Why Do Horses Develop Stable Vices?

Why Do Horses Develop Stable Vices?
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Why Do Horses Develop Stable Vices?

As horse owners, we have all seen horses complete strange and unpurposeful behaviours, otherwise know as stereotypies or stable vices. However, it begs the question, why do horses develop stable vices?

As we start diving into winter, our horses are more likely to be stabled and owners may begin to notice this environment challenging the normal behaviours of their horse. That’s why we investigated why horses may develop these sometimes worrying and frustrating behaviours, how we can prevent their onset and if we should stop them in their tracks?

Boredom and Frustration

It has been suggested that stable vices occur due to lack of mental stimulation. It is argued that vices are not present in horses who are free roaming, however they are in those who are stabled, suggesting a lack of environmental stimulation causing the onset on these behaviours.

However, although it is thought by researchers that boredom may cause the development of stable vices, there is little research to support this. In fact, it had been found that during quiet periods of the day, horses tend to spend their time dozing or foraging for food, as oppose to displaying the un-wanted behaviours.

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Although not a direct cause of stable vices, it is still thought that lack of mental stimulation and behavioural frustration does contribute to stable vice development. Researchers suggest that due to lack of competing behavioural needs in a low stimulation environment, behaviours are heighted due to the absence of competing feelings or distractions.

They also suggest that horse have to redirect behaviour they may want to perform in a confined space, into an alternative behaviour, in order to adapt to their environment.

Poor Feeding Practices

When it comes to what you should and shouldn’t feed your horse, the equine ‘nutrition world’ can be hard to navigate. Usually, the modern-day horse’s diet is made up from hard feed (otherwise known as ‘concentrates’) and forage. However, an imbalanced ratio of these two types of feed could be impacting our horses behaviour.

As a general rule, horse owners should be offering more forage than hard feed to their horses. Hard feeds, although they can provide essential nutrients for factors such hoof quality, they are higher in energy and sugar than forages, therefore disrupting the way the horse naturally digests food.

Horses thrive off forage and fibre, nourishing the bacterial colonies in their hindgut with the bulk of the feed providing something to absorb stomach acid and it’s harsh effects. Providing less forage, and leaving long periods without this crucial feed stuff, can therefore be detrimental on horse’s gastrointestinal health, being expressed through behaviours.

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As grazing animals, horses without adequate forage will express their motivation to feed through behaviours such as crib biting and windsucking, which service to fill the gut, but with gas instead of feed. This provides a level of satisfaction for the horse, however can contribute to the development of stomach ulcers due to stomach acid build ups, leading to further motivation to perform such behaviours. 

Why Do Horse Develop Stable Vices?; Grazing muzzles are a great way to let your horse trickle fedd, without piling on the pounds.
Why Do Horse Develop Stable Vices?; Grazing muzzles are a great way to let your horse trickle feed and give you some control over the amount your horse eats.

Lack of Turnout

The benefits of turnout are inarguable, and horse’s lacking this vital part of routine may show this through the development of stable vices.

Through turnout, horses can exhibit the natural behaviour to graze and roam. However, when confined to a stable, horses are restricted and cannot cover the ground that they naturally would. This has been suggested to be a root cause of the vice, ‘box-walking’, with horses attempting to replicate the activity they have in a free-roaming space.

In addition, turnout can supplement mental health, being a key period for horses to engage in social interaction, which is an indication our horses are happy and comfortable. As herd animals, horses love to groom, play and even just see each other, providing a level of comfort and increasing the circulating, mood-boosting hormone, dopamine. 

Routine

Although horses thrive off of all-important routine, it can be a major contributor toward the development of stable vices. As behaviours can be developed from a routine, stable vices are not always an indicator of poor welfare.

Owners may notice that their horse performs certain behaviour before events such as feeding or turning out. These behaviours are performed in related to the action, timing or key event happening in the horse’s environment. Over time, the horse has associated the behaviour they perform with a form of reward. For example, your horse may kick the door before you feed them. As you feed them, the action of giving them food acts as a reward for the door-kicking behaviour.

In the longer term, stable vices could be manged by consistently changing routine, to ensure no accidental cues ae given to the horse. However, do be aware that the stress that comes from a lack of routine can also manifest its self into stable vices.

 

Why Do Horses Develop Stable Vices?

Should I Stop My Horse From Performing Stable Vices?

In short, NO! Horse’s complete stable vices because they are missing something from their routine or because they think it is something they should be doing.

By completing stable vices, it is believed that horses are trying to replace an essential step which is missing from their routine, whether this is movement or the need to graze. Overtime, these behaviours  become habitual, as they are rewarded by the happy hormone, dopamine, or a reward-action you may completing as a horse owner.

We can prevent their development and attempt to stop these behaviours from occurring, by identifying what is missing within our horse and correcting this.

Punishment or forcibly trying to stop horse’s from completing these behaviours may not only result in distress, but cause more violent episodes of the stable vice.

 

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Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012). Qualifications include a Ba Hons in Marketing Management and Diploma in Equine Studies. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses since a young child and has over a decade of experience in news writing and magazine content publication in the equestrian industry.