Fence Walking

[BrokenArrow]

My just turned 5 year old stallion has come back from 8 weeks with the trainer. He’s always paced the fence at feed time but is generally very chill. There’s been some paddock shuffling since he went away and he’s gone into a new paddock. I can’t put him back into his old paddock until some fences get fixed, which will hopefully be this weekend.

He’s not very happy with this new paddock and keeps running himself into a lather of sweat and doesn’t want to settle. While it’s early days, I don’t want him running any weight off. He’s going on an ulcer treatment course. He has access to hay 24/7 and company on one side of the fence. The paddock isn’t big enough for a buddy.

Any other ideas?

[wsmoak]

This is better explained in his videos (there is a free trial) but here’s an article that Warwick Schiller wrote about separation anxiety:

https://horseandrider.com/western-horse-training-tips/warwick-schiller-horse-with-separation-anxiety

[lenapesadie]

I’d second WS! He actually did a recent video series on one of his horses that was a fence walker! I think some of the clips might be on his Facebook and/or YouTube

[leheath]

I think some horses are just more sensitive to environmental factors, many of which we may not even be aware of. Stallions are hard wired to monitor their environment, just like lead mares, so I think this can result in heightened sensitivity. I have a lead mare who is particular about her pen/paddock location, but is otherwise relaxed about accommodations. I’ve never seen her bothered by different stabling environments at shows, but she will fence walk/pace in one pen at home, but not the one next door. Since all the paddocks can see other horses and general barn activities, I never have been able to figure out why she paces in one pen, but not the other, so I just kept moving her from one pen to another until I found one she relaxed in! I understand this can be challenging in a boarding environment - at one facility, my mare never settled in any of the turnout paddocks. After 6 months I gave up and moved her to a different boarding facility, where she was completely relaxed in the first paddock she was given and never seemed to care if she was moved to a different one. Pretty sure this isn’t very helpful to you, but thought I’d share anyway! :winkgrin:

[BrokenArrow]

Thankfully he’s now decided napping is the best course of action instead of walking the fence :lol: he’s completly himself again.

I put it down to there’s been twice he’s come home and then gone back to the trainer because he went to two shows to just go in the warm up ring and behave himself. It was easier for us to bring him home overnight and then take him to the show with the other two geldings than picking him up in the morning. He didn’t have the best last week at the trainer, so I’m thinking he was stressed that he was going back yet again. He wasn’t mistreated or anything like that, but this whole having to work hard for a living to earn his testicles was really put to the test.

[EventerAJ]

My stallion occasionally walks when mares are moved to new paddocks. I hate fence walking, so I lay out some poles (fence posts, or ideally 4x4s) along the fenceline, spaced out about 9ft, like cavaletti. He eventually finds the cavaletti too much work and stands in the corner. Occasionally you’ll have a horse who just paces inside the rails, but most want to be AT the fence, and trotting the poles takes focus away from friends. If nothing else, at least it’s good exercise.