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The latest research examines factors contributing to stable vices, and whether thoroughbreds truly deserve their “flighty” reputation, as Peter Green reports

-  Peter Green

STEREOTYPY FACTORS

STEREOTYPICAL behaviours or “stable vices” have been recognised in domesticated horses for centuries. They include crib-biting, windsucking, weaving, box walking and box wall kicking.

Brazilian behaviorists recently analysed all the peer-reviewed research into the development of stereotypies published in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and compared the findings and conclusions. This kind of study is a “meta analysis”; it is valuable because it draws together accumulated knowledge on a given subject. The scientific literature includes the study of nearly 19,000 horses from 1998 to 2020.

The meta-analysis reveals no consensus about many of the factors thought to contribute to stable vices. Some papers point to a genetic or breed predisposition; others appear to disprove this. Some studies indicate increased problems in colts and geldings, others the opposite. Even the reported prevalence of stereotypic behaviour among equines is not consistent, with some studies claiming that about 3% of leisure and sports horses show such behaviours, and a figure of up to 60% in others.