Stable Vices

A stable is an unnatural environment for a horse. As a result, some horses develop abnormal behaviors known as stable vices.

Cribbing

Horses that chew wood are suffering from either boredom or nutritional inadequacy. There is a direct relationship between the amount of fiber in the horse diet and the amount of wood chewing that occurs.

Cribbing, a horse chewing on wood, can progress to the more serious condition of wind sucking. The horse becomes obsessed with chewing any wood they can get their teeth into. In the stable or paddock they can, over a period of time, chew through solid boards. Cribbing is a replacement behavior for grazing and foraging which occur in the wild.

Polo ponies grazing in immature pastures will also chew wood. This is because an immature pasture contains high levels of soluble carbohydrates, but relatively low levels of fiber. Providing hay may decrease wood chewing. In addition, it may prevent colic and laminitis resulting from starch overload in the large intestine.

Weaving

A horse that weaves stands with its head over a stable door and constantly moves from side to side. This stable vice is caused by the stress of confinement in a stall. Horses in the wild run and graze for a good part of their day. Weaving is a displacement behavior for the movement used while grazing. It also satisfies a horse's need for images moving across the eye similar to grazing. Research indicates that weaving decreases when stalls have windows because it they provide visual contact with other horses. Horses usually stop weaving when turned out in a paddock.

Stall Walking

A stall walking horse constantly walks back and forth, or around his stall or paddock. A horse that stall walks quickly and anxiously is exhibiting a flight response caused by stress.

Wind Sucking

Wind sucking is caused by the stress of confinement and boredom. Windsuckers usually progress form wood chewers to hooking their top teeth over a board, arching their necks, and gulping down great mouthfuls of air. Most windsuckers also display this vice on fence posts or stumps when in the paddock. Some horses can suck air without gripping anything. Neck straps are available that help prevent it. Increasing the roughage in a horse's diet can help reduce this vice.

Research

Research indicates that horses need to lie down on their side for a short time each day. Stable vices can appear when a horse never relaxes enough to lie down in a stall. Horses in the wild are very vulnerable when lying on the ground. They have the ability to sleep for long periods standing up, resting one back leg while locking the other legs. Horses spend brief periods resting on their sternums and occasionally will lie down on their side.