# Anyone know how to stop a horse weaving?



## minimoo (24 October 2012)

My horse weaves and he is getting worse.

In the stable if he does not want to be in there he will get all silly and start marching round and weaving. even with a haynet. He takes a mouthfull then goes to the door and weaves. I put a weaving gate up but when its closed he hates it and gets himself more wound up and stands behind it weaving!

I also noticed the other day when i came back from a ride - I untacked him and left him with a haynet whist I put the tack away and when I looked he had left the haynet and was weaving whist tied up!

Can anyone help.... Not only is it doing him no good but its stressing me out as he is getting worse! :-(


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## *hic* (24 October 2012)

Take him away from a situation he finds stressful.


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## Wheels (24 October 2012)

Does he do this just in the stable and yard or does he do it in the field too? If it is less obvious in the field I would keep him out 24/7 and see how that went


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## minimoo (24 October 2012)

I have seen him do it in the field once but it was years ago. The stable is the main problem.

I worry about leaving him out as the field gets in a bit of a state through the winter.

Do you think he is just been naughty or is it that he is board/stressed?

Also if I take him out of the stable when he is dong it im afriad its like he has won and everytime I do it he will associate it with him getting what he wants.

Ive tried covering the play balls in food but he is not bothered about them.


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## *hic* (24 October 2012)

Does he have other horses with him or is he on his own?

He's stressed by being in the stable, if you don't want thim to learn that he gets what he wants by weaving don't put him in the stable.


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## minimoo (24 October 2012)

Yes he has his mum with him in the field. And next to him in the next stable.


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## Damnation (24 October 2012)

Have you had him checked for Ulcers?

Sometimes trying to just stop horses from their vice (Windsucking, weaving etc) it makes them worse.

However if the weaving has suddenly gotten worse, I would question the likelihood of ulcers. The increase in weaving could be a pain response. Worth getting the vet out.


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## tallyho! (24 October 2012)

I know lots of people will hate me saying this but just leave him to it. We have a weaver and she gets stressed but calms down when people stop fussing and making a meal out of it.


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## Amymay (24 October 2012)

tallyho! said:



			I know lots of people will hate me saying this but just leave him to it. We have a weaver and she gets stressed but calms down when people stop fussing and making a meal out of it.
		
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I agree to a point - but if you can manage it, all the better.

OP personally I'd have him out 24/7


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## Holly Hocks (24 October 2012)

tallyho! said:



			I know lots of people will hate me saying this but just leave him to it. We have a weaver and she gets stressed but calms down when people stop fussing and making a meal out of it.
		
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Totally agree Tallyho.  My TB mare weaves - however I have noticed that she is much worse when I am around.  I have left her weaving in the past, and outside my stable I have two barn doors which then close.  I have closed them, walked away and then straight back again and watched her where she can't see me......she has stopped and is happily eating her haynet.  I agree it's stressful watching them, but if your stress transfers to the horse, you'll make the situation worse.


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## The Fuzzy Furry (24 October 2012)

Giant Fuzzy is a weaver when stressed.
He'll do it in his box, he'll do it up the field at a gate - only if stressed (in his opinion).
If he thinks there is nobody there to watch, he'll stop within a few mins & go off to graze if out, or eat hay if in.
He's now been out 24/7 since end May and STILL does it at the field gate if he's thinking he ought to be paid attention or if I am moving 'furniture' around (moving the other Fuzzies) or the horsebox 

No way of stopping it when out - he has company and plenty of grass, no other excuse except in his pea-like mind  ...........
However, he also fence runs when stressed too - bloody nuisance when the fields are wet  so thank your lucky stars yours doesn't do that!


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## Frisbee123 (24 October 2012)

Weaving is like cribbing or windsucking. It is a horses way of showing he is stressed, like a person biting their nails. There is a lot of research into it but it is generally suggested that you don't try to force them to stop but try as best you can to relieve the stress. It can also, as someone has said be seen in horses with ulcers, but that might not be the main cause. If he is getting worse, has anything changed recently, like him being in for a bit longer than normal? Does he have other horses next to him if he is in the stable - if not he might be missing a horsey friend. I have seen very good results with putting a mirror (special plastic one fixed to the wall properly) on the wall where the horse stands the most. They are often reassured by their reflection. I would of course also try and turn out as much as poss, but try to pinpoit why its got worse recently.


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## 9tails (24 October 2012)

Holly Hocks said:



			Totally agree Tallyho.  My TB mare weaves - however I have noticed that she is much worse when I am around.  I have left her weaving in the past, and outside my stable I have two barn doors which then close.  I have closed them, walked away and then straight back again and watched her where she can't see me......she has stopped and is happily eating her haynet.  I agree it's stressful watching them, but if your stress transfers to the horse, you'll make the situation worse.
		
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Same here, although mine doesn't do the traditional door weaving anymore she will do the "trample everything in sight" march around the stable if she wants to be out.  Walking away and leaving her to it is the way forward as she then starts to eat her net.


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## Slightlyconfused (24 October 2012)

Agree with tallyho, our ex racer is a weaver when stressed. Of another horse goes out before him, if he is stating in for farrier or just wants to go out. We just ignore him and after 15ish mins he stops and just eats. When we told him off or kept going up to him it made it worse.


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## *hic* (24 October 2012)

Any chance of getting that in English?


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## *hic* (24 October 2012)

I suspect it's because the owner of the account left the computer switched on and logged in


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## minimoo (24 October 2012)

Thanks for everyones comments it really helps.

I have just left him to it before only once and his stable was a wreck the next morning! But he was still there weaving! I suspect he started again when he saw me and wasnt doing it all night! :-/

He is out every day all day and after bonfire night he will be out in the field between 7 and 5. 

I guess ill have to ignore him and see how he goes.

Im having hamsters next! Much easier to deal with!


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## TBB (24 October 2012)

minimoo said:



			Im having hamsters next! Much easier to deal with!
		
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Yeah, but harder to ride!


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## MrsNorris (24 October 2012)

You could try a stable mirror, there has been some interesting research on how it helps with weaving. This link,  http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/513/ is for the abstract of an interesting paper on the subject.


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## *hic* (24 October 2012)

Apologies for my strange responses on this thread, a user had someone "borrow" his account who was trolling pretty unpleasantly. All those messages have now gone which leaves my comments looking rather odd!


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## tallyho! (24 October 2012)

Dee O'Dorant said:



			Apologies for my strange responses on this thread, a user had someone "borrow" his account who was trolling pretty unpleasantly. All those messages have now gone which leaves my comments looking rather odd!
		
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It's alright Dee.... We always knew you were a bit odd... 



What a nasty piece of work that was though eh? Glad they were deleted, it was quite scary tbh.


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## Twinkley Lights (24 October 2012)

Dee O'Dorant said:



			Apologies for my strange responses on this thread, a user had someone "borrow" his account who was trolling pretty unpleasantly. All those messages have now gone which leaves my comments looking rather odd!
		
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Did wonder but the sun is nearly over the yard arm so I thought whatever it was you would be ok soon


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## *hic* (24 October 2012)

tallyho! said:



			It's alright Dee.... We always knew you were a bit odd... 



What a nasty piece of work that was though eh? Glad they were deleted, it was quite scary tbh.
		
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I'm relieved someone else saw it - I thought I'd gone mad for a minute - oh hang on, we all KNOW I'm mad


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## Jesstickle (24 October 2012)

Mine has practically stopped and do you know what. She was 'cured' by the exact opposite advice I would once have given.

she went away to get some work into her. Had absolutely no routine. Would stand in different stables, tied on the yard, ridden at different times of day and done in a different order with regards to other horses the whole time. 

She hardly weaves at all now. When she was in a routine at home she always knew what order to expect things and I think she weaved through anticipation more than stress and because I am a fool I always kind of pandered to it. Put her out first, fed her first, left her out as long as humanely possible etc as I thought she needed 'managing' and routine. Turns out she just needed to learn that whoever was on the yard would get to her eventually. Little minx

Just thought that was quite an interesting aside.


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## Love (24 October 2012)

Another vote for the stable mirror and maybe something to distract him? Likits boredom busters, treat balls, carrots from the ceiling by string, etc. 

Hope you get him sorted x


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## Pigeon (24 October 2012)

If he can stay out 24/7 that might be an option? I guess the best way to help him would be to get him into a routine, so that he is turned out/bought in/ridden at the same time every day? Also sometimes if they have to wait in the stable while other horses are turned out that can set them off. You could use weaver bars but often that doesn't stop them.


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## horsestar (24 October 2012)

Have you tried a mirror? Heard they can calm them as they think they have a friend x


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## Holzdweaver (24 October 2012)

My boy weaves in the stable. he also box walks and is a total stresshead when he is shut inside, regardless of horses next door etc. Never even tried to stop him from doing it, he seems happy enough and it seems to help him cope with stressful situations, there was no night turnout avilable where i was. but I Listened to what he was telling me and moved and he is now out 24/7 every day of the year. He has a shelter which i leave open and which i deeply bed down with straw but he only sticks his head in there in very bad weather and lies down at night as theres always an imprint in the morning. He just wont be shut in. He has improved so much since he has been out, he actually keeps more condition on than when he was stabled as he was worrying it all off. Hes a much happier horse


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## FairyLights (24 October 2012)

if you feed any cereal/mix/nuts then please do stop and feed fibre only, and plenty of it. Also if you can keep the horse out 24/7. there are plenty of good rugs available to enable tihs.


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## Holzdweaver (24 October 2012)

on the advice on someone on the yard (as it annoyed them) they lent me a mirror as thought it may cheer him up in the stable if he has a friend, and my wuss of a horse was scared of it! everytime he moved, his reflection moved and he freaked, and so the mirror lasted a whole ten mins as he was so lathered in sweat i wasnt going through it all just to get him used to it, as he was genuinely terrified! then again he has the same reaction to shetland ponies 

So maybe borrow one first if possible to see his reaction?


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