Are horses naughty/ rebellious?

Hoof_Prints

Hoof_Prints

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Just been thinking as a watched my horses sneak out of the field gate and run around bucking at their achievement... Do horses know their boundaries and enjoy breaking them? like a naughty teenager! I don't normally attribute human behaviour to horses, and roll my eyes when other people do, but I can't deny that my horses do occasionally enjoy rebelling ! Such as running around broncing for a while when I go to catch them, then merrily trotting over when they've had their fun ! And I have a pony that will untie himself, but when he sees you looking, stop and look away. They are well mannered horses and behave 90% of the time, but do have their moments.

Thoughts?
 
Ha your horses sound great.

Well last night I watched my husband out of the window go to turn out my lad with the others. He often will be a bit naughty with him so.I was expecting something.

He clocked my husband with the head collar, turned and buggerd off! He's never hard to catch always waiting at the gate & pops his nose into the nose band so I New he was just being a naughty boy.

So yep I'm completely convinced of it!
 
In a herd situation i suppose lower ranking horses have to be a little bit 'sneaky' so that they can survive, swiping bits of a higher ranking horses hay and then legging it lol, they've just expanded on that in their dealings with us too! Some do seem to be cheekier than others though, one pony we had was a right monkey for getting up to mischief if he thought no one was watching, as soon as you let him know you were there h would stop and look innocent!
daughters current pony was baby sitting the foal after he was weaned, she would gobble up her feed in the field and try and chase him off his to steal it, if i stood by him she would circle us until she was behind us and try and creep in, if i turned she would stop and look away, it was like the game creep mouse the kids play in school lol.
 
i have one googly eyed appaloosa who likes untying himself and opening doors. the hilarious thing is he will watch you out of one eye while he does this, with an expression on his face that can only be described as sneaky.

so yes, i think they do. especially ponies!
 
Glad its not just my lot! remembered another one. My gelding is an escape artist and had crushed the electric fencing, jumped up hill and picked his way through a load of trees to get in to the main yard (no idea why, the grass was great in the field and the yard is not very enticing !) . Put fence back up, put horse back in, he immediately went to look at the fence, spun around and galloped up the field neighing, galloped in a circle and jumped the newly fixed bit of fencing . Only to stand in the yard waiting to be caught again :mad: ;)
 
I think my lot make everyone elses horses look like saints.
They not only [when they get the chance] untie themselves but they untie eachother!
 
Knobberpony is.She doesn't like being tied up and will untie herself,or get her leg over the rope and look at me as if to say 'Oh dearie me,look what has happened.I am a poor elderly pony and can't possibly lift my leg back over.You will have to do it.' Also can't be left with a haynet as she'll paw it until she gets her shoe caught in it,then will stand there and look martyred.Good job I love her!
 
mirage said:
Knobberpony is.She doesn't like being tied up and will untie herself,or get her leg over the rope and look at me as if to say 'Oh dearie me,look what has happened.I am a poor elderly pony and can't possibly lift my leg back over.You will have to do it.' Also can't be left with a haynet as she'll paw it until she gets her shoe caught in it,then will stand there and look martyred.Good job I love her!
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Ha! Mine used to do this same thing with his leg over the rope when tied up. he was fine until you went off to do something (ie not giving him attention). I swear to god he learnt that, if he put his leg over the rope and stood there with it dangling, you'd have to come and 'sort it out' and therefore he got the attention he wanted!

Mine also can unbolt his door (within milli seconds), can undo leadrop clips if you use them to prevent him opening the door. He gets a 'look' in his eye if you're leading him and he's thinking about pegging off. Also, he is (sometimes) let in to the stable yard on an evening to go in to his stable - he knows the drill as we've had him 19 years now. HOWEVER, some nights he obviously fancies some fun and will evade capture - he never runs off, just keeps out of your reacg byducking behind the wagon or something equally 'hilarious' (especially when it's belting down with rain!). His latest thing is to squeeze past an old 4x4 we have parked between two buildings so he can climb up to the bank between the hay barn and the field (where the nice bits of grass are of course). There is not really enough room for him to turn round and come back down as a bit precarious so I have to go apprehend him and lead him up and round the back of the stables (removing electric fencing in order to get him through). He is such a pig! thing is, you can see when he's going to do it to. Some nights he'll come in and just put himself in the stable no problems. These other nights he obviously wants a bit more fun and knows exactly where he shouldn't be!!!! :)
 
My shire x used to take advantage of my lack of sense forgetting to turn the ticker on. He'd sneak out over the electric netting and munch all the good grass on the lawns and sleek back over before I got up... I never forget now.
 
definitely! One of ours demands to be offered water rather than helping himself then clearly takes great pleasure in grabbing it and tipping it all over you
 
My lad has a lovely sense of fun, he loves twanging elastic strings on jackets while having his feet picked out, tries to undo the farriers chaps, bounces on gates till they open, farts in your face when you do his tail, pulls rugs and leadropes off gates and pees on them, likes to hold things in his mouth, like the poo picker, life is never boring with him
 
Mine does most of the things mentioned - also one of his favourites is take a lage mouthful of water, which he can hang on to for a very long time, then waits until someone comes close and dribbles it all over them. He has taught this trick to all the other horses on the yard! My late IDxTB used to unbuckle other horses' headcollars and set them free. Doncha just love 'em!!
 
Mine certainly is. The other day I turned round to see him duck under the stall chain, dash past me and canter to the field! Must have been sick of waiting to be turned out! He likes to chew on lead ropes, coats (and tug at my collar when I'm trying to have a conversation), his head collar when I'm trying to put it on, and especially wheelbarrow handles as he likes to tip them over when I'm not looking (usually when I'm in a rush and always when it's full!).
 
Hmmmm - naughty? No. Playful, clever and inquisitive? Yes :).

Kali does many of the things described above - but it's either because he's learned that action A generates reaction B from the humans around him, or just that whatever he has chosen to do is "FUN!!"

He knows, for instance, that if he gets his leg over his leadrope when tied up on the yard, someone will wander over and rescue him - and on previous yard he would up the ante and get his leg over the fence and then look very pleased with himself. I can't leave anything within reach of his stable or it will end up in his bed . . . not because he's naughty, but because he is just very inquisitive and playful - buckets are there to be emptied, whips to be chewed, rugs to be held by the teeth and shaken (all the clips make a very satisfying noise), anti-weave bars are to be lifted up and let go (another satisfying noise) . . . etc.

Naughtiness, to me, is deliberately stepping over a boundary already established . . . not standing still to be rugged/tacked up/groomed . . . not giving me a foot when I ask for it . . . barging . . . not leading nicely . . . disrespecting personal space. Emptying a wheelbarrow is, to Kali, just a game - I don't think he knows he shouldn't do it, he just knows it's fun to tip it up.

I'll get my coat . . . ;).

P
 
Years ago I worked in a riding school, we had a little black pony who would stand tied up waiting for his pupil, then when they had their foot in the stirrup he would stand on their other toe. Another little 11 hander we had at home, you could see his brain tick, he'd untie himself run off around the yard and shove every gate to see if he could get out, and if in an electric pen would duck to his knees and dive under.
My current connie has a broom handle rug rack hanging in his box and I can hear him swinging it around (quite violently) until he's either got his rugs on the floor or he's managed to get the hooks on the surcingles tangled up in the bird netting across the ceiling, then if I look over his door he'd look like butter wouldn't melt....
 
I do so love a horse with a cheeky character some just don't seem to have it or are so institutionalised or supressed by their training that they dare not show a personality.

If I've been too long getting ready then Sol will usually find something to do to show his impatience such as tip my grooming kit over if I've left it too close or drag my coat or a rug towards him so that he is standing on top of it. He then looks at me with a smug look on his face and waits for a reaction :D He will also shout at me to tell me off if I'm gossiping and not doing what he thinks I should be.
 
Mine do all sorts of stuff that some might consider naughty or rebellious, but to me it comes down to personality. If that is the equine version of having a laugh, then I love that mine are confident and happy enough to do so. I have seen horses that have had all the fun trained out of them and to me they are shut down and sad.
 
My daughters section a was hilarious. We had electric tape round the xc step and covering the opening in the fence. We stood and watched as she wandered up and down checking it out . She was lowering her head and checking out all the angles. She then decided that she had worked it out and we watched her going over and under and weaving round to get over into the other paddock. It was incredible to watch as she got through without a zap and then trotted round with her tail in the air. She is a monkey and we let her have her fun and didnt try to catch her for a few minutes (we wouldnt have got near her anyway). She was left to go where she pleased in the end because no matter what we did she found a way . She has a glint in her eye and knows she shouldnt be doing it. My sons New Forest is a character aswell. He undoes his door , leadrope etc. He nips though, we have had him since he was 3 and he will not stop, he knows he shouldnt and doesnt usually hurt but he will nip at your clothes often catching skin . He shoots backwards as soon as he has done it so he knows he shouldnt. He looks anywhere but at you . We cant stop him as he is so quick and doesnt always do it. We just have to watch him round other people ,we would never part with him either.
 
One of mine is naughty but its entirely my own fault. I got him as a 3yo when I was a teenager. Being the very foolish teenager that I was, I used to "play" with him in the field if he was turned out on his own. I was worried he would get bored. Roll on 20 years and when he gets giddy he still comes charging at me and spins around and bucks in my face. A little bit terrifying if you're not used to it (and after 20 years there are still a few hairy moments where i'm thinking **** I hope this 600kg maniac can still judge distance well)
 
Not sure they have a sense of humour but as they've lived with man for thousands of years they have adapted to living with us but I suspect that most of the things we might find funny are just them reacting to situations, water too cold in hose - tread on it, tied up but would prefer to be elsewhere eating - untie the rope, grass better other side of the electric fence - find a way to get through etc. some horses are definitely more intelligent than others and quicker to make links between events/situations and as owners we also use our intelligence to outwit them. Thankfully, most owners are brighter than their horse. Sorry Maree T, i wouldn't put up with nipping in any circumstances, personally, I think your pony needs to know where he stands in the pecking order as one day he might really hurt someone and it might be a child.
 
Mine definitely has a rebellious streak in him somewhere! He seems to know what winds me up though and occasionally enjoys doing so, I can see it in his eyes!! :D
 
Elvis is cheeky.

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He'd been tied up approximately 5 mins, everything was tidy and supposedly out of reach, Elvis had other ideas about how things should be arranged.
 
Haha yes!! Mine undoes clips, pulls rugs off things, tugs on your coat tries to sweep the yard! Basically dont leave anything in reach of him!!
 
my daughter older pony pony is very cheeky, if she spies an open gate she is gone-last year she was in a 6 acre field with 2 small ponies, plenty of grass, when I went to catch them they were at the furthest point as I opened the gate one of the hinges broke (oh joy) I weighed up the situation and thought it would not even be noticed that the gate was gone (pulled to one side by now) as about 4ft from the gate is a hedge so the horses would only see the hedge line, I walked all the way up the field and I caught the other 2 and walked to her when I was within 5 ft she lifted her head and was gone at full speed-but of course she went out up the track then came back cos no-one had followed her she just continued to go back andforth till I reached the gate then came over to have headcollar put on.

she is the same if you are strip grazig them, if you lower the top strand of fencing or dont keep your eye on her she is out over the top starnd in a flash-she usually does this at 6 am in the pouring rain on a cold day when a dog walker is strolling past and they often call out 'you didn't want that to happen, 'well no s**t sherlock is usually the standard phrase that is muttered under my breath.

Love her though my mare is a bit boring on the keep you on your toes front
 
My younger mare definitely has what could be seen as a naughty/inquisitve streak. Last summer we couldnt understand how she ended up the other side of the electric fencing (fencing untouched) and for a moment i got excited about her jumping abiloity (which to date she hasnt shown much enthusiasm for). However watching her we saw that she would get her neck under the top tape (despite the shock) slipping it over her back (absorbing the shock) and step over the bottom tape (liek a cheating limbo dancer)! When we realised we had to treble tape the fencing she watched us doing it intently and when my OH got to the last section she swiftly did her party trick leaving him to chase after her so he could finish off! To be fair out fencing battery was running out so the shock was probably slight but still . . . !
 
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