Stall Walking

[crewgirl34]

This is a bit of a spin-off from the Ani-Med Vita Calm thread. Would any of those supplements help a stall walker? As soon as she's done eating, she starts racing around her stall. She's always done it to an extent, but it's getting worse. I hoping to get her out 24/7 next spring, but right now they don't have a shelter in her pen, so she comes in at night. Her stall is an absolute mess, and the farrier can tell she walks in a lot of circles by the way her hooves wear.

The usual suspects-no ulcers, 10-12 hours turnout, turned out with one weanling, so no bullying or anything. Good alfalfa/grass mix hay, SafeChoice grain, Equipride (probiotic) and yeast. Her coat and weight are great, and she looks and acts healthy and happy, except for the stall walking. She also walks little circles in her turnout if her dinner is late, or there is a lot of activity happening at the barn. I'm at a low-key quiet barn, so this doesn't happen often, and she doesn't seem to be nervous or hyped up when she's walking.

So, would supplements help? Any other behavior modification methods that would help? Thanks in advance!

[Goalie]

Would she be interested in some kind of stall toy? Do you think she would use a Lik-it? I really don't have any more advice than that Paula. Sorry.

[crewgirl34]

I've tried a stall toy, actually several, but maybe they were the wrong kind. And Lik-its, yeah, she can down one of those in 15 min. I even hung it in the middle of her stall so she couldn't brace it against the wall and chew it, but she still managed to eat it within 30 min.
I have heard good things about Pony Pops or maybe a Pacifier, but I don't know how much that will help. She use to be a big wood chewer, but now she's too busy stall walking to even chew on the wood. I just want to see my poor sweet neurotic Thoroughbred happy!

[niaru]

How much hay do you give her? Maybe a hay net tied outside of her stall (she she can't get hurt with it) help? That way she'd have free choice and wouldn't make a mess of it in her stall.

A friend of mine had a stall walker, gorgeous true black Ottb gelding who was a stall walker as soon as he was in. She put 2 big plastic barrels in his stall and that would slow him down a bit, but not much She ended up leaving him out 24/7 with the herd. Good luck!

[Big Tee©]

I also would recommend you try a small mesh haynet hung outside the door. She would have to work for her food and it would keep her occupied much longer than a heap of hay on the floor. Two nets if need be to give her the required amount. Common track practice, and I did it woith Donnie when he was a real bad weaver - would take him hours and hours to eat, so he didn't weave all the time. As her walking seems to be anxiety related (gonna run outta food, want in, want out) a full net tied firmly, top and bottom outside the door miay work very well

[crewgirl34]

I will have to try the hay net! She does not waste hay, she eats every little scrap, and she bolts her food. We have rocks in her grain bucket to slow her down, so it makes sense to slow her hay consumption as well. But, here's another problem, the stalls are sliding door, with no half-door, so the net would have to be in the stall. Is there any way to safely hang a hay net in the stall? I love the idea, so if I can make it work, I'll give it a try!

[jleegriffith]

I have a stall walker and he lives outside b/c the mess he makes is just annoying. He loves it outside and I blanket him so he is comfortable. We have had many racehorses over the years that were stall walkers and I do not believe there is much that slows them down. It is a vice just like cribbing and although annoying it can be managed.

The hay bags would help. I find mine will walk all his hay into the bedding if he gets upset. Sometimes he doesn't walk but any kind of stress sets him off. He also walks in his field waiting to be fed but it is not that bad.

[Smay]

I've seen a couple of REAL BAD stall walkers "cured" by doing something quite simple. Opening their stall door and installing a stall guard , so they can stand with their head out the door into the aisle. Since your stalls have sliders without a drop down window and probably you have solid side walls (?) on your stalls... your horse MAY relax a lot if they can stand with their head out and maybe even eat their hay from a bag hanging out there... Yes, that will make a big mess in your barn's aisle... but it will save a LOT on bedding and stall wear and tear! You should ask to just try it, and see if it works. It may not. But I have seen it work amazingly well with two TB mares I knew.

[TeachU2Ride]

Smay is right on... some stall walkers are instantly cured with access to the aisle. I had an Arab/QH gelding who would spin himself silly behind a full door. Put a stall guard up and he'd take a deep breath and stand still as a post.

jlee is right, too, though... some of these guys/girls continue to stall walk unless they live out. Even without shelter, you can get some great weather proof blankets and neck covers these days.

[Majors Minor]

Mine is a walker.
Tried all the toys, he has a stall gate as well.
I have tried the hay net, which helps as long as there is hay in it, but he has gotten to the point he can it eat in no time flat.

BTW...mine walks outside as well, up by the barn when he is done grazing and socializing.

If you come up with anything, let me know! I would love to hear it.

[Pam]

What about one of these bags? They don't drop down as they empty so they don't become the hazard that the nylon rope ones do. Also, being made of canvas, if the horse somehow managed to get hung up, it will rip.
I like Jen's idea, but make sure you get her a solid one if it's going to be open at night. That will discourage her from challenging it.

[racehorsegal]

i ve had frostina for about 3 years or more and she used to do the same thing . i tried every thing to stop her and nothing worked until. i finally started letting her stay out more, over night too. but she came in if it was rainning or bad weather ,too cold stuff like that.
so when i bring her in, i put her pasture mate next to her, and we cut a small opening between them, so they can see each other and touch too, and she is fine now as long as her buddy is close to her.

[jenarby]

I would put an enitire bale into a hay net (not a bag like pictured above) Once you have it stuff into the net, run the extra rope down through the loop on the very bottom of the net. Then get a double ended snap and see if there is a place high enough in the stall that you can loop it around. Make sure that when the net is empty it is still high enough she can't get tangled in it. You want her to have hay in front of her the entire time she's in the stall.
I agree with opening the stall as well, or changing her stall to where she has more of a view of other horses.