Fear of stall

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VShawnV

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Jan 23, 2020
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I just got a new horse, a gelding. He is the first horse I've had since my old girl Dixie passed away.
Anyways, Im absolutely loving this horse. Him and I bonded quickly. And he respects me and I have no issues with him EXCEPT he is absolutely terrified of his stall. His stall is about 12'x20' has a concrete floor with about 6" of pine shavings. The stall is accessible from the front pasture. His water, hay rack and corner feeder is the only thing in there. He will sneak in there and eat and then he's out of there. I have led him in there and calmed him down but as soon as I walk away he bolts. His former owner says he was low man on the totem pole and the other horses bullied him but I'm not sure that has anything to do with this issue. What should I do?
 
If he'll go in there to eat I wouldn't say he was terrified of it, just that he'd rather be outside. I've had and known horses that have been genuinely scared of stables and even if you get them in they're far to stressed to eat even a tempting bucket feed or treat never mind hay.

I don't know how long you've had him so for now I'd be inclined to say give him some more time. One thing I would do if he's shod is bed down the whole floor or cover it with mats just because concrete is a slippery surface with shoes on and if he does start to dash round in a stress then the last thing you want is for him to take a fall.
 
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If he was low in the pecking order he perhaps gets out of there fast as has previously been pinned in a stall by a higher ranking horse. I'd have to agree he's not terrified, or he wouldn't eat. My mare dislikes being inside, if shut in she will pace around and stress, if given the option she will rarely go in unless it's to avoid particularly pesky flies, she is top dog and has never been pinned in to my knowledge but she likes to be able to see everything that's going on and can't do that from inside so I think that is why she dislikes a stable/barn.....but she still comes into my barn twice a day to be fed and has hay in there is the weather is really grotty.
 
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I would give him longer to settle. If the stable door is open he has the option to come and go. Perhaps try putting some carots or treats round in the stable or if you have some ledges put some on there to encourage him to search which might keep him in there longer.
My old boy is out 24/7 but if i had to put him in a stable he stressed. He will rush to the door and as soon as you open the door he will barge to get out. When i first had him he had a fracture and everyone said you cant stable him hes never been shut in only the odd night and he always disliked it. Well four months of box rest did calm him but hes still not a stable fan. For the box rest we comprimised with the stable door left open and a concrete yard. All hay was put in the stable and he was fed in the stable and carrots were put round the walls. At the end of 4 months when i turned up at the yard he would walk out the stable to greet me. 13 years on hes only been stabled a handful of times and he is always keen to get out if hes been shut in.
 
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Hopefully time and patience will cure this. Just a thought, but if he's better when you're with him, would the equivalent of "controlled crying" help? ie go in with him, stay a few minutes, then leave for a few minutes, back in, leave for a bit longer and so on, until you can leave him for an hour or so. Honestly don't know if it would work on a horse, but it def does with children! Oh and welcome to NR!
 
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carthorse said:
If he'll go in there to eat I wouldn't say he was terrified of it, just that he'd rather be outside. I've had and known horses that have been genuinely scared of stables and even if you get them in they're far to stressed to eat even a tempting bucket feed or treat never mind hay.

I don't know how long you've had him so for now I'd be inclined to say give him some more time. One thing I would do if he's shod is bed down the whole floor or cover it with mats just because concrete is a slippery surface with shoes on and if he does start to dash round in a stress then the last thing you want is for him to take a fall.
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Sorry, I forgot to mention I've had him 10 days.
 
Huggy said:
Hopefully time and patience will cure this. Just a thought, but if he's better when you're with him, would the equivalent of "controlled crying" help? ie go in with him, stay a few minutes, then leave for a few minutes, back in, leave for a bit longer and so on, until you can leave him for an hour or so. Honestly don't know if it would work on a horse, but it def does with children! Oh and welcome to NR!
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Thank you so much! I'm really liking it so far. Everyone seems real nice and knowledgeable.
 
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Thank you all for your help! I have a feeling I'm really going to like this forum. I have a lot of questions. Diesel, my new gelding, has a few issues. I will definitely be coming to this group with my questions.
 
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VShawnV said:
Thank you all for your help! I have a feeling I'm really going to like this forum. I have a lot of questions. Diesel, my new gelding, has a few issues. I will definitely be coming to this group with my questions.
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Oooh - issues are my speciality! My cobs had a few of those!
 
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