First off, what is that? A stereotypy (not stereotype) is an abnormal behavior an animal repeats for no obvious purpose. For horses, they are coping mechanisms for dealing with stress or anxiety and often include:
❌️ Weaving
❌️ Cribbing
❌️ Wind Sucking
❌️ Box Walking
❌️ Head Shaking
❌️ Wood Chewing
❌️ Self-Mutilation
Stereotypies are also known as “diseases of domestication” because they have been observed in 20% of domestic horses but have NEVER been observed in feral horses.
𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 is when the horse stands in place and swings his head back and forth repeatedly. This affects 3.2%.
𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 is when a horse grabs something stationary with its front teeth, flexes it’s neck muscles pulling back on the object and may or may not pull air into their esophagus. It is seen in 2.4 – 8.3% of domestic horses, depending on the country, and has been shown in recent studies to relieve gastrointestinal discomfort – it is often secondary to gastric ulcers.
𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 is similar to cribbing, but the horse does not pull on something with their teeth, but does suck in air. It affects 3.8% of horses in North America.
𝐁𝐨𝐱/𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 is when a horse repeatedly walks around the perimeter of their housing (stall, run, pen, paddock, etc) in a pattern which could be a circle, figure-8, or something more irregular. This affects 2.2% of domestic horses.
𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 looks the opposite of how it sounds – it’s more similar to a quick nod – the horse flicks/jerks it’s nose up and out repeatedly. Can be mistaken for a fly-avoiding behavior, but the horse will do it even when there aren’t any insects around.
𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 is when the horse chews on and may ingest wood. It often indicates inappropriate diet quality. It is not abnormal in feral horses, but should not be seen in a domestic horse with a diet that meets all nutritional needs.
𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐌𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 is repeated biting of the flank, chest, shoulder, or forearm +/- kicking out and is considered a result of severe stress/anxiety.
The main thing to remember is that these are all caused by *poor management*, yet they are often just labeled as vices, dismissing their poor welfare. Usually this conclusion leads to inappropriate treatment for the behavior like crib collars, anti-weaving stall doors, anti-wood chewing sprays, etc. which are all band-aid fixes that do not resolve the underlying cause. These quick fixes will stress the horse even more, they might develop another stereotypy, and the cycle continues.
𝟏𝟎 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬:
💥 Social Isolation – housing one horse where they can’t see another horse, or can see but cannot interact
💥 Lack of choices within their environment with no enrichment
💥 Environments where they feel threatened
💥 Inappropriate Feeding – does not meet requirements for how or how often horses should eat; For example, a diet that is high in concentrates but low in forage is linked to cribbing; one or two daily “meals” that are finished within a few hours are linked to weaving and other locomotor-related stereotypies
💥 Bedding Type – horses provided with paper or shaving type bedding perform more stereotypic behaviors than those given straw or deep sand
💥 Breeds – Thoroughbred and Arabian horses are more prone to developing stereotypies because they are bred to have higher energy levels and therefore get bored, frustrated, and anxious more quickly
💥 Genetics – only 8% of horses develop these behaviors without a family member displaying them, 25% when a sibling or grandparent displays stereotypies, but a whopping 60% if a parent displays them 😬
💥 Early/Abrupt Weaning – 35% of foals weaned “cold turkey” develop stereotypies
💥 Sex – stallions are more prone to developing stereotypies than mares or geldings, but this is likely because they are isolated from other horses more often
💥 Riding Discipline – 32.5% of dressage horses, 30.8% in eventing, and 19.5% in endurance
Stereotypies can be prevented, reduced, or eliminated by species-appropriate management. However, they can be impossible to eliminate if the horse has been performing the behaviors for several years and finds comfort in the habit even when the stressor has been removed.
You can:
🐴 Offer enrichment toys like food puzzles, scent containers, novel objects, etc
🐴 Offer choices like different feeding modalities (free vs bagged), water from a metal tank vs plastic bucket, terrain (hard vs soft), shelter or open area, etc
🐴 Reduce or eliminate social isolation
🐴 Feed a species-appropriate diet i.e. forage based with 24/7 access (or at least several small meals throughout the day)
🐴 Remove potentially threatening stimuli
🐴 Do not use approaches that address only the symptom instead of the problem
Learn something new every day! “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better” – Maya Angelou 💕
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