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  Discussion on Horse tries to climb out of stall
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Member:
cpacer

Posted on Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 - 10:43 pm:

I have my horses boarded for another month or so, and they don't spend much time in their stalls, but when they do my young QH tries to climb out.

It's kind of scarey to see because he gets his front hooves on top of the stall gate like he's going to leap out.

I'm afraid to ignore this as you would pawing because he might actually take the plunge and hurt himself, but every time someone comes to stop him he's getting the attention he's asking for.

Since it's temporary boarding I don't know if modifying the stall is an option. When I build my barn I'll make the stall so he can't climb the walls (and hopefully he won't try and leap over).

What's the best way to stop him from doing this?
Member:
mrose

Posted on Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 - 11:19 pm:

Is the stall door made like a half door with no vertical or horizontal bars? I'd hate for him to get a foot caught!

Why is he trying to get out? Is he afraid of the stall? Hates being cooped up? Doesn't like being alone? If you could figure out his problem it might give some ideas on what to do. Someone on another post some time ago suggested putting an unbreakable mirror along the wall of the stall for a horse that was unhappy in its stall. Maybe that would help?
Member:
freshman

Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 1:19 am:

I've heard that the mirror really works for a lot of these unhappy campers. I think that this is worth trying. I know that many mirrors that are designed for use in the shower and bath are unbreakable, but I can't think of one that would be made large enough to work with a horse. I seem to recall that a highly polished chrome or stainless steel panel was also suggested?

I think that it is worth trying to figure out what upsets him and solve it, because there will times in his life that he will have to be confined for some reason or another. He needs to be OK with the stall, even if he prefers being out. Make sure that is stall environment is as ideal was is possible. Obviously safety is paramount, so is wound be best if there were no haynets or racks, slats or anything else that could tangle him up. He may also be more comfortable if he is across the aisle from another horse that he can see. Allowing him to see/touch another horse in the stall next to him is also possible as long as the slats, etc, are covered by a strong, coated mesh barrier. The holes should not be large enough to get a hoof through.

God luck with your horse! It seems silly, but I have had a horse that thrived on any or all attention, even if this meant that someone was yelling at him. He play xylophone on the stall bars, chewed the crossties, pawed in the washrack...and was well satisfied when he heard someone yell, "Buddy, NO!"
Member:
martina

Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 7:34 am:

Does another horse stay in the same stall without any problem? I had a gelding that was absolutely panic-stricken in his stall. If the stall had a gate instead of a door, he would have been over it. I took him out, and put another horse in. Same reaction! I discovered that the electric fence outside the stall in the turn-out paddock had a short and was "clicking". As soon as that was resolved, everyone was calm. Sometimes they're trying to tell you something...
Member:
cpacer

Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 8:13 am:

It's a huge barn with about 50 horses, and my other horse is right next to him. He gets anxious when he thinks he's missing out on something outside of his stall. Yesterday it was because I took my other horse out to clean his feet, but we were only a few feet away from the stall when he tried climbing out.

He's fine when I leave him in the pasture and take my other horse away (he always has mates there)--but I know they are getting a little too dependent on each other. My other horse looks out for the young one cause he used to get beat-up on pretty bad.

The stall door has 6" wide planks with spaces in between which is how he can get a foot hold. I think it's between 4 and 5 feet high.

I've been looking for one of those mirrors in big size to put in my trailer for my other horse when he's travelling alone. Would love to know where to find one?

Any ideas about the stall issue much appreciated!
Member:
gillb

Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 9:03 am:

This is an awful story of a 2yo Morgan horse I had who would jump anything to get to his friends. He had been kept in a large herd all his life and I suppose to be suddenly separated and confined in a stall was just too much for him to cope with. He was fine if you were in there with him though.

He jumped a 4ft electric fence (while it was on), and a metal field gate from standstill, just because I had put him into the next field while I got another pony (who was just the other side of the gate, so it wasn't as if he couldn't see him). Before I had even got the pony's headcollar on, the youngster had leaped the gate, caught his legs on top and somersaulted over, landing on his back!! However he didn't seem any worse for wear after this, but it was a real problem.

I could never envisage me taking him anywhere away from home if there were normal half door stables, as the stable I put him in at home had a weaving grid on top and this worked well. He was okay in other stables while the rest of the herd was in sight.

Once I took him to a clinic where he stayed in an American barn, but the top doors (fortunately!) were able to be closed via a grill. He could see other horses and his friend was opposite, but he still ran around the stall like a caged animal and it took him a whole day to calm down.

Finally one day I had the whole herd in and he was stabled next to his friend (not in his usual stable though). I led my filly out to the arena for some training, and when she passed his stable he went crazy. I had got the filly in the arena but saw him trying to climb over the stable door, which was a wooden one with a second metal grilled door behind it. I rushed the filly back to her stable as quick as I could, by this time he was half over the door. Before I could get to him he had fallen over the door - the wooden door burst open but his hoof got caught on the top bolt of the metal door behind and he was left hanging. I had to have him put down at the scene as he had broken his hock.

Any time someone mentions a horse that jumps out of a stable it brings this back vividly to me! In hindsight this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't used the metal door, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.......

Some horses and ponies just don't like being confined, period. I have a 3yo filly (the one mentioned above) who also hates being stabled although she doesn't react in quite such an extreme way! She will paw and bang the door for hours though. She came from the same place and at the same time as another filly I have, who doesn't mind the stable at all. My lot do all live out 24/7 so I suppose being a bit herd bound is inevitable with some.

I really don't know what to suggest re. calming your boy down, but would definitely look into something like a weaving grill on top so he's not able to climb out. I would think you can get the mirrors from the internet - I did, but I'm in the UK. They didn't make a huge amount of difference to mine, but all horses are individuals.

What about calming supplements - have you tried any of them? I never got round to it with mine.

Good luck anyway!
Member:
erika

Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 9:21 am:

Ooh! CP, I can envision disaster if something isn't done quickly. Why does he need to be stalled? Can the horse stay outside?

If not, maybe the barn will let you add a board or two to raise the height of the front of the stall?

My filly jumped out of a horse trailer at 5 mos. Right over the bottom closed door ramp. She was fine, but the woman she landed on was not! If a horse is trying hard to get out, self-preservation is not on their mind.
Member:
paardex

Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 10:39 am:

I know this sounds very mean but electric fencing in a box is very effective. Especially if it is a dangerous situation and only temperary. The story seems to suggest fear and /or panic so I would try calming him down first. I always take such a horse first out and brush a little before putting the other in front of him to do the same.
Hope this helps and the electricity thing I have used only on two occasions : a 1,5 year old trotter stallion who really tried to climb out and would otherwise be locked in and not being to see anything[when closing the above half of the door] and with a pony who scratched herself till she bled against the walls.
Jos
PS the trotter tried to climb through the weaving grill and got stuck so take care with these things.
Jos
Member:
cpacer

Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 11:30 am:

Yikes Gill, that was awful!

They're only put in the stall to eat twice a day then turned back out, and kept in when the weather is bad.

Suddenly I'm taking this a little more serious! He's been doing it ever since I got him in January, but yesterday was the first I saw of his fronts on top of the gate.

I don't know what a weaving grill is--I'll look it up though.
Member:
gillb

Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 12:11 pm:

This is the kind of grill I mean, the anti-weaver grill with infill:

https://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/prodlist.asp?cat=4&scats=114
Member:
kitch

Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 1:37 pm:

I have had two horses that would not stay in their stall, one was actually a mule, but both did it because they only wanted to be out, no fear, nothing. They would climb out, sometimes stand at the stall and eat their hay from the outside, the mule was is a very social animal and he would just like to visit. All we could do was put a grid door on the top, but if you do that you must make sure the grids are narrow enough so that he can not get his hoofs through. Horses can get up high and get there hoof caught but they can not get back up once caught to get out, I have heard of this happening a few times. Maybe if you buy a top door for this temporary stall you can take it down and install it in your own stable.
Good luck.
Janine
Member:
cgby1

Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 4:56 pm:

Hi CP, I would definitely put a grid on top and if he gets along with his neighbor maybe they would let you put in a window w grid between the stalls. I am putting them between all my stalls.I have tongue and groove walls so its not hard and if need be I could remove it. If he is used to being outside he might be feeling claustrophobic. My horses had been kept in pipe stalls for many years. I had large roofs but when I got a barn it took awhile for some of them to get comfortable & they had access to outside runs. My oldest mare is still very unhappy if the door to the run is closed. My youngest was born in the barn but when we had some high winds and I closed the doors on her side of the barn she got panicy. Cynthia
Member:
cpacer

Posted on Monday, Apr 23, 2007 - 10:21 am:

Well he did it, he jumped out! I wasn't there when it happened but the people said they were standing outside of his stall with my other horse and Hank thought he was missing out on something.

He climbed up and leapt out getting his back legs caught on top of the door. Fell down, got up and neighed--very proud of himself. Luckily he got by with only scrapped shins.

Don't know why we had to learn the hard way, but they're not putting him back in that stall. And I'll definitely take this into account as we're building his permanent home.

btw, I've seen him try to climb into the stall too.
Member:
gwen

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 - 7:01 am:

Oh my...
Member:
twhgait

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 - 2:12 pm:

cp, I've mentioned this before in another thread, but my new mare crawled out of her stall too, 5 days after she arrived home. I had been putting her up in a stall temporarily because she wasn't all the way introduced to my 2 mares. That morning, I heard her pawing on the baby monitor but shut it off as I was running out there in literally 5 minutes (I just had to quick finish getting dressed) and in that 5 minutes, she crawled up and over the steel tubing gate that we used as a door. I glanced out of the window while walking to the back door and saw her walking out of the barn! She looked pretty full of herself too, I might add! Thankfully nothing was broken...her stifles were pretty swollen and she lost hair off the front of both back legs. A week after that, she developed a nice fluid filled sack under her belly. She was given the "all clear" by the vet a week later and the fluid under her belly is now gone. Scared me to death! I'm convinced she had an angel on her shoulder. Needless to say, she's now out 24/7 with the other two mares.
Member:
cgby1

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 - 3:26 pm:

cp, Glad to hear that he's alright. I would use only wall height doors with vertical grills too tight for hooves in your permanent home. I witnessed a mare who had kicked at another horse get a back leg over a pipe rail. It was too high for the other leg to reach the ground and before we could do anything to help, she flipped over on her back. The rails were too close to allow her leg to slip out so she was hung up until a neighbor climbed up and using his foot pounded her hoof lose. I thought for sure her leg would be broken but luckily she had tendon and ligament damage. It was about 6 or 8 weeks before she walked sound again. Cynthia
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