Expert: Lyn Kamer, C.E.S.M.T. - 11/4/2009

Question
I have had my gelding just over a year now. He is three in april. I have no problems with him other than when he is in the stable. As soon as he is left alone or another horse walks past the stable he rears up at the door. The times that he gets his legs up onto the door then he can manage to pull his self over. I have tried smacking him every time he rears, ignoring him and giving him no attention, putting licks around his stable to keep him entertained and looking the top door.
I have being advised to put bars across the top of his stable door. But i would prefer to stop the problem instead of curving around it.
Its come to the point of leaving my mare with him, which is not doing me any favours as he is now becoming attached.  

Answer
Natalie,

Unfortunately you cannot be there all the time and this is not something he won't grow out of.  It's the kind of behavior you get out of spoiled kids and horses.  I can think of a couple of reasons for this, but mostly it boils down to he's a youngster and he's being obnoxious.  Asserting himself as a male (despite being a gelding), testing the waters. He's a teenaged boy!  Best you can do right now is simply prevent it so he can't hurt himself.  As he gets older, starts working, this will in all likelihood stop.  I can't guarantee that but most horses outgrow this.  Some simply cannot abide having what they regard as "their space" invaded by another horse and will go after them if they get too close to their doors.  These horses we have to put gates on their stalls so they can see out but not hang their heads out.  Some of the worst can actually be mares and they are just as bad out in a herd in the field as they are in the barn in their stalls.  

For now you simply have to prevent his hurting himself or others and a gate is the safest, best way to do so.  He starts acting up in the stall and the gate gets closed.  And stays closed for the rest of the day.  They figure it out after a while.  Behave them selves and they get to hang out with everyone else.  Start acting up and that priviledge will be taken away.  

Good luck.

Lyn