of psychological problems with your horse.

What is Weaving?

In a nutshell, weaving is a repetitious behavior that some horses develop. Weaving occurs in varying degrees - being barely noticeable in some horses, whereas other weavers will rock violently, throwing their head back and forth with an almost reckless abandon. Regardless of the degree in which a horse may have it, however, it is still considered a vice (a bad habit) that you do not want in your barn if you can help it. Stall walking, another stable vice in which the affected horse walks round and round his stall, is often lumped in with weaving.

Why Do Some Horses Weave?

There are many theories as to how some horses become weavers. Boredom, stress and loneliness are often blamed for this condition, as is a lack of grazing or being stalled too long, without sufficient time in the pasture. Many breeders believe that the main cause of weaving is boredom, but recent studies have shown that it's often a response to separation anxiety or other forms of stress. Some studies even suggest that some horses may be genetically predisposed to developing this habit, much in the way that some people have more addictive personalities than other. There are even some instances in which weaving may even be a learned stable vice, picked up from observing other horses that weave.

Treating the Weaving Horse

There is no sure-fire cure that will prevent a long-time stall weaver from continuing this annoying habit. However, with patience and a little creativity, this vice can quite often be broken. First of all, you need to determine the root cause - Why is your horse weaving? Then, once you've determined the problem, you may find some of these techniques helpful in breaking your horse's habit:

The Stall-bound Horse: The stall-bound horse is the weaver that engages in this vice due to a general lack of exercise and boredom with his surroundings. In horses that are physically able to get out and play in a pasture, helping break this habit may be as simple as ensuring he has adequate time out in the pasture, where he can stretch his legs and work out the kinks. These are horses that are often more hyperactive than others and, in some cases, may benefit from regular exercise such as a daily workout on the lunge line or tying them to an automatic horse walker.

There are situations, however, when horses aren't able to get out in the pasture or are on stall rest, where they cannot get regular exercise. In instances like this, it's helpful to give horses lots of hay, preferably in a well-placed hay feeder or a hay bag that is tied within the horse's reach but high enough that there's no chance he can hook a leg in it. Packing the hay bag nice and tight will make the horse work a bit to get his hay out and give him something to occupy himself with.

The Bored Horse: In addition to feeding our horses from hay racks, we also took extra precautions to ensure that our stallions didn't become bored. Stallions that are used for breeding often spend a lot of time sectioned off from other horses, whether in smaller paddocks or in stalls. It's important to take horses out and ensure they get sufficient amounts of exercise, not only for their mental well-being, but also for physical reasons. Still, despite their level of exercise, some horses just get bored easily.

For our bored horses, we used to use a variety of different toys to amuse them. A soccer ball that had lost a little air became a fun toy to paw at and to pick up in the teeth and toss. Empty milk jugs were also fun for this and a tether ball, securely tied to the barn rafters, was fun to bump around and bite at. Be creative but always make sure you keep the horse's safety in mind, avoiding breakable things or items that the horse could potentially swallow.

The Lonely Horse: Loneliness can play havoc with your horse's emotional well-being and frequently leads to stable vices like weaving and stall-walking. Sometimes, this can be as easy to alleviate as putting in a half door or Plexiglas window that the horse can look out of, providing him with a view of other horses. If there are no other horses for yours to see, a good investment is a special mirror, designed especially for this purpose. Unlike glass mirrors, special horse mirrors are made out of a safe material that won't shatter and they are large enough that your horse can see his own reflection. In many cases, this is enough to cure a horse from their separation anxiety and related habits.

If windows and mirrors aren't an option, another idea is to use the age-old racehorse trick and invest in a non-equine friend for your horse. This can vary, depending on what animal your horse chooses to bond with. It's not unheard of for horses to befriend pigs, cats, geese or chickens. Our goat was very good friends with most of our horses, but there is also a risk to this - he also suffered a broken leg when an over-protective broodmare thought he was threatening her foal. Care must also be given to the animal that you are trying to get to befriend your horse.

In most cases, stall weaving is a behavioral problem that can be minimized or even alleviated, just by taking the time to figure out the root of the problem and seeing to your horses emotional and psychological needs. Sometimes, it can be as simple as providing him a little extra care to set him back on track and stop this annoying stable vice.

Sources:

Personal experience, breeding and raising horses for 20 years.