Changes in routine or environment AND how to manage this:
Horses depend on consistency (that's not to say it has to be perfected by the minute), with some more sensitive to changes in routine, grazing spaces and social groups.
Always try to introduce any change gradually, maintain consistent feeding and turnout schedules, avoid unnecessary movement between yards or companions, and familiarise horses slowly with new environments.
Travel and stay away shows PLUS how to make this more manageable:
Travelling to stay-away shows can be stressful for horses due to factors like unfamiliar environments, long journeys, changes in routine, and separation from their usual friends. This stress can manifest as reduced appetite, dehydration, restlessness, or lowered performance.
To make the experience more manageable, you can prepare your horse gradually with shorter practice trips, ensure familiar bedding and feed are taken to the venue, allow time for rest during and after travel, and maintain consistent care routines. Remain calm and confident yourself and ensuring your horse has adequate hydration and comfortable travelling conditions can also significantly reduce anxiety.
Separation, confinement and/or lack of social contact AND how to fix it:
Horses are herd animals that evolved for continuous movement. Keeping them stabled for long periods of time or isolated from others sharply increases stress, and often triggers issues such as weaving or crib‑biting.
Help reduce stress by providing daily turnout with field friends where possible, to ensure visual and tactile access to other horses.
Pain and/or discomfort from tack, lameness and other issues AND how to best plan:
Undiagnosed pain, be it dental, back, joint, poor saddle fit, or even inconsistent and/or rough handling can provoke a stress response (like spooking, rearing, feet planting or refusing).
Regular health checks, saddle fitting consultations, dental visits, coaching advice and physiotherapy assessments can all be beneficial. Human to horse interactions emphasise consistency, positivity, and trust‑based relationships, reducing stress.
Nutritional imbalance, gastric discomfort/ulcers, PLUS how to avoid it:
Horses naturally graze continuously (16-18 hours/day). Prolonged fasting, low forage diets, or sudden changes of feed increase the risk of gut imbalance at best and gastric ulcers and related stress at worst.
Aim for ad‑lib forage (no less than 1.5% of bodyweight), or soaked hay for laminitis‑prone horses. Avoid long gaps between meals. Regular weighing and/or weigh taping ensures correct feeding ration sizes.
Have you spotted stereotypical/stress behaviours?
Repetitive behaviours like crib‑biting or box‑walking emerge when horses can’t express natural behaviours (foraging, movement, social contact).
Increasing turnout access, adding stable enrichment, social companions, and ensuring higher fibre feeding plus a balanced diet, keeps horses engaged and chewing, with saliva production further helping to neutralise excess stomach acid.
Recognising early signs of stress such as tail swishing, picking at feed, tooth grinding or changes in behaviour allows for prompt intervention.
@bluechipfeed Does this sound like your horse's behaviour? 😅 There are so many factors that can stress your horse out!🐴👇 🔹New environment 🔹Friends leaving them 🔹Loud noises 🔹Poor diet/digestive health Help reduce the stresses you can by ensuring your horse has supported digestive health from a nutritionally balanced diet!🪣🏇 Looking for friendly feed advice? Get in touch with our friendly and expert team - 0114 266 6200, email info@bluechipfeed.com OR jump to bluechipfeed.com to take our feed quiz, a fun way to find out which might be the best balancer for your horse. #horse #horseriding #equine #equestrianlife #horsesofinstagram #bluechipfeed #equinenutrition #horsebackriding #fyp #foryou #forypupage #horsesoftiktok #horsetok #funny #equinelife ♬ Assumptions - Sam Gellaitry
