Escape Artist Horses

Why a Horse Escapes and How to Deal With It

Jul 25, 2008 Megan Worley

Dealing with a horse that constantly escapes can be tiring and worrisome; however there are several methods that can be used to deal with it.

Horses will escape their stalls for one of three general reasons, to get away from something they feel is threatening, to reach something that they want or simple boredom and a mischievous attitude. Horses feel threatened for many reasons, including bullying horses in nearby stalls, a bee’s nest, a leaky roof, or possibly something that makes a loud noise when the wind blows. Since the likelihood of a horse feeling threatened is high it’s important to always make sure that the horse feels safe in his environment. To do this stand in the horse’s stall and examine the area. Be sure to check for anything that might leak, or make loud noises. Also be careful to observe the horse’s behavior when it is in the stall noting whether the horse seems frightened or anxious.

Prevent escaping before it starts

Making sure the horse is happy in its stall can be a good way to prevent it from becoming a perpetual escape artist. Once a horse has enjoyed time munching on the greener grass so to say it may begin to seek that out, rather than escaping out of fear. Also be sure that the horse’s needs are met while in the stall. Horses need plenty of clean water and enough food to keep them occupied since horses graze naturally most of the day and night.

Horses are herd animals, and that instinct is one of the strongest they possess, therefore a horse kept isolated may escape to gain the company of other horses. These horses can suffer from separation stress and become anxious, resulting in the channeling of their energies toward breaking out. Because of their instincts it is important that other horses always be in sight of the horse, generally in nearby stalls. If the horse knows that its companions are nearby it should be much calmer.

Some horses however are simply bored and with the excess energy that comes with being stuck in a stall may begin playing with their door latch. Generally the horse is not expressly looking to escape, just for something to play with, but by chance the latch opens and the horse has a taste of freedom. One time is all it takes for a bright horse to figure out how to escape.

Methods to prevent the escaping horses

Finding ways to firmly latch stall doors and gates against escape attempts is beneficial regardless of whether any of the horses has learned to escape. Regardless of whether the stall doors slide or swing open a latch near the bottom of the door, one that can be opened with a foot, gives an added measure of safety as most horses will not be able to reach them. Closing the top of the door is often an option but can quickly result in an anxious and upset horse. Another option is turning the horse out at night. Allowing them access to grazing at night may give them something to do and quench the thirst for freedom.

Regardless of the method used to stop the escapee it is important to ensure that the area the horse may escape into is as safe as possible. This means locking away all food so the horse doesn’t overeat, cleaning the barn aisles, having a fence around the property and ensure that there are no holes a horse could fall in and nothing sharp they could step on.

The copyright of the article Escape Artist Horses in Horses is owned by Megan Worley. Permission to republish Escape Artist Horses in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

A horse firmly locked in for the night