Further Reading
Mirrors for Horses - horsechat.co.ukMirror Image of Contentment - Countryside
Reviews
Equine Centre retail reviewResearch
Extensive veterinary research has proved the MIRROR to be a genuine aid to stress that can arise when a social animal has restricted social interaction and when travelling.
Stable mirrors can result in happier, more relaxed horses and show dramatic reductions in stereotypical behaviour such as WEAVING, BOX WALKING or CRIB-BITING.
Daniel Mills, a Principal Lecturer at the Animal Behaviour, Cognition and Welfare Group at the University of Lincoln, told The Sunday Telegraph: The behaviour stopped almost instantaneously. Some of these horses had been displaying this behaviour for six years. Mirrors used were approximately 1metre square and placed on the stable wall near the door away from feeding stations.
Three years of field trials have shown beneficial reductions in stress levels to a variety of situations; Separating youngstock, riding away on close companions, mares in season, tacking and rugging up in the box, and horses on box rest.
Some owners have found difficult loaders and travellers a pleasure to transport after fitting travel mirrors to the inside of their horsebox or trailer.
Researchers stress that the mirrors must be unbreakable and of the correct size. Glass is totally unsuitable and Acrylic mirrors can splinter or crack on impact, or when chewed, leaving dangerous shards. COMPANION MIRRORS are 100% shatterproof and constructed from high grade, brilliantly polished stainless steel offering excellent image clarity. They are easy to fix to the wall and clean and are virtually indestructible.
