|
Usually boredom is the culprit for a horse’s behavior and changes within the
environment will be able to help. For example, if at all possible, your animal
should be able to enjoy normal grazing patterns as well as the company of other
horses. Endurance horses seem to be affected by this condition more often than others
and their times of close confinement is especially hard on them
If your horse tends to walk in its stall, it may fall into one of two
categories: either it walks around quickly in a way that might remind you of a
caged tiger, or it strolls slowly back and forth. Experts believe that these
kinds of motion tend to calm down the animals. To help your horse not to fall
into the category of excessive stall walking, you will want to make sure that
the horse does not feel any more confined than is absolutely necessary, and the
addition of a window to the stall will help the animal feel freer than just a
blank wall. Lessening any feeling of isolation – whether it is from people or
horses – is the goal of this exercise. Another way to help your animal is t
provide a mirror. The reflection may make it believe that there is another
animal in close proximity and incidents of stall walking are actually reduced.
Of course, variety in food – such as added grass, hay and alfalfa or carrots –
will greatly improve the animal’s disposition as well. Whatever it takes to keep
boredom at bay is useful for implementing. Some experts actually notice that
feeding time is the most sensitive when it comes to displaying symptoms of stall
walking, and thus these animals should be fed first rather than be made to wait,
since this will only increase the animal’s frustration.
Exercise – especially if it can be combined with other horses – is a key element
to helping the animal get well again. While there is medication available to
treat this disorder, there is no guarantee, and additionally the course of
treatment is expensive. Try the other avenues of behavior modification first.
|
