Can Horses "House Train" Themselves?

[Aarrghimpossiblepony]

Somethings going on with the two ponies since we have put them in the field next door which is bigger for the new grass.

They seem to be coming back to where the dung heap is to go to the toilet.

At first I thought it was chance, just grateful for the ease of poo picking, but it's been going on for a few weeks. Hardly any poo out in the field, most contained close (sometimes very close) to the dung heap. And yesterday saw the older mare climbing up onto the edge to have a pee.

In the field next door without the dung heap where they have been for the previous months, no evidence at all that they ever gave where they pooed any thought. You could tell where they had been standing for shelter for instance and it changed if the wind/rain changed direction.

Not complaining here at all, as you can imagine, far from it. But has anybody else seen this?
Have to moniter it over the coming weeks, the muck heap is currently being cleared slowly, maybe that's it?

 

[JillA]

Yes, I have dumping areas which soon become toilet areas, where the grass is long and unpalatable. Some horses are better at it than others though.

 

[pennyturner]

Stallions are particularly good, as they 'mark' certain areas - even in a stable.

Slightly off topic, but I have a friend who trained her horse not to pee in the trailer, or the barn. Eventually she got it so well trained it would 'knock' on the stable door to be allowed out to pee on the grass!

 

[Aarrghimpossiblepony]

Yes, I have dumping areas which soon become toilet areas, where the grass is long and unpalatable. Some horses are better at it than others though.

They are both mares, could that be part of it?
Some instinctive reaction to keeping their scent away from where they graze? There's no grass where it is situated.

 

[classybutwild]

Absolutely, I have trained mine to go in one place in the field by putting there droppings in one area, now its routine lol they come from one side of the field to there toilet place to go x

 

[CobsGalore]

Yes our horses (geldings) have toilet areas in the field where the grass is longer, they even poo right next to the muck heap which makes poo picking very easy some days!

 

[Aarrghimpossiblepony]

Thanks for the replies.

Going to keep an eye and will use this to manage them when they go back into the other field and create an area there rather than clearing to the existing dungheap.

Are'nt horses great?

 

[L&M]

One of mine definitely has!!

I keep my 2 in the same field but separated by electric tape as my cob bullies the connie.

On the cob's side the poo's are random and can be anywhere in his section, but the connie does them all in a neat pile only a few feet from the muck heap - bless him!

I have also heard of people teaching their horses to wee into a bucket..............

 

[Mongoose11]

My mare is toilet trained in the stable. Two thirds of her bed is a bed with banks and the other third is a thin scattering, she poos in a pile in the scattering and forms 'poo mountain' and then she wees just infront of poo mountain. Bed stays immaculate

 

[lelly]

I can't believe I'm reading this. My husband and I have just been laughing at the same thing. My ponies, one mare and one gelding are getting very good at going on the muck heap. Trouble is it's not all of it so still have to poo pick. Must train them a bit better.

 

[Polos Mum]

Most will create latrine areas - I deliberately leave a few poos when I poo pick in what looks like the most used area and over a few weeks that's where they go - Interesting I think my horse and my pony have one each - can't be 100% sure but all the poos in one place look horse sized and in the second area look pony sized !

 

[Aarrghimpossiblepony]

I can't believe I'm reading this. My husband and I have just been laughing at the same thing. My ponies, one mare and one gelding are getting very good at going on the muck heap. Trouble is it's not all of it so still have to poo pick. Must train them a bit better.

Oh same here, it's not completely reserved for the muck heap area but it sure helps in their quite big field.

The older mare is definitely better, my youngster less fussy. Hoping she will learn though.
Also helps (if it's conscious) getting the older mare moving round more.

 

[pippixox]

my guys are out in a herd of 10, cant see a pattern in poo's!
but in the stable, which is a massive barn section, i love when i just have my boy in, as he never poos on the straw, he does it on a space on matts, not near the hay either, so really easy to muck out. my girl poos all over the big straw bed and lies in it, so is useless!

 

[mandwhy]

Since my Section A filly arrived she poos all over the muck heap and at the other end along a ditch, funny thing she is, love it though and my other horse has started to follow suit!

 

[mtj]

My horse has a pen attached to his stable. When he has access he will always poo outside.

 

[spinneybarns]

Horses are funny aren`t they - we have 2 horses, a 15h New Forest gelding and 15h cob mare who at night share a small concrete yard and 2 stables that have the doors tied back so they can go in and out as they please - they both sleep in the same stable together and go to the toilet generally in the other!