Why Do Horses Weave?

Find out why a horse might start weaving and what, if anything, you can do about this stereotypy.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Why Do Horses Weave?
Horses that weave often do so while standing at the stall door. Increasing visual or physical contact with other horses and optimizing turnout time can help reduce weaving. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

Q: I’m curious about my horse’s weaving. I know that excess calories/energy can play a factor, as can stress or some other trigger (though I haven’t really been able to spot a consistent “trigger” for my horse’s episodes—it can range from being handled in his stall to standing and the apparent anticipation of being tacked up), but what I’m most curious about is at how early of an age would a horse begin weaving, and why would he pick that over some other habit—is weaving simply something that just “felt right” to him, when he was scanning the stereotypy catalog? Is it the kind of thing where one kid might start chewing her nails in class while the other taps his foot? And, while I’m on the topic of foot-tapping, are some horses more “rhythmic” than others? I know this might sound strange, but I’ve noticed my horse sways ever so slightly (though not with his head/neck) when his feet are being handled by the farrier. It reminds me a little of the YouTube video of the horse bobbing his head to a song on YouTube, for instance, only not as charming (to the farrier, at least!). — via e-mail

A: Weaving is a rhythmic swaying in place that usually involves a lateral excursion of the head and neck and a concurrent shifting of weight between the front feet, such that the entire front end of the horse is usually involved, as well as sometimes the hindquarters. Usually the horse does this standing right at the stall door. A number of researchers are working hard to better understand weaving in horses but realize our knowledge of all stereotypies is ever evolving. Always remember horses are built to walk and eat and have social relationships, and when these are thwarted, behaviors that we find undesirable or disconcerting can result.

Why did your horse “pick” weaving out of the catalog? Weaving and other locomotory stereotypies seem to be associated with the urge to walk, forage, and socialize. In part, we think this because one thing that seems to reduce weaving is the placement of a mirror in the horse’s stall. Increasing visual or physical contact with other horses and optimizing turnout time also can reduce weaving. And, interestingly, bedding on straw may reduce weaving, perhaps because the horse can forage on straw when other feed isn’t available. So this is opposed to an oral stereotypy such as cribbing, which we tend to link with early (like creep feeding) and contemporary high concentrate diets more than thwarted movement and socialization

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

Written by:

Prior to attending veterinary school, Dr. Nancy Diehl completed a master’s degree in animal science while studying stallion sexual behavior. Later, she completed a residency in large animal internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center and worked in equine practices in Missouri and Pennsylvania. Diehl also spent six years on faculty at Penn State, where she taught equine science and behavior courses and advised graduate students completing equine behavior research. Additionally, Diehl has co-authored scientific papers on stallion behavior, early intensive handling of foals, and feral horse contraception. Currently she is a practicing veterinarian in central Pennsylvania.

Leave a Reply

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
284 votes · 284 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!