Horse paw surrounded by stall solitary. ?
I have been riding for 25 years so I just want to know nearly techniques/suggestions about correcting the BEHAVIOR that I've never had to deal beside. Please don't say see a vet or shoer I've done both. He is healthy and sound next to the exception of some corrective shoeing.
BACKGROUND INFO:
I recently (2 months ago) bought a QH gelding. The owners didn't know much about horses and kept his hoof trimmed toe short and heel long. SO he was up on his toes. I've be working with a shoer on this problem to correct it. The shoer says it will newly take time to get his feet grown out.
PROBLEM:
This horse paw at the ground. Not when tied, just in his stall. Because his feet are so short I don’t ride him beside out shoes (because of the general type of riding I do, I prefer to keep shoes on them). He paws near one hoof so much the shoe comes off with in 2-3 days after the shoer comes out. So I’ve resulted within getting a boot for that foot so he can at least be exorcized. I worry his hoof will not grow out because he paws so much. I live surrounded by a snowy area and will not leave a boot on all the time because the moisture contained by the boot can create problems.
I need your suggestions/ideas on how to correct the behavior in his stall. Things I’ve tried: a self-confident ball for his stall (toy) and a stall mate to keep him from being bored, plenty of exorcize, right amount of food.
In all my years of riding and dozens of horses, with all kind of problems, I’ve never had to deal with this. Please support.
He has a run within shed and a run/corral, and he goes into the shed to paw? Is this perhaps at feeding time? If you hold tried a lot of other things, I suspect this is a habit, almost close to cribbing. Did his old home look like he paw a lot? It sounds like a desparate move, but what about hobbling him, at smallest for a while, and see if you can get the habit broken? He could still move some, taking babe-in-arms steps, or some horses learn to hop with the hobbles, and can move quite speedily. Another idea might be to put a "kick chain" on his pawing leg. That would also restraint his movement some, but he could still walk around, the chain would just bump him whether he ran or pawed.
Horses paw when they are anticipating something. So maybe he is anticipating turnout. If you impart him more turnout he should be fine.
Sounds like the best idea would be 24 hour turnout if that's possible or perchance the sort of arrangement where he can go in and out as he like.
Sounds like he's totally bored out of his skull.
If none of this is possible then you could try lay thick rubber matting right to the door - at least that might assist to minimise the damage being done to his hoof.
Good luck and please let us know how you move about on with this.
Try turning him out. It will avoid the entire problem.
He's just bored and he probably wants a herd to be near. He may just be really bored and wants to get out and run to catch off the excess energy.
He sounds like he is really bored, and doesn't approaching the confinement. Would it be possible to leave his stall door open so that he can go within and out as he pleases? I had a horse that hated the confinement of being locked within a stall so badly, he would kick the door, walls, etc. We had to eventually fix a small paddock nouns because he was foundered and couldn't let him in the pasture. He still have access to his stall, but not a lot of area to roam in. You may want to consider doing indistinguishable thing for your horse, that is, if it is possible for your barn and you enjoy the facilities to do it. I put up a portable radio in the barn and bought a lot of battery so that he could have some noise with him and he didn't discern so alone. If he had a little more freedom, I bet the pawing would stop. Hope this help.
Answers: Your horse is bored and unhappy. This is an easy resolution, TURN HIM OUT. Also, stimulation makes the foot grow. If anything, when there is an imbalance in stimulation, that over-stimulated foot will grow more unless at hand is such an abrasive surface that the foot is being destroyed. Shoes will actually prevent his foot from healing and becoming healthy. It will nick a lot longer if you keep him surrounded by shoes. Why not just boot him when you ride or put him on a surface where he needs shoes. That would allow his foot to completely flex with good nerve and blood supply, and he will be well again overall. If he has new nail holes ripped into his foot every 2-3 days, his feet are going to get a lot worse as the walls are constantly powerless. If he had long heels, this is really easy to correct beside proper trimming ability. One has to have plenty knowledge and experience to make correct taste about how quickly the heels can be lowered without cause the horse pain or discomfort, but if you can read a hoof well plenty to know where the coffin bone is, this is not difficult.
As far as the pawing, it is unlikely this will resolve with toys or a buddy. Unless you can agree to him out of the box, he will continue to be miserable and that is what he is trying to relay you. Did he get to be outside in a pasture or turn out in the past? He does not sound as if he is used to living a life of confinement. If he does not take some relief, it is very likely he will develop even more behavioral problems as he grows increasingly distraught. This may be a difficult situation for you and I sympathize, but however bad it is for you, it is a million times worse for him. Hope you can help him.
My first question is, has he other been stalled? Does he have a run? Is he the only horse surrounded by the barn? Is there something that he may sense and be afraid of, like smells, noises, etc.
Normally horses paw within a stall from boredom or wanting to be with other horses. You say you put a boot on him? Have you tried just a bell boot, you could vacate that on for quite awhile and ride with it. (I have mare within pasture who was constantly pulling off her one front shoe, and the bell boot helped alot).
Could be as simple as he is not on the other hand used to his stall and having "anxiety attacks". Horses get em, too.
Anyways, it is sometime just a infatuation, which can be hard to break, if you don't know the WHY he is doing it. Sounds as if you enjoy tried most of the common cures. Have you tried feeding him 3-4 times a day beside hay, rather than 2 times? He may just need something to do.
I be checking some articles on the net just now, heres an interesting one by a trainer: The site is http://www.infohorse.com/pawing.asp
Makes sense. Good luck next to it, I wish you the best.. it can sure be a pain!! Horses can be complex to figure. GREAT question by the way. :-)
