Are all horses scared of pigs? Can it be sorted?

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MagicMelon

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My neighbours are in talks to buy the field immediately across from my house, they want to put a few rare breed pigs in it (so wouldn't be many, maybe 5). My horses are kept in our field right to the side of our house so they'd be able to see them and certainly smell them. Neither of my horses have come across pigs before but I know my past horses have always been terrified and act really weird when they smell them. Just a little concerned my horses will go nuts...? I guess they'll just have to get used to them...?
 
I would imagine being exposed to them constantly would desensitise them eventually...we used to hack past loads of pigs in a yard and in the fields..I had no idea if mine would react but was pleasantly surprised he didn’t..my friends horse did trot down past them at a pace!
 
We lived in a village with a pig farm on our hacking route. The horses got used to them as quickly as they do with new road works. Miniature baby donkeys chasing each other around the field were a slightly bigger problem.
At one time I was on a livery yard with a pig pen next to the school, slightly complicated by a peacock with a pathological hatred for pigs. The peacock would swoop across the school screeching in indignation as he dive bombed the hapless pigs, until he got bored with the game. Once introduced through the fence with a feeding session of treats for both horses and pigs, they became very blase about the whole thing. One of the cheeky pigs would frequently be found in the horses field in the mornings.
 
There are pigs on our livery yard (it's also a working farm so sheep/pigs/cows are also kept there). My husband's gelding is terrified of cows. Absolutely HATES them.
There is a small paddock at the side of the drive going onto the yard. During the summer months the pigs are usually kept in this paddock. When we first moved our horses there, we were worried about them being difficult to get past the pigs, especially my husband's neurotic gelding Haha. They didn't bat an eyelid. Although the piggies were very well behaved and are usually fairly quiet.
Others horses on the yard were more difficult, but with some persistence and training they are all fairly settled going past the pigs.
 
There are pigs on the farm I am on , the horses seem to get used to them very easily. The day I arrived there was escapee piglets and mine just sniffed them.
New horses seem to take the lead of the other horses and chill out quickly.
 
There were pigs next to one yard we were on and none if the horses seemed interested or bothered at all. I used to hack Granny horse past sone pigs whose pens where right next to the road and she never worried at all and dont think she'd met many pigs up until that point. The old boy on the other hand... we couldn't get him within half a mile of that place! He was a good 23 years old by that point so when he started throwing himself around as soon as he smelled them we just gave up and went the other way. ? When you're 23 and pretty much retired you get to pick where you go when you do work! ?

I'm not sure he would have settled next door to a pig... maybe, maybe not. But his dislike was pretty extreme!
 
Of course not all horses are scared of them!

Im sure introducing pigs will cause a little entertainment at first but the majority of horses will get over themselves eventually. The odd few seem to always be terrified mind.

Over the years I’ve been on two different yards where there have been pigs in close proximity - my horses have been fine with them.
 
Pigs at the livery yard my friend is at I go to visit just for the piglets! The horses are not fussed.
 
My mare shares scratches with the large pig by our gateway. She'd never met a pig before we moved to this yard and was quite snorty when first introduced - so we did it in hand over a few days with lots of treats before attempting it on board.
 
We've just got pigs on the yard. Supercob was happy to stick his head in the stable they were in and say hi. Once they moved out of there they've driven him a bit mad, hes been really spooky it's like he knows they are there but because he doesn't know exactly where theyve really got him worried - silly cob - hes dealing with it gradually though I'm not forcing anything.
 
I once had a horse called Luke who was known as Luke the Spook for very good reasons. One day when out hacking we came across some pigs right by the path. Guess who was the only horse who wasn't worried by them - yep Luke. He happily gave all the other horses a lead past them.
 
Some are and some are not - but most get over it given time and exposure. A local competetion yard to us had pigs enclosed within the cross country course. Caused no end of hilarity!
 
we hack past 4/5 pigs and on one occasion they had gotten loose and i met them in the road whilst hacking to a lesson!

mine have never been phased by them :)
 
No, I liveried on a farm with pigs and they were kept at the side of the driveway so no way in or out without passing them - we had a bit of dancing around the first couple of times and then we were over it.
 
I'd be perfectly happy. Might be a short term pantomime but soon enough you'll have a horse who is totally not bothered by pigs.
 
I worked on an event yard that had a giant free range pet pig. The pig would plonk itself down outside stable doors for its siestas (always seemed to know which the new horses were) until the horses took no notice. I on the other hand was pretty scared of it!

I would say introduce carefully and give the horses space to get away. We hadn’t realised my neighbour had moved pigs in right behind the hedge right as we had shut the horses on a section of track right next to it. My horse went ballistic being shut right next to them, must have galloped all day and it was the start of his sacroiliac issued.
 
My first horse was terrified of them. I don't believe he had ever seen them, not with me at least, but we went past a pig farm and he lost it. He did so every time after that. Then he moved to a different yard that was about 100m from a pig farm, and suddenly he was fine, even out hacking past them. I wondered if he just got used to the noise and smell. They should be absolutely fine
 
Another vote for them getting used to them.
Years ago when I had just broken my first horse I deliberately took her up the local farmer's drive to let her get used to pigs. This was just as well since we moved house and that winter the only accommodation I could find for her was with a pig-keeping friend. Horse and pigs could see each other 24 hours a day in their shared barn. No issues.
The same horse loved cattle: would adopt calves if she could get near them and jump out to join them two fields away. They would also wash her if she was grazing with them. A horse brimming with character!
 
I have pigs. One of mine was terrified of them at first, the others alarmed but curious (they were only 8 weeks so tiny). They got used to them pretty quickly and live in adjacent fields. The pigs love the horses and are always talking to them which is very cute.
 
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