Factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviours in young horses: findings of a four year prospective epidemiological study.
Authors: Waters A J, Nicol C J, French N P
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Over a four-year period (1995–1999), Waters and colleagues tracked 225 young Thoroughbreds and part-Thoroughbreds to identify which management and genetic factors predisposed horses to developing stereotypies and redirected behaviours, with abnormal behaviour ultimately affecting 35% of the cohort. The prospective epidemiological design allowed the researchers to establish temporal relationships between specific management interventions and the onset of individual abnormal behaviours, revealing considerable variation in both the prevalence and age of onset across stereotypy types: wood-chewing was most common (30%), followed by crib-biting (11%), weaving (5%), and box-walking (2%). Several findings carry direct implications for stud and young stock management—notably, foals from subordinate or mid-ranking mares showed substantially lower rates of abnormal behaviour development compared with offspring of dominant mares (rate ratios of 0.23–0.48), paddock-weaning reduced abnormal behaviour incidence by over 50% compared with stable confinement, and post-weaning pasture housing demonstrated a protective effect over barn housing. Perhaps most actionably, feeding concentrates after weaning increased crib-biting risk four-fold, suggesting that forage-based diets merit reconsideration in young horses at risk. Given that many abnormal behaviours are difficult and costly to reverse once established, these findings suggest that relatively straightforward modifications to weaning methodology, housing allocation, and nutritional strategy during the critical first two years could meaningfully reduce their occurrence in practice.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Consider maternal temperament and social rank when assessing stereotypy risk in foals; offspring of dominant mares warrant closer monitoring and enrichment
- •Maximize paddock weaning and pasture housing post-weaning as simple, effective management changes to prevent abnormal behaviours
- •Limit concentrate feeding in recently weaned horses and ensure adequate forage-based diets to reduce crib-biting and wood-chewing incidence
Key Findings
- •Abnormal behaviour developed in 34.7% of young horses over the 4-year study period
- •Foals of dominant mares were 2-4 times more likely to develop abnormal behaviour than foals of subordinate mares (RR 0.23-0.48)
- •Stable/barn weaning increased abnormal behaviour risk 2.19-fold compared to paddock weaning, with further 2.54-fold increase when housed in barns post-weaning
- •Concentrate feeding after weaning increased crib-biting risk 4.12-fold; barn/stable housing increased wood-chewing risk 4.49-4.66-fold