# Pawing WHILE eating?



## Kiara (Aug 27, 2008)

So my young horse paws WHILE eating. Mostly just slow and low, but sometimes paws so high that she knocks her bucket over. 

I know why horses paw before eating, but never had one or heard of one pawing during the meal. I was wondering if anyone had experienced this before, why this might be going on and what I can do to stop it. She won't do it if I'm standing next to her (she knows pawing while next to me is not allowed). My trainer has never encountered this and is looking into it, but I wanted to see some other people's experiences and advice too.

Thanks!


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

Oh yes, my old chap used to do that all the time. Most annoying because the food gets spilt all over the floor. You could use an old tyre to put the feed bowl into to stop it getting knocked over. 

My mare also did it sometimes when she wanted to spread the feed out to find the bits she liked.

I think that in his case it was an old habit from feeding time excitement, and in her case it was calculated :lol:


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

My gelding does it too. It's annoying. I found that using a deeper dish reduced it somewhat.
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## Kiara (Aug 27, 2008)

The tire is a great idea! Thank you!

Yes, so far I have just tried hanging it higher, so she couldn't just knock it over. That girl can get her knee up high though... I almost think she wants to eat off the ground. She used to, but the new place we moved to has sand in the shelter/stall, so I'd prefer not to have her go through a sand colic...


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

My appy was so bad with this that he broke his plastic corner feeder bucket with his knee! Now that we've had him for over 2 years he doesn't do it anymore, but we now feed him in a tip resistant bowl on the ground just in case he gets the urge to try to knock it over


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

It's just the horse's way of expressing how much it likes the feed.


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## Maple (Jan 10, 2012)

My gelding attempts to dig his way to china whenever he eats. To be honest, his grubbing time is his personal time, so I leave him to it... I wouldnt want somebody hovering over me while I eat (although with 2 small kids.....). I could try and correct him, but it would require me standing beside him everytime he grubbed. He isn't hurting anybody (except the floor) and a feed pot in a tire works well enough for him.. but at 17 he's figured out how to paw without kickin his dinner all over the place.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

^^^ Exactly
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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

Lots of horses do this, it's just over excitement. Honestly I'd be a bit concerned that your trainer has never heard of this before, it's not uncommon.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

The behavior is called "begging." I have seen several horses do this while eating grain. 

I do not think it is something you correct and I believe it is genetic behavior not learned.


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

I took care of a paint gelding who did it so intensely everytime he ate, he would wear the toe of his shoe out and it would split. Never could break him of it. And he loved to throw his feed around too. My paint mare does it too on occasion, not so bad since she moved to our farm.  Its really a harmless habit unless on concrete or something solid like that. They just love their feed!!


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## Kiara (Aug 27, 2008)

Thank y'all for the input. Looks like I'll be trying the tire. Hopefully that will do the trick. 

Maybe I should try playing soccer with her :lol:


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## MeganJoey57 (Aug 1, 2012)

All the geldings that i have owned have always done this. My mares dont though? anyways, its perfectly normal


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## Kiara (Aug 27, 2008)

Good to know. I have never experienced it, so it was new to me. At least she's not the only one doing it


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

A horse pawing_ before _it gets its feed is usually impatient, a door banger and demanding attention. 

A horse pawing_ whilst eating_ is usually lower in the pecking order and it is a minor warning that it is not going to let another have their grub!

it is not an uncommon thing at all.


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## JustImagine (Dec 2, 2012)

My Arab ALWAYS paws while he's eating =] It's not "begging" because he will never do it any other time, just while he's eating. He's 13 and he's always done it; totally normal.


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## equinelyn (Dec 15, 2010)

My QH gelding does it sometimes too. I don't know why lol. Sometime he will just hold his leg up for a few seconds, then paw paw paw, then hold it up lol. He's at the bottom of the pecking order too. I wonder if that has something to do with it.. His way of feeling like a big bad boy at that moment while he is eating by himself in the stall :rofl:


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## Kiara (Aug 27, 2008)

She is the low one on the totem pole. Has always been so far. Don't know if that will change once she realizes she has grown A LOT and is actually the tallest one around now... I guess I'll leave her alone as long as she keeps her bucket upright and not get a sand colic.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

I assume this behavior is more "ingrained" but have you tried feeding her in a non threatening place? Alone and far away from the other, this way she doesn't feel threatened.
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## Kiara (Aug 27, 2008)

She is in her own stall when eating. The last place she wasn't, but the new place both my horses are brought into individual pens for feeding grain. I understand your argument, but the odd thing is, I never noticed her doing it at the old place. Maybe she just is like Equinelyn's QH


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Kiara said:


> She is in her own stall when eating. The last place she wasn't, but the new place both my horses are brought into individual pens for feeding grain. I understand your argument, but the odd thing is, I never noticed her doing it at the old place. Maybe she just is like Equinelyn's QH


A lot of horses will feel threatened when in their stalls too. The horse I'm training for a friend ALWAYS used to kick the walls or fences when she ate or when she was about to eat. Now that she is in my friends backyard she can eat right next to the other horse without any problems, stall or outside.
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## mammakatja (Nov 3, 2009)

Out of 4 horses, I have 1, a mare, that paws her way to China while eating. I honestly think it's just habit. She's not the low man (or lady in this case) on the totem pole at all. She paws before she eats because I can't get it to her quick enough and she paws when she starts to eat out of sheer anxiousness that she's finally eating. About half way through, she suddenly quits. That's just how she's always been. It's like people twirling their hair or popping their knuckles or picking on scabs. Habit. That's it. I tried putting her feed pan in a tire and she just managed to get her foot hung just enough to flip everything over and I'm using a big 33" mud tire off my E350 van. So back to the hanging bucket on the fence post we went BUT I placed the empty tire right underneath her feed bucket just far enough out that she has to reach over the tire to get to her bucket. No more pawing, or if she does and hits the tire, she quits after 2 or 3 paws. At least I don't have to fill her crater up every 3 or 4 days this way. So long story short, I wouldn't worry about it. I don't think you can train it out of them, and personally, I don't always have the time to stand there and make her quit while she eats so I just deal with it, even if it is annoying.


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## Kiara (Aug 27, 2008)

Very interesting input. Thanks guys. I found that putting her bucket in the corner seems to be working well so far. Though I'm a little worried she is wearing down her hooves.
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