Help!! my horse eats through metal gates

[pokeys girl]

I need help!!! I have a 7 yr old gelding that eats through his metal gate and this is with a miracle collar on!! I'm not sure if this is even still concidered cribbing since he puts his whole mouth around the gate and chews through it . I'm on my 3rd gate this month. I turn him out several times a week but the second I put him back in he starts. Any advice sure would be great!!!

[mart]

Is the entire stall metal ?? Sounds like a good case of boredom !! How much is he stalled ?? I would let him stay out if possible !! Some horses just do not stall well !! No, I would not consider this cribbing !! This is usually what happens when horses do not get the exercise they require to be happy and content inside !!

[pokeys girl]

the rest of the stall is wood with the metal tube gate. he was cribbing on his feed and water bucket so he now gets a ground feeder. and he seems to have left the water bucket alone. i have a jolly ball for him but he pays no attention to it. I turn him out 3x a week and ride for 4-5 hours a day on the weekend.

[mart]

Thats still not enough for some high energy horses !! What do you feed him ?? A lower carb feed might help but I doubt it !! I would just leave him outside and iut would help if he were with other horses as long as they all get along !!

[lunanightwolf]

if you want to continue to stall him. I would suggest investing im some kind of spray that you can spray on the gate and everything else he nibbles on. It'll taste bad to him and soon he would stop. I had the same problem with my mare, so i sprayed vingear on the spot and she stopped.

[pokeys girl]

I don't have the option right now to pasture him all the time and I would prefer to stall him. When he is turned out he's with 2 other horses that he gets along great with. he's on sweet feed. A friend suggested covering the gate with cyclone fencing. I thought I might give that a try. I'll keep you posted thanks for the help Mart and lunanightwolf.

[mart]

Try also to take him off of part of the sweet feed and give him at least half of his feed in crimped oats !! That will remove some of the sugar in his feed and might let him relax more !! You can also give him more hay to nibble on so he has something to occupy his time !! One thing that you have to realize is that horses are not naturally meant to be stalled and some just do not do well inside !! Sounds like yours has a lot of nervous energy !!

[pokeys girl]

Do you think I should try one of those pasifiers? I'll try the oats too. thanks. does needing teeth floated have anything to do with it. I don't believe he is due but could of been misled since i have only owned him for 5-6 months now.

[mart]

No, teeth would not make a difference in my opinion !! If you mean a pacifier like the ones that are in a roller type, made out of compressed feed, that they can lick on !! That would be a good thing to try !! Just attach it to a different place from the one that he is chewing !! Anything that keeps him busy might help !! You might even take an empty milk jug with a screw on lid and poke some holes in it, then put some of the sweet feed in it,screw the lid on and throw it in the stall with him !! He can smell the feed but not get to it to eat it !! May not last long as they paw at it and push it around but it might keep him occupied a while !!

[pokeys girl]

Thanks Mart you sure have good advice!! I'm glad you don't think its his teeth. I actually did do the milk jug about a month or so ago but instead of just throwing it in with him I hung it like you would a jolly ball. I think I'll try it on the ground though. I've seen those pacifiers that are rubber that you attach to the wall that roll maybe thats worth a try. I did go to the barn last night and sprayed bitter end on the gate but he didn't mind it,go figure so then I tried hot sauce but didn't have time to see if that worked. I know he doesn't like doritos maybe I'll line the gate with them. ha ha