Dom posted about a pawer on her blog recently, and I decided she was totally right and I should Do Something about Dixie pawing for dinner. Of course she hasn't pawed once since then. Just stares politely, ears up, waiting for me to saunter leisurely out with her precious hay. Siiiigh.
But it got me thinking about the other rituals she still does. She often rolls when she sees me coming out of the house, and she always always pees before she eats. I give her "grain" (a pound of pelleted hay balancer) at night only, and she always acts hopeful that she'll get grain in the morning, then shocked when I don't give her any. But you know what? In the morning she pees while I'm coming in with the hay, and at night she doesn't pee til I drop the hay and go back to the barn for the grain. Silly horse, I'm on to you.
Do your horses have any weird rituals?
My first endurance horse Weaver would paw and dig holes to China. I finally hobbled him one time while camping.
ReplyDeleteFrom that point on, if he started to paw I just simply had to show him the hobbles and he'd stop immediately. Then he never once did it again for the last dozen years or so that I took him camping or to endurance rides. hehe
Reddums always rolls when I take off his blanket. It's especially cute in the winter, since you get to see his white tummy.
ReplyDeleteThere's a spot on our usual trail ride with tall grass. Ozzy ALWAYS stops to pee there. It doesn't matter if we get there in twenty minutes or forty. It doesn't matter if it's cold or hot. It doesn't matter if we're going out or coming back in. It doesn't even matter if he already peed earlier in the ride!!! I think he's competing with the dogs in the next yard over for territory. Haha.
ReplyDeleteFee used to paw while tied also--and the hobbles fixed that.
ReplyDeleteThe hay peeing thing: she pees *on* (or close to) the hay after the third or fourth mouthful. Same with the beetpulp. Hand-fed treats, no (which is good, but really *would* be handy coming into a vetcheck, ya know?)
I really might try hobbles. I was on the fence about whether they're cheating (like using a curb to get a "pretty" headset) or just a tool to add consequences to undesirable behavior. I've done a little rope work with her - ropes around the legs, tugging on them - so I think she wouldn't freak out and kill herself. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI have an ollldd gelding who has thining in his GI tract so he has loose stools. Every time you let him out of his stall from eating, he takes 3 steps and farts/ sprays every time! The 1 time he didnt do it he was colicing. lol Kinda nasty but its funny
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