An investigation about weaving stereotypy in show-jumping horses

Weaving is the lateral swaying of the head, usually over the stable door and my include swaying of the rest of the body and picking up the front legs. A survey was carried on in Northern Italy, to collect information about the incidence of the stereotypy in show-jumping horses performing agonistic activity. Owners filled a questionnaire with 24 questions. 1285 horses were considered. 45 resulted weavers (3.5%). No correlation was found with coat colour: the distribution of weavers with bay, sorrel, black, grey coat reflected the incidence of these coats in the Italian saddle horse population: 60%, 25%, 6%, 5%. No prevalence of a breed or of warm-blooded horses was found. Weaving was not observed before 4 years of age, probably because foals were kept free ranging until this age. In 25% of the horses weaving appeared in the period of breaking, between 4 and 5 years of age, in the rest around 7 and 9 years, during a long period of inactivity after an injury. The preferred place for weaving was in front of the box door. 35% of the horses swayed only the head, the others mainly head and sometimes legs. 90% of the horses could see other horses. Exercise (84% were trained every day, some 2 or 3 times a day) and time spent outdoor didn’t reduce the stereotypic behaviour. 71% of the weavers had wood shavings bedding. 75% of the owners didn’t observe negative consequences on the horse health status. Most of them had the perception that the stereotypy was not contagious.