What is horse stall Walking?:

Horse stalls walking is also known as box walking. When horses walk horse stalls they will either continuously walk around the perimeter of its horse stall or it may walk back and forth from one wall to the other. A horse that is outdoors may ‘fence walk’ from boredom or frustration as well. The horse may also kick the walls and paw or dig.

Why do horses walk stalls?

Boredom and frustration are the main causes horses walk stalls. A horse may be bored or frustrated because it is kept separate from other horses, it’s feed is restricted, or it’s kept in a stall for prolonged periods. Fence walking usually occurs when a horse is kept separated from feed or herd mates. Walking horse stalls may be a frustrated flight response.

What are the Effects of horse stall Walking?:

A horse who habitually walks horse stalls may be difficult to keep in healthy condition. Nervous horse stall walking burns a lot of energy and while a horse is horse stall walking it is not eating. Horse stall walking may also be damaging to flooring, especially dirt floors, and a fence walker will quickly wear ruts along fence lines. There is a chance the horse could hurt itself as it repeatedly paces, kicks or paws.

How Can Stall Walking be Stopped or Prevented?:

Horse stall walking may be difficult to stop if the horse must have stall rest, must be kept separated (such as a stallion) or is on a restricted diet. To prevent horse stall walking you could try putting safe toys in the horse stalls and hanging clean plastic bottles from the ceiling. The toys may be enough to distract the horse. Others may only see toys as obstacles to walk over or around.