Showing a weaver

[Stacie]

Anyone out there have experience with showing a weaver? My OTTB is brought in once a day for feeding and is a fierce weaver once he tires of munching on his after breakfast hay. It's definitely social anxiety driven as he gets more upset if he can see other horses outside the barn than if he cannot.
I'd love to take him out to some events but I wonder about the weaving.....

[Christine (Fgs)]

I've had weavers and cribbers with the same difficulty. They drive you more nuts then themselves.

Some of mine actually were calmer as they weren't home and were too busy taking note of all the comings and goings.

So go a head and show him.

[Jaegermonster]

I have one that stall walks horribly the second she is done eating her food until I put her out. Mine have 24/7 turnout.
But she doesn't do it at shows or other places where she has to stay in.

[Meredith Clark]

Maybe you could take her to a show to watch (like a local hunter show) just school and see how she handles it before paying and pre entering a whole event.

[RAyers]

Just be sure to steer straight.

Reed

[helent623]

Why not show? Mine used to weave constantly, but has slowed down now that he's older. I've never had any negative effects from it, cept odd questions from non-horsepeople. :) It's not like you'll be chastised for it or anything. And if you're worried he'll wear himself out, that's no different for any other young horse at his first show. Plus, if you find another one you can stall them across from each other and it'll look like they're watching a tenis match!! :lol:

[Blugal]

I bought one out of a field not knowing he weaved. He was 8 and we discovered it when he woke up at the vet's after having his teeth floated. The first year of showing he weaved a lot (I'm guessing stress from the comings-and-goings, and he just associated being in a stall with weaving). I always took him out and hand-walked and grazed him a lot, to try to help the withdrawal from 24/7 turn-out.

He weaved less and less as time went on, until he almost didn't do it any more. Another important thing was making sure he didn't have wait for food when other horses in his sight/hearing were fed. Luckily as a skinny TB, this wasn't too hard; I just split up his grain meals and fed him more often, and kept hay in front of him 24/7.

[QuillcoteFarm]

Arrrrghhh I had a weaver that I evented. I found she was much happier NOT being stabled away from home, so we had a lot of early am drives. She was, however, one of the best event horses I had although I later found out after she had been sold that she developed REALLY bad arthritis in her ankles from the weaving :( She didnt really weave at home.

[Catalina]

I had a mild weaver and I never had a problem with weaving at shows; he was too busy being an idiot in other ways :lol:.

[Highflyer]

Mine weaves in the stall (and a little bit waiting at the gate if I'm late with meals sometimes--he's out 24/7). It's never been a problem, but we haven't stabled anywhere yet :)

[ss3777]

I had a weaver and a stall walker. So I turned them out 24/7. The weaver turned into the worlds BEST staff horse and was still hunting into his twenties. The stall walker and I introduced ourselves to eventing and had lots of great years together.

PS They came with the problems, I did not personally inspire these particular issues ;)

Good luck!!!

[three_dayer]

ive had weavers, stall walkers, pawers, horses that scream bloody murder if their buddy was away(which would be any horse that he was stabled next to)all very annoying, but you just ignore it...and tell your neighbors that he does that and not get too worried...ive had a lot of nut cases and they were some of the best horses i ever had....once had a horse that dug a hole so deep that he could barely put his head over stall door...he looked like a pony (he was 16hh)he also paced and weaved and screamed...he was better if he had his buddies around him....if not ugh...total idiot(did that his entire life)

[OneFineMess]

Ive always wondered about mirrors for horses that weave? Heard they work for some horses? Theres even a company that makes special horse stall 'buddy' mirrors I think.

[Hunter Mom]

My girl paces her stall at home, is a real witch when she has to be inside (normally lives in a pen with 2 other horses and is happy as a clam). She is fine at shows. There is enough to watch, she seems to enjoy it. She gets tired, too, and rests well. I'd bet he'll be fine.