In nature, the horse is a gregarious, roaming animal, that grazes constantly. In captivity, the horse is frequently confined, alone, and without anything to chew. When you consider the changes in habits that we ask of the horse, it is amazing that he adapts at all. When pushed too far he will find ways to satisfy his physical and psychological needs and, like humans, what is "too far" varies widely from individual to individual. With repetition, these adaptations to an abnormal environment can become ingrained behaviors that are impossible to eradicate. There is evidence to suggest that some of these behaviors are based on the release of some of the pleasure chemicals in the horses brain called endorphins and enkephalins. We call these bad habits vices and they include: cribbing or wind sucking, weaving, pacing, kicking the stall. This article addresses the causes, prevention, and treatment of these problems.

All of the common stable vices stem from poor adaption to captive management. They are mostly psychological adaptations that appear to calm the horse. Some of these vices even have established biochemical pathways and are analogous to drug addiction: the behavior causes the release of chemicals in the brain that give pleasure to the horse. With this is mind, two points jump out:

• Punishment for a stable vice will probably stress the horse more and worsen the problem.
• Prevention is done by providing as comfortable an environment as is possible. The following list should help:
  • Allow as much pasture time as possible.
  • When stalled make hay available constantly.
  • Avoid keeping a horse stalled alone.
  • Keep windows open so the horse can see out, even better is to allow him to stick his head out.