How to manage vices

What does a horse have to worry about? Not too much, you’d imagine, as he stands rugged up and warm in his stable awaiting his evening meal. But while he may not be fretting about mortgage repayments or his next career move, the stabled horse could well be feeling strain of a different sort.

Unable to exercise his freedom or indulge his natural urges, he might seek to relieve the stress caused by confinement or isolation by developing his own coping mechanisms.

Some horses become more anxious in the stable than others. An inability to cope with restricted movement, food or social contact, can lead to undesirable behaviours such as crib-biting (or cribbing), weaving, wind-sucking and box walking. These stable vices have commonly been regarded as some fault or misbehaviour on the part of the horse, rather than a result of the unnatural environment he’s kept in. Most treatments have used physical intervention to prevent the horse carrying out the repetitive activity, such as foul-tasting pastes to deter the crib-biter from latching on to parts of his stable, door grilles to stop the horse weaving from side to side, and tight-fitting neck collars that make it harder for the wind-sucker to gulp down air.

These habits have now been more fairly labelled stereotypies – behavioural sequences that are repetitive and consistent, with no obvious function – and are thought to indicate unsuitable management. Instead of merely addressing their symptoms, modern thinking seeks to better understand the cause of these stereotypical behaviours in an attempt to create more effective methods of relief. Given that they’re often almost impossible to eradicate once established, the promising news is that further research could even prevent these behaviours from taking hold in the first place.

	Research We look into the risk factors, why our horses may do this, and ways we're able to reduce the frustrations horses may have.
	Competition groom We speak to Zanie Tanswell to find out how she guards against the development of stereotypes in busy yards.
	Stereotypical and non-stereotypical behaviour Take a look at some of the most common types of behaviour you horse may be portrying and what is thought to be the main causes of each and what they may be linked to.
	Do horses copy? Some horses are kept isolated to stop other horses on the yard from copying their behaviour, but does this actually happen?
	Natural requirements and products that can help Does your horse suffer from these? Then take a look at what you can do to prevent it by looking at natural situations your horse may be in, and also by choosing from a range of products which can keep your horse occupied.
	Whats the damage? This type of behaviour could reduce his value and must be declared to potential buyers. Have a look at what else could be effected if your horse has any of these vices.