# My Horse is Grunting?



## amberly (Dec 16, 2012)

Is he grunting or is the sound coming from more back?
I know one of my horses has gut noises, which always makes me laugh 

Grunting - what are you doin with him? What exercises and activities do you do with him?


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## HorseGirlFive (Jun 12, 2012)

I think part of it may be because he is out of shape/ doesn't want to do his work but I'm not sure.. and I don't want to come to my own conclusions lol. But whenever I'm just simply trotting him around the arena he grunts and then snorts afterwards.


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## aussiemum (Apr 11, 2013)

Interested to hear replies. The mare we recently had put down used to grunt and snort too. It made me worried that I had the girth too tight, but it never was and had elastic inserts anyway.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Could the grunts be small coughs & the snort a sneeze type thing? If so he is probably just clearing his airways. Does he do it the whole ride or only at the beginning?


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## Clydesdales (Sep 12, 2013)

My horse grunts when I take him into the dam. He doesn't seem to be unhappy so I've always thought he was happy to be in the water.....


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## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

My mare will sometimes grunt for a while when I'm riding her before she "sneezes". She usually does it while warming up.


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## ForeverSunRider (Jun 27, 2013)

My horse grunts like clock work. :lol:

You can figure about 10 minutes into the ride he'll start grunting. I call it his old man humming. He's never unhappy about going for a ride. It doesn't matter what we're doing, he just starts grunting as we go along. The saddle fits correctly, never too tight or too loose, and I'm not heavy. He's in good shape, and is quite strong.

He just grunts. We'll just be going along and all of a sudden here come his grunts. They're really deep throaty noises but not at all like a cough. Just grumbles. He keeps his head level and his ears forward and he'll just grumble. 

Doesn't matter if we're out on the trail or riding on the rail of an arena. Doesn't matter if we're alone or with others. He's Mr. Grumble Pants. 

Curious to see if there's a real reason behind it because I just always attributed it to his personality.


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## Talon (Oct 22, 2014)

My mare will grunt and snort when she's excited or agitated.
Like when it's food time or when I'm making her do something she isn't thrilled about doing.


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## gingerscout (Jan 18, 2012)

my mare grunts when asked to pick up the pace.. or when riding with other horses next to her.. otherwise she is silent.. I take it as she's telling me she's not thrilled with this decision I'm making her do:lol:


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## HorseGirlFive (Jun 12, 2012)

It honestly might just be because he is lazy. Lol :lol: He normally does it a trot with each step he takes, but he doesn't do it the whole time. He also does it quite often when we're going down hills on a trail ride.


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## Peanutbutter (Apr 23, 2014)

Some horses do that as a indication that they are going to stop. Like they are saying: I am tired, nooot going to do this anymore mom. 
It's probably heavy for him.


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

With many horses, grunting means tension and having a hard time with the given task.


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## sabowin (May 8, 2010)

My mare is just super vocal. She grunts happily when she's eating. She grunts good-naturedly occasionally on the trail. She grunts VERY happily while she's rolling. I don't think, in her case, that they're unhappy or lazy grunts. Just her vocalizing. Just like some people have to narrate everything they do out loud, whereas other people, you have to pry three syllables out of them to hear about their day. My horse is a talker. Maybe yours is, too.


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## cheyennemymare (Oct 8, 2014)

If it goes more like,'Grunt, grunt, grunt, grunt, snort', then he's 'grunting', then sneezing. I have a mare and a barrel gelding that do that during their warm up.


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

Out here in the desert, riding faster than a walk produces dust, sometimes a lot of it depending on the dirt to sand ratio of the footing. My mare will grunt a couple of times before sneezing or clearing her airways, and will stretch her neck low while doing so. It doesn't sound like that is what your horse is doing though. Maybe its just a thing some horses do, like the little arab I once knew who would frequently fart with every trot stride, especially at the beginning of a workout :rofl:


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Clearing airways, or because they're working out and it can be a lot of work


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

interesting. I have one horse that will whinny when you go into a wash and coming out of it. 
The only time I had a horse grunt, he decided to roll. Grunted went to his knees and rolled. I was much younger and got out of the saddle , and was lucky my saddle did not get ruined.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Had a mare that did it quite often. Her habit was grunt, grunt, snort. No reason for it I could ever tell as it didn't matter if you were riding through a grassy field with no dust or along a dusty trail. She was not tense either, I don't think anything made her tense. She was a happy go lucky kinda mare unless she got focused on a bovine and then there was no grunting or snorting. Maybe she was just saying what a beautiful day for a trail ride.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

My mare grunts mostly in the warm up and then not really after that. My friends say it's her way of telling me I put on weight 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cmck (Aug 3, 2014)

My horse makes a noise that sounds like a cat's purring (only louder.) I call it his curious sound, because he does it whenever he is new to something, or sizing something up. The other day he was feeling nervous - I could tell even while tacking him up, he was not relaxed. He made this sound almost the entire trail ride, where usually he does not. He was hesitant approaching things we see every day...just was off. But that's when this sound come out. Anyone else experience something similar?


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## BearPony (Jan 9, 2013)

My pony grunts as a regular part of his warm up. Once the grunting starts, I know he's beginning to work a bit harder and we're on the right track!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

They hold their breath momentarily, then grunt. Grunting can be from any number of causes.


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

My hunter mare grunts quite a bit. My hot mare ...not so much ...she's too busy plotting her next "exit" :lol:

but yes, my hunter mare does it. She's quite lazy and mostly does it during canter work. She's very in shape, cleared by multiple vets, so I suppose it's just her "thing". Not sure if due to laziness or what though. I think it's her way of saying she's "tired" (BS), and wants dinner haha.


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