From: Susy
Dear Jessica, I just love HORSE SENSE, thank you so much! I've been on the list for just a few months, and I enjoy so much. Now I have a question of my own. I have a five-year-old half-Saddlebred half-Thoroughbred mare who is just wonderful, but she has developed a bad habit and I don't know what to do. Early this spring she started banging on her stall door at feeding time. I thought she was using her foot but my son watched her one day and said she was using her knee. Now she is doing it whenever she hears someone in the barn, not just at feeding time. I think she does it to get attention.
I was worried that she might hurt her knee, or that she will start to paw the door with her foot and maybe break it. My Dad has always had horses, and he said to put a tire on the inside of the door, but that hasn't stopped her and now I am worried that she will catch her foot in it somehow. Also, he said to tie chains to her legs so that she will hit herself with the chains when she paws or kicks. I'm not sure that is a good idea, what do you think?
My riding teacher suggested that Dancer might be bored. She has a nice stall and can see the rest of the barn through the front which has bars halfway up, so I don't know if this is true. Also she gets out every day for at least an hour. I would like to let her stay out longer but that's as long as I can supervise her and I don't want her to spend time alone in a field, and I don't want to get another horse because I want Dancer to look to me for friendship and fun. My riding teacher said that there are some toys that will keep horses entertained, and wants me to buy one for Dancer. What do you think about that? Will a toy really help?
Thank you for this wonderful newsletter!
Susy
PS Thank you for explaining "front knees", my son is seven, and he now says "knees" and "hocks" instead of "front knees" and "backward knees"! Since he is joining Pony Club, I know that he should use the real terms.
Hi Susy! Thank you, I'm glad to know that you're enjoying HORSE-SENSE. You're right about your son, it's important for him to learn correct horse terminology -- Pony Club will be very good for him, and if he enjoys learning new words and their meanings, he might find himself on the Know-Down team someday. ;-)
From your description, I'd say that your instructor is right: your mare is bored. One hour of turnout time is not enough; that leaves 23 hours a day for her to stand in her stall. Horses are meant to be out and about, walking, playing, eating, and staying on the move. When they are confined, kept in a way that is contrary to their nature, they DO get bored, and they develop various ways of dealing with the boredom. "Stall vices" -- kicking, pawing, weaving, circling -- are often the result.
My first, last, and most important suggestion is that you manage to get this mare more turnout time. If she can spend an hour in the field, why not four hours or eight hours or, better yet, ALL of her time when you aren't working with her? If you're worried about her being alone, you could get her a companion (another horse, a pony, or a donkey); that would probably be the best thing you could do for her. She needs equine (or equid) companionship. Horses are social animals, and it isn't fair to think that the one or two hours she spends with you each day will make up for spending the rest of the day alone. Letting your mare lead a more normal life, with freedom and companionship, will make her a healthier, happier horse, and that can only make YOUR time with her better. Don't worry: if she enjoys your company and the work you do with her, she will still look forward to your visits and your rides. But don't try to be everything to her -- you can't do it, even if you turn her out 24/7 and spend all of your time walking around the field with her. Instead of trying to be her only companion, be her good, responsible owner and do what's right for her physical and mental health.
Don't use chains on her, and don't count on tires or stall toys making a significant difference in her behaviour. You're right to worry about her pawing and kicking her stall, but by trying to figure out how to make her live in a stall without being bored, you're answering the wrong question. The right question is "How can I make my horse's life more normal FOR A HORSE, so that she won't BE bored?"
Since Dancer truly does need a companion, why not adopt one that's been rescued? Get in touch with the Hooved Animal Humane Society! It's a terrific organization, and even if you are nowhere near Illinois, the staff at HAHS will be able to direct you to rescue organizations near you.
Jessica
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