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A couple of "horsy"
friends and I were trying to figure out why some of the facilities where
we have boarded seem to really be upsetting to our horses. Has any
research been done regarding the "likes and dislikes" of
horses regarding their homes? I have owned my horse for almost 13 years
(since he was two). In that time, we have lived/boarded in three
different states and numerous boarding facilities. Some places were as
small as 10 stalls, some as large as 60-plus.
Interestingly, there were a couple
of smaller barns where my horse seemed very uncomfortable. These were
quite nice facilities--spacious stalls, indoor arena. Yet my usually
level-headed guy would "lose" it in these indoor arenas. He
would become spookier than usual with things that would not ordinarily
cause a big disruption. A friend's horse (an aged gelding) got so
nervous at one of the barns where we were stabled that he started to
"stall walk." He actually got some type of psoriasis (skin
disease) and began rubbing so badly that hair came off. This was
completely abnormal for this bomb-proof and mellow old guy.
I could go on, but we never did
figure out what the problems were and eventually moved to another barn.
Guess what? All of the unusual behavior ceased. No more spooking, stall
walking, or psoriasis! Make any sense? Nothing changed as far as diet,
etc. We came to the conclusion that there are some barns that some
horses just are not comfortable in, but why?
Linda, Ohio
What a great question about what is very
likely a real phenomenon. I don't know of any research addressing the
issue. I have seen several cases like you describe, and we rarely figure
out what might be bothering a particular horse on a particular farm.
Quite often the most practical approach is just to move the horse back
to where it was last comfortable, or to a similar setting. Since that
often works, we usually leave it at that. So there always is the chance
that something else might have been going on that spontaneously
recovered coincidentally with the move. Nonetheless, here are some of
the things we think about when it is not possible or practical to move a
horse which appears to be unhappy in a new environment. I would love to
hear from others.
Diet--Everything a horse eats has
potential to affect behavior. The particular hay, the grain, and various
additives, and certainly any of the ever-growing number of horse feed
supplements can affect temperament and behavior. While we often think
our horse is getting all the same diet when he moves, there likely are
some differences. Many of the horses I see with these problems are fed
multiple supplements. There are so many ingredients that we can't even
begin to systematically evaluate them. Often many of the supplements
have been initiated in an effort to alleviate the problem. One current
case is supplemented with 70-some different ingredients. My behavioral
nutritionist colleagues just throw up their hands.
Sometimes we have concluded that it was
the way a horse was fed that was problematic. Examples have been simple
social competition and intimidation among horses in group feeding
situations. Another simple problem can be that some horses appear to
dislike eating from high hay racks, and will seem to eat less than when
the hay is fed at floor level.
Electricity--Electric fencing and
stray electricity around barns are not well studied in relation to
horses. We have seen instances where electricity, either stray
electricity or electric fencing, was suspected of causing spookiness in
previously calm horses. I also sometimes wonder about equipment sounds
that perhaps people don't hear that might annoy a horse.
Horse social conditions--We
really underestimate the impact of social interactions among horses on
their behavior. We always expect everyone to fit in wherever we decide.
Often they don't.
Management history--Although it's
probably pretty rare, some horses seem to have difficulty moving from
one particular type of management to another. For example, some horses
which have been on a very rigid feeding and turn-out schedule might have
difficulty adjusting to a less-rigid schedule. Some seem to thrive on
variety, while others do better with a more rigid schedule.
Human-animal interaction style--There
are research findings in cattle and pigs that the herdsman's behavior
and manner can affect all sorts of physiological and behavioral measures
of well-being. One could argue that horses might be at even greater risk
of such effects. Some barns seem to bring out problem behavior, and
others tend to be very horse-friendly in this regard. I have a hard time
being objective on this issue, because some barns drive me crazy, and I
can't help but anthropomorphize.
Neglect or abuse--It's probably
not as common as some people accuse, but we have known horses with
behavior and health problems at new facilities where eventually we
decided that inadequate care likely was related to the problem. For
example, underfeeding or wildly erratic feeding schedules (large amounts
one day, nothing for several days) often come up in such scenarios.
Underfed horses might experience a phase of feeding-related aggression
and/or nervousness and hyperactivity. They might begin to lunge, pin
their ears, or turn and try to kick the feed bucket out of your hands.
They might appear anxious when someone enters the barn--maybe start
pacing or weaving at feeding time.
In one case like this, the barn folks
explained that the horse had started to pace while they were feeding
down the aisle. When they got to her stall, they "had to stand
outside with the feed bucket and get after her to stop circling the
stall." She would get mad and lunge at the door. So then they
"had to get into her till she stopped, and then keep her feed back
for a couple days." At each feeding time, they would "show her
the feed and let her know she wasn't getting any this time." She
never would quiet down, so after a couple days, they would chuck the
bucket and feed over the top of the stall door, "just outa
kindness." My notes from this owner's initial call read exactly
"12-year-old mare, same owner for eight years, quiet, steady,
sensible, good eater, always carried a little too much weight, moved
three months ago, OK for a couple weeks, settling in, then got more
nervous, started stall walking, losing weight, now thin. Beautiful new
barn, clean, big stalls, excellent care, huge indoor arena, professional
trainer on-site, best horses. Getting worse by the week, three vet
calls, blood work, can't find anything, barn getting tired of us, vet
thinks it might be in her head, or maybe ulcers, are you an animal
psychic?"
Whether or not we'll ever figure out for
sure what goes wrong with a particular horse in a particular barn, I
think you're right that a good match usually can be found. A little joke
here is that we can cure most behavior problems with a little
"tincture of E-field." That's because some of these cases of
nervous, or wasting, or spooking, or stall-walking horses with histories
like you describe have ended up being donated to our behavior teaching
herd. Upon arrival they often hang-out in a pasture we call E-field.
Within a couple weeks, the horses often are back to a state of normal
contentment. They are gaining weight, looking sleek and shiny, and
getting along with herd mates. Sometimes students only get to read about
the "unhappy" horse.
E-field is nothing special. No hay, no
grain, no supplements, no feeding schedule, no stalls, no indoor arena,
no electricity, and often no close human-animal interaction for days.
Just good grass, water, natural shade, and shelter.
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