My 3 yr old lives in an in and out 24/7 with a huge attached paddock so is never locked in a stall… but when he does come in he loves to do this. I suspect he like the noise effect more than anything. No other horse on the property does this so he picked this up all on his own. Am concerned about potential damage his teeth. I
Anybody have any tips on this? Maybe PVC pipe or perhaps rubber horse split and fitted around each bar? Opinions on this option or other suggestions? TIA!
What do you do when he does it? Do you then pay attention to him? I have had a few horses who have done this (one is in my barn right now), and it is their way of getting my attention: to let me know it is time for dinner, time to get turned out.
Time for me to come and do ‘something’. 
In one concrete block stable I was in long ago, during the harsh winters, the 12’ x 12’ top of the stalls was chain link.
Shw horses were in there 24/7 with a bit of turnout in the arena or round pen for a few months until it was not icy
This one horse did run his teeth up and down, so the owner added a plywood board to it and that stopped it.
I can hear/see him on the cameras so no profit for him in terms of attention as I’m in the house. !
What about securing some plastic lattice or something over it? Then you’ll still have airflow as opposed to plywood or a sheet of plexiglass . My concern would be he’s doing permanent damage to his teeth
What if you give him some sort of more suitable stall toy? Covering the bars with a split hose sounds good in theory to protect his teeth, as long as he can’t pull it off and chew it I suppose.
I had a horse that was doing this on the bars between the stalls. It was damaging his teeth. We put up 1/2 inch galvanized mesh wire over the bars so he could still see the mare next to him and get air flow. He stopped destroying his teeth.
I have one who does this- he’s the world’s most annoying, mouthy, smart Arab gelding ever. He lives out 24/7 but will do it to the gate outside or anytime he’s in a stall and he can see you. He just wants attention and he really wants you to throw something at him so he’ll have something else to put his teeth on lol.
Well just to update… i found a cheap easy solution. No raking for the past 4 weeks. Sounds silly but I smeared Vaseline on the bars. He raked the bars once, and now he won’t even look at them anymore. I was planning to try bag balm next if that did not work but I don’t even have to worry about that. I may have to reapply once every few weeks/month depending. Added bonus - it has permanently trapped a few flies who quickly met an untimely sticky death. I pick those off. But no more damage to his teeth and that’s the main thing. I can live with a few stuck flies and the bits of dust that collect around the bars.
Hopefully that helps somebody!
I’ve got an even better idea - mix some paste wormer in with that vaseline. You can use the cheap ineffective stuff. Bet one taste of that and he will quit.
Brilliant.
that’s a great idea LOL!!
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
