Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
near feeding time, when whinnies will get you out of bed if you happen to oversleep. It is
best to feed a horse the same ration at the same time of day each day.
Vices
Vices are undesirable behaviors that horses might originally develop for legitimate reasons
but once formed often become habits that appear even if the original cause has been re-
moved. Vices, such as cribbing, pawing, and weaving, tend to be performed in confine-
ment—in a horse's stall or pen—whether or not humans are around.
Bad habits differ from vices in that they are undesirable behaviors that horses learn in
response to handling and training, and they almost always occur during in-hand work or
riding. Examples of bad habits are rearing, bolting (running away), and biting the handler.
Bad habits can be avoided with proper training.
Vices are related to horsekeeping and thus are the emphasis here. Vices are almost al-
ways caused by confinement, lack of exercise, overfeeding, and stress. The more natural
the horsekeeping, the more content the horse. The more content the horse, the less likely he
will be to form vices.
Keeping a horse in a stall or small pen is contrary to his desire to roam and have regular
exercise. Prolonged confinement is one of the leading causes of vices such as pawing, pa-
cing, weaving, and stall walking. Feeding a horse a high grain ration is contrary to his nat-
ural diet of grass and can lead to excess energy and wood chewing.
Vices can be prevented with proper management. Understanding common stable vices
can help you identify early signs, take appropriate steps, and modify the horse's behavior.
WOOD CHEWING
The beaverlike gnawing of wood rails, planks, buildings, and feeders is costly and unne-
cessary and can be dangerous to the health of a horse. Wood chewing can afflict a horse of
any age and can result in colic from wood ingestion or damage to the gums and lips from
splinters, to say nothing of the damage to facilities.
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