# Horse Behavior



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Best video I've ever seen on Cause and Effect in horses. This is a young colt who got too big for his britches and kicked his mother and her swift, fair and very firm correction. 






I love this because she didn't go overboard and half kill him, but she popped him in the hiney hard one time and let him know, "That's not OK!" and by her body language let him know exactly what was coming next if he tried again. She gave him "horsey time out" by sending him out and not letting him come in for a few minutes until he acknowledged the error of his ways, and then all was forgiven, no grudges, no "When you were a baby you kicked me and .....". He got corrected, a chance to think on the error of his ways, and all was forgiven. Firm, fair, consistent.


----------



## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Yes,DA! 

Horses do NOT learn through repitition, they learn on the release. 

This means as SOON as the horse responds, even a tiny bit, to the stimulus you provide as a "cue", there must be a release from the pressure for the "learning" to happen.

There is NO set cue for ANYTHING. (I mention thos because there are quite a few "what is the cue for (fill in the blank)" posts...). If I want to train my horse to Canter by flapping my arms, I can, if I can figure out how to repeat the stimulus, get the response and release the stimulus as a reward.

Horses do not need baby talk. They do not respond to "honeysweetiepiebabydarlingprecious".


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Someone just showed me some photos of ear pinning verses a horse only having it's ears back.. I found it a useful tool..

Not sure if any of you ever think of little things like this, but I find them useful..

The same thing with snaking. I'd never herd of that term. So someone showed me a photo. Useful!


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Good horsemen not only think of all these little things, they know them by heart. They also know that each horse is an individual and take their time to get to know and understand them. 

One thing to remember - there is no such thing as "bad horse behavior". Horses, when interacting with humans, do either what they understand they are allowed to do, or what is left to do to survive. The role of the human in this is to understand the horse, to act so that the horse understands him, and to avoid situations where the horse has lost so much trust in the human that he chooses to fight for survival, not to stop and wait for an explanation/further instructions. 

The most useful tool of all is time and patience. Those should be used not only when working with horses, but also to observe them in herd environment and learn from the cause and effect of their behaviors. 

This book is also very educational, I suggest you give it a try: http://www2.univet.hu/users/knagy/books/Equine Behavior.pdf


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Bad behavior, undesirable behavior, behavior that needs corrected, pick a term.. I'm not the most eloquent person ever. Won't ever be. I'm just trying to talk here.. Might have better luck at it sometimes than others.






Here's another one. I've seen you people talking about the Flemming response, I understand that easily. I've seen tigers do it. But this?? A new person is going to ask, "Why is that horse doing that!" I know I did.. The second question the person is going to ask is, "Is this a undesirable behavior or not."


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

The ear pinning is one of the most misunderstood things a horse does and human over reaction too it one of the major causes of horses being punished for something they have no clue about and then turning defensive and really aggressive


----------



## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> Best video I've ever seen on Cause and Effect in horses. This is a young colt who got too big for his britches and kicked his mother and her swift, fair and very firm correction.
> 
> https://youtu.be/oJGvvry0yXk
> 
> I love this because she didn't go overboard and half kill him, but she popped him in the hiney hard one time and let him know, "That's not OK!" and by her body language let him know exactly what was coming next if he tried again. She gave him "horsey time out" by sending him out and not letting him come in for a few minutes until he acknowledged the error of his ways, and then all was forgiven, no grudges, no "When you were a baby you kicked me and .....". He got corrected, a chance to think on the error of his ways, and all was forgiven. Firm, fair, consistent.


I love that video! It's almost like she gives him a warning, and he doesn't listen, so BAM. Good reminder that mamas do crack down on their babies pretty hard. 



greentree said:


> Yes,DA!
> 
> Horses do not need baby talk. They do not respond to "honeysweetiepiebabydarlingprecious".


Dang it, because I have the nose smooch + baby talk down PAT. Every time my horse is in the cross ties. I'm very consistent. I thought for sure at some point he'd start saying, "I love you too!" and kissing me back. :lol:


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Jan1975 said:


> Dang it, because I have the nose smooch + baby talk down PAT. Every time my horse is in the cross ties. I'm very consistent. I thought for sure at some point he'd start saying, "I love you too!" and kissing me back. :lol:


I'm guilty of doing the whole baby talk thing - they're the only babies I have now!!!
I once overheard the man I used to work for talking to his favourite horse, he was over 6ft tall and very strict about the way his horses were expected to behave - "Who's Daddy's best girl then" That horse adored him and always gave him 100%!!!


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

That's lip flapping, not Flehmens' response. Here's a great little article about it: Quirky or Distressed? Why Horses Flap their Lips from EQUUS | EQUUS Magazine


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

When is a male horse "dropped" a disrespect, and when is it him just relaxing? 

What ques should you look out for as a new person around horses? Horses are expressive, if you pay attention. But it's useful to know what to look out for. So yeah, help! >.<

Thanks for the book Sandra, I'll give it a read.. It's a long one so take me awhile..

My second riding lesson is in a couple of weeks. I'm going to be around horses I don't know. I know to be cautious, but there are still ques I've not learned yet. I've watched horse videos, but easy for a new person to miss something.. 

There's always useful tips you can get, if you ask. I'm asking!

Many of you have seen a horse behave in a certain way and probably have been around horses for so long you don't think anything of it, just shrug it off as no big deal. And I see it and think, "Now why did that horse do that?"


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Males don't "drop" out of disrespect, never. They drop because they're excited, challenged (usually it's followed by erection), or because they're relaxed, but it's an instinctive reaction. I believe they should NEVER be punished for dropping their genitals. If the person is uncomfortable with the fact, they should a) get a mare, b) research what exact parts of their handling methods and actions around the horse, or maybe something in the surroundings, have caused the horse to become hyper excited, if that's the reason, c) more so, if the horse has just done it out of relaxation.


----------



## Prairie (May 13, 2016)

Saranda said:


> Males don't "drop" out of disrespect, never. They drop because they're excited, challenged (usually it's followed by erection), or because they're relaxed, but it's an instinctive reaction. I believe they should NEVER be punished for dropping their genitals. If the person is uncomfortable with the fact, they should a) get a mare, b) research what exact parts of their handling methods and actions around the horse, or maybe something in the surroundings, have caused the horse to become hyper excited, if that's the reason, c) more so, if the horse has just done it out of relaxation.





However, Stallions can and should be taught when and where dropping is acceptable and when it's not. Anyone who's ever shown a stallion in halter can tell you about an embarrassing moment. Part of training a breeding stallion is teaching him when and where certain behavior is appropriate and when it's not.


----------



## Textan49 (Feb 13, 2015)

jaydee said:


> The ear pinning is one of the most misunderstood things a horse does and human over reaction too it one of the major causes of horses being punished for something they have no clue about and then turning defensive and really aggressive



Thank you SO much Jaydee. The ear pinning issue is one of my pet peeves. If someone can't tell the difference between simple ear pinning and an actual threat they have no business correcting the horse. I don't even over react to actual threats. The horse doesn't have to give you a warning. The fact that he does gives you the chance to think about why he is threatening and adjust your behavior accordingly. I might just give a horse a stern "Knock it off" or I might need to slow down and be more patient.. Either way the horse learns that he doesn't need to threaten.


----------



## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

Saranda said:


> Males don't "drop" out of disrespect, never. They drop because they're excited, challenged (usually it's followed by erection), or because they're relaxed, but it's an instinctive reaction. I believe they should NEVER be punished for dropping their genitals. If the person is uncomfortable with the fact, they should a) get a mare, b) research what exact parts of their handling methods and actions around the horse, or maybe something in the surroundings, have caused the horse to become hyper excited, if that's the reason, c) more so, if the horse has just done it out of relaxation.


Our gelding drops pretty much every time I groom him, especially if I rub his back. The good part of this is he does not need to be tranquilized to have his sheath cleaned. :lol:


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

And yet, as a brand new person around horses, I'm happy to be aware of this stuff BEFORE hand.. >.<


----------



## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

Saranda said:


> That's lip flapping, not Flehmens' response. Here's a great little article about it: Quirky or Distressed? Why Horses Flap their Lips from EQUUS | EQUUS Magazine


Glad you posted that article because I have never seen a horses doing this so wouldn't know what it meant.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Watch as many YouTube videos as I have lately and you'll see horses doing all kinds of weird things and asking, "What the heck!" Glad you learned something too LoriF! >.< Hiya! Welcome!


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Saranda said:


> Males don't "drop" out of disrespect, never. They drop because they're excited, challenged (usually it's followed by erection), or because they're relaxed, but it's an instinctive reaction. I believe they should NEVER be punished for dropping their genitals. If the person is uncomfortable with the fact, they should a) get a mare, b) research what exact parts of their handling methods and actions around the horse, or maybe something in the surroundings, have caused the horse to become hyper excited, if that's the reason, c) more so, if the horse has just done it out of relaxation.


I totally disagree with this. I don't punish my males if they drop, and mostly with horses that have been gelded early it doesn't become an issue. But with a stallion, or even a gelding, who drops I do tell them to quit it and put it away. There's nothing more laughable in the show ring than a horse that's waving his flag and it's really frowned upon. For one thing, I don't WANT a horse that comfortable in the ring, I want them paying attention to ME, not his part and if he's busy waving that thing around or bumping his belly with it, he's NOT focused on me. When I'm handling a horse, he needs to focus and stay focused on me and what I am asking him to do.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Well, I find it quite embarrassing that grown up people find animals, who act naturally, embarrassing. They're not little people and they don't think according to human ethical standards. It's quite unfortunate and sad that they're made to comply to these norms, and I bet they never really understand - why, they just learn that their natural behavior brings them quite the unpleasant results. 

One thing is humans deciding what part of horse behavior they find unacceptable in certain conditions, completely another - understanding the reasons behind this behavior. And, regarding that, I still stand up to my opinion - they don't ever drop out of disrespect - "Hey, I disrespect this person, let me show his peers my junk so that they laugh at him." 

If one believes it shows the horse is distracted - fine, it might really be so in some cases, but gaining a horses full attention without getting him overly excitable CAN be done without individually addressing the dropping his genitals part. It's a behavior which needs the human improving HIS behavior, not the horses', I believe. 

Of course, many accomplished showmanship people would totally disagree to all of this, because it wouldn't get them the ribbons, or they'd become harder to achieve. What a shame that the showmanship world has come to the need for horses that are not allowed to act out their emotions.

(And yes, I do have experience with handling young stallions and experienced breeding stock, just not in showmanship rings as we don't have those around here - only stud evaluation rings, in which perfectly behaved animals are allowed to drop and nobody's embarrassed of the fact.)


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Back on topic... here's another one I am having issues finding information about.. Why does a horse rock? Like it's standing there and all of a sudden it starts to rock back and forth.. is it bored? Feet hurt? What??


----------



## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

Here's a really detailed article from EQUUS about horse behavior:
How to Read Your Horse's Body Language | EQUUS Magazine


It touches on the pinned VS back ears and also addresses leg and tail positions. That will hopefully help clear up some uncertainties for you Kyleen. I don't completely agree with the reactions it gives to the aggressive signals, but the overall points are pretty good as far as what each signal means.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 said:


> How to Read Your Horse's Body Language | EQUUS Magazine


ROFL! But I don't know what nickers mean, no clue. >.< I'm sure it's obvious when you are bringing him food, but other times? No idea.. 

This whole learning thing is a gas! LOL It can be fun at times.. The face expressions I get out of people... My trainer actually went, "Wait.... what... you don't know what that is? Oh wow, you weren't joking we really are starting at the beginning.." LOL

I didn't like the book posted here but liked this magazine article. My library books are due back tomorrow so I plan on picking up a few on horse behavior if they have any. If not I'll ask them to do an exchange, and rent a few from another library. The services the local library has these days. WOW! Remarkable.. Where was that when I was a kid.. Can borrow a $400 book for $3.00. Going to see if they have the Buck DVDs too, see if I can borrow those from anywhere.. If not I'll buy them then donate them to our library on the condition they can't resell them during the next book auction, got to keep them around for anyone to use.

For now, wanting to learn any 'warning signs' in case I have another horse lesson before I can get myself on some more books..


----------



## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

Kyleen Drake said:


> For now, wanting to learn any 'warning signs' in case I have another horse lesson before I can get myself on some more books..



Yeah, I get it. I figure learning what's dangerous first is better than only knowing when they're happy and learning unhappy the hard way!


As far as nickers and whinnies, I see it as kind of like us saying hi or trying to figure out what somebody is doing. I know my gelding very rarely nickers, but does it sometimes if he thinks I have food LOL.


Like I said though, the "steer clear of his hind end and move him away" thing when they threaten to kick could cause problems. IMO, you shouldn't let them get away with threatening to kick as long as you're around them. That's not the topic though. 


Not necessarily the best advice about addressing behavior in the article, but it's good I think, especially since you're starting from scratch! Plus I understand the struggle of renting and trying to get info from books. It can be bad, especially if you don't have transportation (which I usually don't).


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

I got a car. Not an issue. 

As for renting, it's a service our local library has.. If they don't have a book I need / want, they can instantly go online and search for it at another library world-wide. If they find it, I only have to pay the $3.00 shipping and handling fee! It might take a week for the book to get here, but wow.. It's great! Love it! Then so long as I return it on-time, no more fees are paid. I got a book that would cost me $150 to buy it at Barns and Noble for nothing.. > Love my local library!

Still haven't found anything about horses rocking from side to side.. Old Lucy use to do it a lot. Stand in one place out in the pastor and just rock back and forth as she ate.


----------



## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

That sounds so cool! I wish one of our libraries had something like that, but they don't. 




To me that sounds like it could be soreness. Most horses I've met will rest one hind foot and shift their weight to the other from time to time while they're resting. My gelding instead holds up one front foot while he's waiting for food or eating, but only then. He always has. None of them ever "rocked" constantly while standing though.


Since you say "Old Lucy" was she actually old? Her feet or legs may have been stiff or sore, so it was uncomfortable to stand with weight on one or the other/ both for any period of time.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Rocking can happen out of soreness and also as a stereotypical behavior, which might mean he's been staying for too long in his stall/not turned out enough, not enough equine company, overworked, not enough hay (they need adlib grazing opportunities for optimum physical/mental health). You can read more on stereotypic horse behaviors here: Stereotypic Behaviors | TheHorse.com

ETA: Just noticed you write the mare did that in pasture. In that case it might have been either deeply ingrained stereotypical behavior, either and more likely - pain.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

My dad said Lucy died of old age. I'm afraid I was too young to remember much more than that. So yeah, I just have to assume that she was that old. Her and Perl had good care. My MUCH older sister and MUCH older cousin at the time use to dote on those two. I remember planting tulips on her grave site. I wasn't allowed anything more than that. About as involved as they'd let me. I am told that the new owners of the house still see the tulips each year.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Lucy and Pearl didn't have a stall. They had a barn. But it had no doors, no way to shut them in there and keep them in there. They went in and left as they liked... and spent most of their time walking the wooded area behind our house that was their fenced off pastor..


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

@Blind.. you can start something like this at your local library if they have an up-dated computer system with the DUEY on it.. The book drive pays for it here. People bring in books they don't want anymore, those books go up for auction, and the proceeds help get books you normally wouldn't be able to afford.. Best return them though... if you don't, loose your library card until the FULL cost of the book when it was NEW is paid in full.. >.< I forgot once.. OUCH


----------



## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

That's cool. I might see about doing that, but since the library closest to me is small and already has a pretty good selection, I don't know if they'd go for it.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Our library started out the size of a double horse trailer. We built a new building. Now that building needs a new wing or whole new floor added to it.. We've a very good librarian. She does wonders to keep things up and going.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

*horse's are like water*

your question is pretty general, so hard to formulate a satisfactory answer. but, if asked about horses in general, I often think of them as wind, air , or water. they flow to the place of lease resistance. when we work with horses, we practice moving them around, both moving them away from us and moving them toward us (drawing them). it's this quality they have of being so receptive to and affected by pressure that makes me think of them as air or water, which we humans divert at will to our advantage.

horses, too, we can divert to our advantage. the interesting thing is that while they ARE individuals, they are also just one of 'the herd'. they are drops of water in the river, and they WANT to flow with the energy. when you can learn how to make that energy flow the way you want it, it is absolutely the most intoxicating feeling in the world!!!


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Still, this has been a good place to come and ask people "Why is that horse doing that," when it comes to a certain behavior you don't see often.. Like the lip flapping.. lol 
And that's all I am getting at with this thread.. too much to learn about horses in just one chat thread. But you can learn a few basics.. 

Haven't encountered anything else really weird yet in the videos and articles I am reading. Already found answers to most of my questions.. The ones you can't find are a lil tricky... Helps to know what the behavior is called too.. lol


----------



## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

That "rocking" sounds like what is called weaving. It's a stereotypical horse behavior. I've never seen a horse learn it that wasn't stalled at some point in their life, but I suppose it's possible. 




I know a horse that runs with his front legs when he weaves, so he's sort of leaping back and forth from leg to leg. He is not kept in a stall anymore, but learned it when he was younger. If you put him inside a stall with the door open he will still do it even if he is free to come out when he wants to.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Yeah she use to 'weave' it's what she was doing.. I remember it.. Thanks for letting me know what it's called. We were not Lucy and Perls first owners so it's possible they were in a stall before we got them, I don't know. I just remember "my" barn. It had no doors and I would play in the loft a lot. The loft had a look-out on the north and south side. I'd peep out, and look down, play peek-a-boo with Lucy and Perl. And if they found me toss down a small hand full of hay..


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

There's a site called issuu where even on their free option membership you can read quite a lot of Horse publications online - lots of interesting articles and lots of different viewpoints on things
https://issuu.com/publishers?utm_me...Uj3_LG3ceMKfdRyAx3usQUlqDAdQWo0i8XxoCGKLw_wcB


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Textan49 said:


> Thank you SO much Jaydee. The ear pinning issue is one of my pet peeves. If someone can't tell the difference between simple ear pinning and an actual threat they have no business correcting the horse. I don't even over react to actual threats. The horse doesn't have to give you a warning. The fact that he does gives you the chance to think about why he is threatening and adjust your behavior accordingly. I might just give a horse a stern "Knock it off" or I might need to slow down and be more patient.. Either way the horse learns that he doesn't need to threaten.


I agree. In my experience, most folks have never seen a real ear pinning from a horse. One day our young colt was playing with the water in the stock tank and kept splashing water on our boss mare's face and this was her response....


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

ROFL @ the photo! LOL! "Quit it!"


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

PaintHorseMares said:


> I agree. In my experience, most folks have never seen a real ear pinning from a horse. One day our young colt was playing with the water in the stock tank and kept splashing water on our boss mare's face and this was her response....



OH yeah, that's the "Honey Boo Boo Blue Eyed Icy Death Stare" in action! LOL!  Gotta love how those mares can make their ears just disappear flat into their necks when they really really mean it.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/2--horse-expressions--150805.jpg









Here's a good Flemming response photograph for any other person who's new to horses here and are reading along.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

This horse has an interesting expression on its face in this photo. 

The eyes look soft enough, not quite relaxed... 

The ears are up as if it's interested in something / alert to something.. 

But it's mouth? The mouth makes me wondering what this horse was doing or seeing when this shot was taken.. Also thinking it was Photoshoped a bit perhaps?


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

This is the expression my lesson horse had when it seen me. I could've sworn that horse was thinking "Oh god not another one!" lol She turned out to be a nice mare, but not an enthusiastic one at all. She made it obvious she'd rather be in pastor with her friends.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

I love this one too.. "Yo, hey, what cha doin? Read some of that to me!"


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Loving the whiskers on this one, makes him / her more charming.. I get the idea this one is thinking, "You has carrot?"


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

That last pic reminded me of this one.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

This is so me right now.. The more I learn the more I realize how much more I have to learn.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> That last pic reminded me of this one.


ROFL! "Share dang it! Greedy humans!" lol


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

"I'm going I'm going dang it, hold your- oh wait.. " ...... Geesh lady, do you gotta kick like that?


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

"Geesh kid, let me sleep!"


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> OH yeah, that's the "Honey Boo Boo Blue Eyed Icy Death Stare" in action! LOL!  Gotta love how those mares can make their ears just disappear flat into their necks when they really really mean it.


LOL. She didn't go after him (the black Tobi colt), but just that face made him retreat to be by his mom, and everyone else is just minding their own business the whole time


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

"Er, hello! What cha doing down there?" This is kind of one of the photo angles I was trying to get while at Dream's house.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

PaintHorseMares said:


> LOL. She didn't go after him (the black Tobi colt), but just that face made him retreat to be by his mom, and everyone else is just minding their own business the whole time



I love that photo! Thank you for sharing it..


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

"I am okay with you touching me, don't hurt me!"


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

this horse is likely neighing. calling for a companion.


----------



## Emoore (Sep 14, 2015)

This expression means, "Look lady, we both know you got 3 horse cookies out of the bag and only gave me 2. Let's not play games."


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Emoore said:


> This expression means, "Look lady, we both know you got 3 horse cookies out of the bag and only gave me 2. Let's not play games."



LOL! Too funny! Love it.


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Kyleen Drake said:


> I love that photo! Thank you for sharing it..


You are very welcome. BTW, here is the shot immediately preceding that one where you can see that she is getting annoyed by his splashing the water around while she is trying to get a drink.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

LOL! Reminds me of a few episodes I had today. "I told you to clean your room!!!!" >.< Mama's gonna go mid-evil!


----------



## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Kyleen Drake said:


> "I am okay with you touching me, don't hurt me!"



It looks like this horses attention is focused behind it and I would wonder what was back there worrying him.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

Yeah I can see that too. To me the horse looks young so I was guessing lack of confidence.


----------



## ShirtHotTeez (Sep 23, 2014)

Yogiwick said:


> It looks like this horses attention is focused behind it and I would wonder what was back there worrying him.


Naaw, I think pony is just accepting the 'fuss' as part of what his human does, but just keep an eye on that camera!


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

I think we can all agree that horse is not ear pinning though.. He's just like, "yeah, okay.."


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Yogiwick said:


> It looks like this horses attention is focused behind it and I would wonder what was back there worrying him.



horses often don't like it when humans stand dead in front of them. they are much more comfortable if you stand off to one side or the other, just by a few degrees. AND, like you said, if something makes them jump forward, you'll be off enough to the side to be perhaps knocked over, but not trampled.

I like to tell newbies to keep their feet "one jump length away" to avoid being stepped on. even a good horse, if startled, may take one jump before he settles, if that one jump is on top of your foot, well, that's a bummer. but if you are just outside of that one jump radius, you will have a split second to move back , hopefully.


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Interesting in the lip flapping - not a lot of horses do it. 

I had a very quirky filly in for breaking, she was not the easiest of horses to start and her reaction would be to fight. I came to an understanding with her and when she decided that I was OK we got along famously. 

One day she had been testing the boundaries, nothing terribly bad but I had had to correct her several times. On returning home I untacked her and tied her up. As I walked past her to put her tack away, she kicked out with the leg furthest away from me as if to say "Could have got you!" I flicked her with the reins in reply. 

I brushed her off, let her loose and fed her. I shut the door, walked away with the grooming kit and she left her feed and kicked the door. I threw a brush and hit her on her butt. Left the brush in with her. 

I went to the house and as I did so the phone rang. It was a message for one of the girls who was riding her horse in the arena, I called out to give her the message. As I finished so the filly looked at me, turned and kicked the door three times. As it was raining and I didn't have an shoes on I let it go. With that the filly looked over the door and started lip smacking as if to say "Ha ha I win!" 

She only ever did it when she thought she had been so clever and it was always to give me the finger.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

LOL Fox.. smart-*** horse... Oh she'd fit in fabulously around here.. everyone is.. lol

Can anyone think of any other weird quirky behaviors horses do that aren't seen often? Like the 'weaving' ? I understand weaving and stall walking are similar? As in, the same kind of training can break them of it. Though, if at all possible, I'd rather my horses be out in pastor as much as possible.. Running, jumping, playing, keeping strong. I read horses only sleep 2, maybe 3 hours a day. The rest of the time they're awake.. Definitely, much rather they be out playing, being a horse. They'll have to put up with me every day when I go to the fields to feed in the mornings, check on them. Put up with me at noon when I groom them. And put up with me again in the evenings when I go to check on feed and water again.. And in days when I'm not busy, possibly several hours when I'm out in the field trying to do some enrichment time with them.. or just out there reading letting them do their things like, "Yeah I'm here, deal with it." lol .. There will be days I go out to the pastor and do all kinds of crazy things, just so they're use to me being around.









I'm kind of wanting to put something like this out in my pastor where they're grazing.. but put it lift it up off the ground.. Let the corner posts of it be scratching posts for my horses but make sure there's no way for them to get hurt on it.. Just tall enough they can stick their heads into it and be all like "Hi! You have treats? What you doing?" 









Something like this for the corner posts.. but make sure they can't get under the shelter also.. I wouldn't want them under it.. They get spooked by something, rear, they might hurt themselves..
It'd probably end up being one of my favorite retreats and places to take photos..


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Weaving and stall walking, pretty much the same bad habit, are very tough to break and can be destructive. Not something you want if you can avoid it. 

That shelter wants an Arabian in it. LOL! I can see Cloney reclining on his silken pillows waiting for a belly dancer to show up.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

LOL! I like that little shelter.. I would spend all my time out in it reading and not want to go home.. You seen how easily I burn. Shade is a must-have! That, and I kinda miss having my look-out point like I had when I was a kid. I figure if I had something like it again it would be fun. Take me back to my childhood.. looking down at the horses, tossing them treats.. watching them scratch themselves.. lol

Lucy was er.. crazy, to say the least.. My mean brother use to try to get me to ride her. No way! I would feed that crazy bat, that's as close as I would get to Lucy. 

Cloney would be most welcome! LOL All the tummy rubs he can handle.. I'll even hire the belly dancer to entertain him while he gets one.


----------



## Triumvirate (Jan 24, 2015)

I actually know of an instance where weaving and stall walking was very destructive. There was a mare at a barn an old friend of mine used to work at who got some kind of a cut on I think her pastern but I'm not totally sure. Anyway, it was relatively minor and she was supposed to make a full recovery from it. Well, the owner of the horse was also the barn owner who put some family in charge while she was working somewhere else across the country. The mare had a lot issues being stalled. She was a bad weaver and stall walker and had really bad anxiety while being stalled. The family didn't know the horse nor did they tell the owner what happened so they stuck the horse in a stall and just left her there. She is now permanently lame. She was a very nice mare too. Now she's a very nice pasture pet. So stall issues can be very destructive especially in the right situation.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Jazzy started lip flapping last year and totally stopped doing it within a few weeks of being put on a high dose Vitamin E supplement


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

@jaydee, interesting.....


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

I found this.. I thought it was funny. "We are not going over there! Who is that stranger?" lol 

The lady in this video was nice to take in this strange horse until the owner could get there to secure it and bring it back home.. We have already learned about "shedding" and Strangles in horses.


----------



## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

tinyliny said:


> horses often don't like it when humans stand dead in front of them. they are much more comfortable if you stand off to one side or the other, just by a few degrees. AND, like you said, if something makes them jump forward, you'll be off enough to the side to be perhaps knocked over, but not trampled.
> 
> I like to tell newbies to keep their feet "one jump length away" to avoid being stepped on. even a good horse, if startled, may take one jump before he settles, if that one jump is on top of your foot, well, that's a bummer. but if you are just outside of that one jump radius, you will have a split second to move back , hopefully.


Did I say that? lol Do agree though.

I see what people are saying, that was my first thought too, and it's hard to tell with the picture quality and a dark horse but I do still feel like his attention is focused backwards.


----------



## Kyleen Drake (May 26, 2016)

When learning, one person's mistake is another person's treasure.. This is a good example of that.. I'm not narking on this first time rider, at all. Just using his video to learn from his mistakes. The experienced rider in the back is trying his best to give the guy some basic tips as they go.


----------

