Some commonly occurring conditions in stabled horses:
The majority of horses are kept indoors for considerable parts of their working lives for various reasons, for example, horses in training, breaking, show jumpers, preparation for sales, shows, events, box rest for injury healing (e.g. fracture of Pedal Bone) etc. All horses in work obviously have to be stabled for long periods.During the winter months, horses may have to be stabled. In some countries there is no option due to shortage or absence of pasture land.Stable confinement can potentially lead to health and behavioural problems under some circumstances, as horses need a lot of exercise and a stable restricts this natural outlet for energy.Poor air quality in stables can lead to respiratory problems like COPD and damp stables can cause hoof problems like thrush. But the physical disadvantages are not the only problems. Horses are very social animals and keeping them separated may be very stressful. Boredom can lead to bad habits such as box walking, wind sucking, weaving, crib biting, wood chewing, bad behaviour while being handled etc.It is not unusual for horses that spend a lot of time indoors to kick and strike walls, or lash out at passers-by with flattened ears and bared teeth. A horse that is kept stabled might be more difficult to train as the first portion of the lesson may be spent blowing off steam, rather than learning anything. Long term stabling confinement can lead to stress. Stress can also lead to ulcers, colic etc. Overall, it is better for horses’ health to spend some time, or preferably all the time, outdoors but of course this is rarely practical for the reasons already mentioned. Therefore it is important to keep stabled horses as happy, contented and free from boredom and relaxed in their own environment as possible. What types of problems are more commonly seen in stabled horses?
There is a wide range of such conditions – physical conditions, injuries, digestive problems, behavioural problems etc, which horses are more likely to develop when stabled than when kept outdoors. These include the following:
1. COPD (RAO), Respiratory Allergies.
2. Capped Hocks and Elbows.
3. Colic.
4. Casting in box and associated injuries.
5. Ulcers.
6. “Stocking up” of the legs.
7. Skin conditions or Urticaria.
8. Slipping.
9. Stiffness and injury.
10. Tying Up – feed related.
11. Bleeders.
12. Ringworm.
13. Thrush in feet.
14. Foot Canker.
15. Stable Vices.
1. COPD or RAO
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is a common respiratory disease in horses where the horse develops a chronic cough. The condition is similar to asthma in humans.Causes:
In most cases, COPD/RAO is caused by allergy or hypersensitivity to mould spores in the horse’s environment and is mainly addressed by management of the condition. These spores and allergens that cause COPD are contained in the dust of hay and moulds that tend to float around in stables.The horse’s respiratory tract responds to these allergy-inducing particles with a narrowing of the airways and reduced breathing capacity. Advice:
Change from straw bedding to wood shavings, paper or rubber mats.Use dust extracted hay or silage.Management of RAO: Many of these horses are kept outdoors, while stabled cases are commonly given rubber flooring and/or dust-extracted bedding to reduce spores.2. Capped hocks and elbows Causes:
Causes:
Kicking the stable walls is a common cause of these injuries especially in colts.If a horse has insufficient bedding in his stable, he may suffer from capped hocks and elbows, caused by bruising over the point of the hock or elbow joint, both of which contain lubricating joint fluid.
In serious cases, the joints can become very swollen and sore, and the horse may also be lame.Advice:
A combination of rubber matting and a covering of additional bedding such as straw or paper usually helps to alleviate the problem.Rubber matting on the walls may be helpful where horses are kicking the walls.3. Colic:
Causes:
Horses that eat their bedding through hunger or boredom may become prone to colic. Stabled horses on concentrates may be more prone to impaction colic as inactivity leads to lessened digestive motility.Colic is basically pain caused by digestive upset.A common cause of bedding-related colic is a horse eating dry bedding, which then expands in the stomach causing discomfort, inflammation and possibly a blockage.Advice:
Choosing a non-palatable alternative to straw, such as cardboard or paper shavings or wood shavings, or rubber matting, etc, to deter the horse from nibbling its bed.Horses should not be fed large quantities of feed.Feed is best given to horses ‘little and often’.