# horse goes crazy in stall.



## myhorseisthebest (Dec 4, 2013)

My mate hate her stall, absolutely hates it, she literally bent a panel in half by sitting on it! She does everything she can to escape (that's why I have her in full time pasture) she's also really big and strong so she does more damage.
Anyways, I don't know why she's like this, my guess is that she's been pastured for 10 years before I got her and wasn't really everything in a stall.
But, went it's spring time next year I'm planning on putting the 2 horses in stalls next to each other during the day so the grass will grow, and let them out at night.
So is there anything I can do to help with this stall hatred or whatever it might be? 
Thanks!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## PalominoPrincessx (Jun 2, 2014)

Some horses will tolerate a stall but others just will not, although I believe no horse really enjoys their stall. I, personally, don't like stalling my horse. A horse gets so bored in a stall and will develop stable vices to try and combat that boredom. 

But if you want to let the grass recover you might want to give her toys and other things to entertain her. This worked a treat for my boy anytime he has to be stalled. I would recommend the Likit Horse Feed Ball (you put some of their feed into it and if they roll it around individual pellets come out). Also, by giving them a haynet for her to snack on can help also.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

My late mare used to be afraid of her stall so I took to feeding her in it. She'd get her food everyday and she'd have to be in her stall to eat it. I didn't shut her in there initially, but after she was ok with he idea of being in for food, I started closing the gate while she ate. Eventually she was so ok with her stall that she would actually lay down and nap inside - after being deathly afraid of it to begin with.

The one thing that really helped her is, when she was in for prolonged periods - like overnight, I made sure she had a slow-feed haynet full of hay. The hay kept her focused and busy and it lasted all night so she never felt the need to start worrying about food/escape.

My current gelding supposedly has some stall trauma in his background [not sure exactly what he does...all I know is that he was locked in a stall for years], but I've done the same thing with him - he gets fed twice a day inside his stall. I place his food in the back corner so he _has to _go in to eat. He was nervous about it to begin with but, like my mare, he now loves his stall. He can freely access it in his pasture and it's not unusual nowadays to find hm lying down, taking a midday snooze, in his stall.
I haven't yet tried putting him in for a prolonged time, but he'll get plenty of hay and the weather will be nasty [since he's a baby about rain and would rather be inside = he's less likely to want to escape if he actually wants to be in] the first time he goes in for a more prolonged period.


When you put your mare inside, what do you give her to do? Does she have a friend nearby like she would when you plan to stall her during the day?


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

Horses are naturally claustrophobic some more then others. Being confined can make them feel vulnerable to predators as there is no escape, and they cannot see around them. Horses prefer to be in the open where they can see around them and are able to run if they feel threatened. Is there a reason she has to get used to a stall? If she can stay in pasture I would leave her where she is comfortable and feels safe.

If she must get used to being stalled I would recommend starting out by feeding her in the stall, then taking her back out. When she gets confident coming into eat begin leaving her in a little longer giving her hay to munch on, spend time rubbing on her and letting her learn it is ok to relax in the stall. 

Are there other horses in stalls around her that she is able to see? They are herd animals so if she cannot see any other horses that will also make her feel more vulnerable to predators.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Some good suggestions here. If all else fails and she just won't accept being in the stall, hope she does though, could you just fence off a a small area to keep her in during the day? Maybe with access to the stall but able to go outside in her "little space" when she wants to and that way still be able to keep them off the pasture.


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## sea (May 15, 2014)

My first horse had stall trauma in her past prior to me buying her. I would feed her in her stall, but as soon as she was done she would try (and sometimes did) break out. It got worse and worse over the years for not really any reason I could discern, since the routine never changed. When there was a massive fire at the place I was boarding at that totally destroyed the barn (no horses were harmed thankfully), it sealed the deal. I couldn't even walk her through a barn after that.

Hopefully the other suggestions you've gotten will work for you! If not, is there any way you can rope off part of the pasture while it grows?


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

Rather than stalling her, could you section off a small area (roundpen, panels, e-tape, whatever) to be a 'sacrifice area' for her to be in when they're off pasture? May be easier on both of you from the sounds of it. While most horses can adapt to stalls well enough, if she continues to damage things and herself, it may just not be a battle worth fighting. I have met a few horses who cannot be stall-kept. It is highly inconvenient for their owners at times (and a major issue when one was injured and at the veterinary hospital) but it does happen. 

Maybe if you start small with just stalling her for feedings and the like, you can help her overcome her fear and panic with time. Just go very slow. You might search the techniques people have for getting horses over their fear of trailers- similar methods might be helpful.


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## skiafoxmorgan (Mar 5, 2014)

My ideal stall arrangement has always been to have a twelve by twenty-four paddock attached to it. You can lock them in or lock them out, but it resolves stall boredom a treat. I don't see a lot of those setups here in PA, but it was awesome.


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

PalominoPrincessx said:


> Some horses will tolerate a stall but others just will not, although I believe no horse really enjoys their stall. I, personally, don't like stalling my horse. A horse gets so bored in a stall and will develop stable vices to try and combat that boredom.


Yeah, how would you feel about having to spend all your time in a small room with nothing to do?

I would do as others have suggested, and divide the pasture area into sections, so the horses can be in one while the grass grows in the other(s).


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## AmateurOwner (Jun 17, 2013)

Hmm .. I have the opposite problem. Our horses would rather be in the stall than outdoors!


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Along with the previous good thoughts and suggestions:

What is she being fed?

If she's in stall, she's eating some sort of feed and it may be too hot for her, given that she isn't doing anything.

Put her on something that is low protein and low fat. It probably won't calm her 100% but it may help.

My now 26 yr old would literally climb up the wall, in his younger days, and he only came in at night with all his buddies around him.

I changed his feed to something much more quiet and the stall climbing stopped.

These days, he can't get to his stall soon enough. By dusk he's had enough of being a wild and wandering horse foraging for food on 20 acres and having to drag himself back to the barn to drink water


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## myhorseisthebest (Dec 4, 2013)

walkinthewalk said:


> Along with the previous good thoughts and suggestions:
> 
> What is she being fed?
> 
> ...


Right now she's on Timothy hay with senior feed (even though she's only 13), but she only get a hand full of grain and a third of a flake of hay a day, just because I spoil her, she really doesn't need extra feed because she is keepinga healthy weight with only being pastured. And she's a mare, so she'll gain weight if I over feed her.
The feed is just a stall treat. I guess I could section some pasture off, not sure if my parents would invest in that though.
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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

Invest in sectioning or invest in stall repairs (+/- vet bills when she does hurt herself)... I know it's not your choice to make, but hopefully whichever way it goes, it works out in a safe and low-stress way.


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