Equine submarine - why would a horse do this?

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pennyturner

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Solo, our Welsh x Hackney enjoys his hacks. They're very special, since he should by rights have been pts aged 4 after a serious car accident. Sometimes he is quite a creative and cheeky character - which is why he was given a chance when he was injured.

There is a 2' deep ford on one of our rides. Yesterday, as we crossed it, Solo pulled his head down and took great delight in striding through the water with his whole head under the surface - only his ears out of the water. He surfaced to splash with his leg, wetting his rider almost to the waist, before forging on, head under, apparently having the time of his life.

Once out the other side, he snorted, and shook himself like a freshly walked labrador, leaving his (sodden) rider in stitches.
 
Thats hilarious, he sounds such a character. I had a dog who would stand in streams feeling for stones and sticks with her feet and this look of concentration on her face before diving head first to retrieve said stick/ stone!
 
One of our paddocks has an enormous water trough in it - must be about 4 ft deep. I was riding once when it was being fixed & went over to say hello. Horse promptly stuck whole head under water (I was still on her!) and started blowing bubbles. Head up, head down, splashing, more bubbles - all humans within reach were soaked. Playing me thinks :-)
 
It was Solo who realised that there is still weed on the bottom of the river in the depths of winter, and it is edible, so he has form as far as diving is concerned - he grabs a clump, lifts it out of the water and shakes it dry before eating it. Took a while for the others to catch on, but now at least half of them do the same. Is it possible he was looking for it?
 
Ha ha ha, bless :). Can you bring him to ours so he can teach the big guy a ford isn't the watery entrance to satens realm and that merely placing ones hoof in it ( never mind head) will result in being sucked into oblivion :).

Also snorkel for Xmas perhaps?
 
My old mare used to do this in rivers, streams, troughs, in fact any water that wasn't 'home'. She would put her nose under the water and deliberately blow so the bubbles rose round her. In the river she would walk while doing it. Her daughter does it occasionally and I have seen my other mare do it too. I think they find it fun.

We call it 'playing submarines'
 
SEL said:
One of our paddocks has an enormous water trough in it - must be about 4 ft deep. I was riding once when it was being fixed & went over to say hello. Horse promptly stuck whole head under water (I was still on her!) and started blowing bubbles. Head up, head down, splashing, more bubbles - all humans within reach were soaked. Playing me thinks :-)
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LOL ... I had a welsh D who would stick his whole head in water beyond his eye line, but didn't like getting his ears wet!! He's splash around and generally seem to be having a huge amount of fun with it. So, just for the the fun of it I guess. That's horses for you!
 
:D :D That's hilarious! What a lovely character!

Mine will, when out hacking and presented with a water trough, put his nose under water and shake it up and down and blow bubbles. Silly animals!
 
My old mare used to do this. Any water complexes if we were out cross county, or in the water troughs she would dunk her head up to her ears.
 
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