The following question was recently asked by a Horse and Rider magazine reader and my response was published in the March 2015 issue of the magazine.



"My horse is polite in the stable but as soon as the door is open he barges out. Why does he do this? How can I stop him?

Although bargy horses are often considered to be ‘bad mannered’ this is an unfair description as they are simply using their behaviour to express how they are feeling – after all, they are unable to speak in our language. Horses are social herd animals but when stabled they are usually unable to make physical contact with their companions and they may not even be able to see them. This can be extremely stressful and is likely to be a contributing factor to your horse’s behaviour.

Barging is usually associated with a high level of arousal, and this could be caused by stress, anxiety, frustration and/or excitement.  The most important thing to consider is what may be causing your horse to rush out of his stable. Is he is bored, lonely or frustrated because of a lack of equine company, forage or entertainment? Are other horses turned out before him, causing an increase in his frustration and anxiety levels? Is it because he is afraid of walking through narrow spaces? It is important to remember that being confined to a very small space is extremely unnatural for a horse.

Consider how you could alter your horse’s management to help with this problem. Try to make his stable a more positive environment for him and ensure that he always has access to forage in his stable so that he does not spend any time without food. Horses are trickle feeders, designed to eat small amounts of low quality forage throughout day and night. A lack of forage will result in increased stress and frustration for your horse and also an increased urgency for him to want to get to the field. Stable enrichment should also be provided to make the stable a more positive environment for him. These can include things like branches to chew on, vegetables hanging on string, treat balls, etc. You’re imagination is the limit in terms of what you can provide to make his stable more appealing to him.

If you think he may be afraid of walking through narrow spaces ask your vet to check him over for any physical pain before starting a training programme to rebuild his confidence with narrow spaces. This should be done with the help of an equine behaviourist as it is essential to undertake any training at a pace suitable for your horse as an individual and this varies considerably from one horse to another.

TOP TIPS:

• If your horse has to be stabled provide plenty of forage and as much enrichment as possible and change the enrichment items daily so that they don’t just become ‘part of the furniture’.

• Always look for the underlying motivation for a behaviour so that you can work out the most appropriate way to solve the problem.
  

The following question was asked by a Horse and Rider magazine reader and my response was published in the March 2015 issue of the magazine.

I've just bought a new 4-year-old and he is really nippy. He's not mean, but everything goes in his mouth and it makes grooming, handling and rugging him really difficult. Why is he doing it? I want him to stop.

This type of behaviour is not uncommon in young horses and may be investigatory, playful, could be related to anxiety or be a combination of all of these. It is essential to have him checked over by the vet to ensure that he is not experiencing any discomfort which may be contributing to the behaviour.

Try to make sure you are not accidentally rewarding this behaviour – if he enjoys receiving attention any reaction from you when he does this could be rewarding to him so try to avoid this. Equally, it is important not to punish him for this behaviour as this is likely to cause an increase in anxiety and could accentuate the problem further. Sometimes this type of behaviour is accidentally encouraged by owners when treats are given at inappropriate times. If he ever shows nippy behaviour towards you or if he pushes you with his head, nibbles or nuzzles at you or your clothing make sure you don’t give him a treat or any attention. Otherwise it is easy to become a walking vending machine that your horse believes dispenses treats whenever he pushes or nips, and this can increase the behaviour further.

It is important to try to encourage him to carry out another behaviour which is incompatible with him chewing on everything that you don’t want him to. This can be done by either providing him with rewards for keeping his head turned away from you/objects he usually picks up, or more simply by providing him with a tasty haynet to eat whilst you are carrying out these tasks. To reward him you can either drop a treat into a bucket on the floor in front of him when he looks away from you or releases an object, or you can use some super special scratches instead! Most horses have a favourite scratchy spot and a good firm scratch in this area can be extremely rewarding for them if you would prefer not to use food. If you don’t know where your horse’s ‘Ooh’ spot is yet spend some time trying to find this out through trial and error! When you have found his magic ‘spot’ start to say ‘good boy’ when you give him a good scratch, so that in time the words themselves will become reinforcing for him which can be very useful for any future training.

Try to think about teaching him what you do want instead of focussing on what you don’t want and you will be surprised how much this alone can improve your relationship with your horse.

TOP TIPS:

• Focus on what behaviour you want, rather than what you don’t want. E.g. Focus on teaching your horse to remain looking away from you when you rug him, rather than stopping him from nipping when you rug him.
  
• Be careful not to accidentally reward your horse for unwanted behaviour, or behaviours that could easily escalate into bad habits.