Stable vices and trailer problems.

The research focuses on two main behaviour problems in horses, namely stable vices and trailer issues. Stable vices refer to certain destructive or undesirable behaviours exhibited by horses when kept in stalls, while trailer problems indicate difficulties faced by horses during transportation.

Explanation of Stable Vices

• The research identifies common stable vices in horses which are primarily categorized into oral vices and other types of vices. Oral vices include cribbing (the habit of a horse seizing a solid object by the teeth and applying suction to pull in air with an audible gulp), wood chewing, and coprophagia (eating of faeces).
• Other vices encompass activities like stall walking (constant pacing in the stall), weaving (repeated side-to-side swaying movement of the head, neck, and forequarters), pawing, and stall kicking.
• The research suggests that these vices are often observed in horses kept in confined environments like stalls, instead of open pastures.
• Some vices are classified as escape behaviors, indicating the horse’s desire to escape an undesired environment, while others are forms of self-stimulation or stereotypic behaviors indicating boredom or frustration.
• The prevention and treatment for these vices is suggested to be pasture living or open spaces, rather than stall confinement.

Understanding Trailer Problems

• The second part of the research focuses on trailer problems. These issues arise while loading, transporting or unloading horses into/from a trailer.
• Trailer problems include refusal to load, struggling in the stationary or moving trailer (scrambling), and refusal to unload. These are significant issues as they not only affect the transport process but can also cause stress and potential physical harm to the horse.
• Possible solutions to these problems, as suggested by the research, could be gradual habituation to the trailer, having the presence of another horse during transportation, or changing the trailer type.
• Gradual habituation implies slowly acclimating the horse to the trailer surroundings, helping it to overcome anxiety or fear of the confined space. This could involve rewarding the horse as it gets accustomed to entering, staying, and exiting from the trailer.
• Similarly, providing the horse with a companion during transportation or changing the type of trailer to suit the horse’s comfort could help mitigate these problems.