health problems - weaving

Question
hello ma'am, what health problems do horses face when they weave in the stall out of boredom? on what basis, weaving is considered as a vice in horses?

Answer
Weaving is indeed considered a vice but it is entirely preventable IF the horse could be allowed to be out in a large area and walking and grazing for most of the day, as horses are meant to be able to do.

For a race horse, or stabled horse, unfortunately this is not possible. Weaving is a "deviant" behavior, such as animals in a zoo will do....Have you eveer seen a zoo animal just go up and down , up and down a path a hundred times a day? This is caused by boredom leading to much stress.Pretend you are in a very small room for much of your life.....the boredon and stress are evident.

Sometimes toys in horse's stalls help with this...but not often. Many people get companion animals for the horses such as a goat. This does help in many cases. The horse should be allowed to at least be led to graze and turned out even in a small paddock if this is possible.

The animal who weaves is obviously not "happy". This can lead to behavioral issues. Saddlebred and Park horses in the States, who are often subjected to abusive practices, are also common weavers. Weaving, (shifting their weight from side to side) often does result in lamenesses and psychological problems.

Mitzi Summers

www.MitziSummers.com