Horse pawing when tied up

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sfward

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Missie is doing my head in at the moment; whenever I tie her up (particularly outside the box) she paws constantly at the ground. She never used to do this before and only seems to have started it since we moved yards at the end of September. Before she used to stand and go to sleep while I brushed her off, tacked up etc, now she seems to get really wound up. The new yard is more open and therefore more going on (last place was American barn style), could this be why do you think?
Any tips for stopping her doing it? She's ok when I'm with her, but as soon as I move away she starts, by which point I'm too far away to do anything except growl at her which has no effect at all!
 
At least she is only pawing, Lance climbs!
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I might get shot down in flames for this but i'd use a water gun/super soaker and squirt his legs when he does it (as long as he won't go into orbit!)
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My horse is the same! He's not stressed sometimes he'll stand OK and someties he paws the ground like mad. He does it when he's bored. I always tie him with a haynet but if he wants attention he will ignore the haynet and paw the ground and then look at me expectantly. It's really annoying. If I speak to him he stops and if I'm fussing with he he NEVER does it. If I itch him and then stop he sometimes does it. If I'm crouched down in his stable skipping him out, stop for a moment to give him attention and then turn back to kipping out he pushes me with his legs and nose until I scratch him again!!! If you find a cure I'd also like to know.
 
I usually go for the haynet approach, when Lance starts climbing Ive had to manually lift each front leg down from the fence/stable wall, he wil stand there all day.
 
Can't edit cause of stupid 'too busy' error message but...
I should have said I've seen the water gun method work well when all else has failed for a door banger too
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Haynet?
S
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Good idea, but it is like giving candy to a child throwing a fit


Maybe that is why my children have so many cavities
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I didn't mean that she should sprint across the yard to the recalcitrant beast when it starts doing a four hooved Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers impression....more that she should stuff it's face with hay from the moment she ties it up.
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Just had another thought (this month's quota up).
Pawing can be associated with low level abdominal pain...if she has just moved yards and is stressed, perhaps she could have a little ulcer or something developing?
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but she only does it whilst tied up? not in the stable or when turned out...?

lol about the water pistol -mum used to do that to the dogs out in the kennel when they wouldn't stop barking during the night. I think my YO might have a fit though, she is into NH and smacking or similar is a big no-no!

haynet probably the best option, although it seems a waste to fill a haynet just for 5 mins when I'm tacking up as she's not getting any in the field just yet; would have to open a whole bale just for that!
 
My 2 yo does it and it drives me mad! I tend to chuck something at him, he is so unflappable and laid back so it distracts him! Wouldn't like to try it with my Fly though, he would be up in the air and away!
 
May or may not be saying something obvious, but read an article the other week which touched on this... a horses natural instinct for survival is to be continuously moving, and esp when they are somewhere they don't know very well or feel vulnerable they feel more comfortable always being able to get away... this results in them pawing the ground out of frustration and nervousness - maybe as its a new yard which is very open and therefore making her feel vulnerable, she is showing that by pawing?
 
yes could be... she does it in the box as well, but I put that down to getting cross because she can't see over the door when she's tied up! i'm hoping she'll get out of it in time.
 
One of mine stamps her foot rather than pawing the ground - when she's had enough of something eg being clipped the other day. Her mother does a bit of each when she's impatient.
 
I knew what you meant
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I am just saying that it is not an effective method of re teaching the horse to stand quietly. It is like a pacifier and may even make it worse when the horse does not have the net there at all.

It works though because I have done it many times
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whatever works though right?
 
sounds like she is just a bit unsettled and is looking for attention. Personally I would ignore it the more you respond - even if it is negative attention- the more she will think if I do this my mummy comes running.
 
When I was teching my 2 year old to tie up he used to paw the ground, even if you were beside him and it got to the stage where he was actually stiking out and would have injured someone. I tied him very short to a wall (with baler twine in case he got too upset and pulled back!) and so every time he pawed he used to bang his knee off the wall, he doesn't do it anymore.
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Has she done it since day 1 of moving yards? has your routine changed at all to fit with the new yard? has her feed changed? is she impatient for something..for instance, do you feed her/turn her out straight after she's been tied up? Has her behaviour at any other times changed or is this the only change? does she aways paw with the same hoof? did she ever paw at all while tied up at your old yard? have she ever changed yards before and did her behaviour change then?

That's probably enough questions for now..
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I have never had to deal with this, but, it did come up in conversation with the chap I bought one of my horses from over here. I am not saying this is right, or wrong, it is a matter of opinion, just another school of thought from a different country from a trainer who expected good manners and got them one way or another.

His remedy, tie the horse up and leave it tied up until it stops pawing. I didn't ask how long he would leave them tied, but I suspect it would be hours if that was how long it took.

If my horses dug while they were tied up they'd soon end up in a big hole as my stables have soil floors!
 
I agree to ignore such behaviour as pawing, and door kicking when stabled. And if your horse is pawing, only turn her out, or feed her or whatever when she stops.
My 3yo was box rested for colic and tried door banging for attention...but the three of us who handled her agreed a strategy. We would walk towards her with her feed, or the headcollar to take her walkies or graze her in hand...the moment she banged the door, we'd about turn and leave her til she stopped again. She sussed very quickly and stopped doing it.
Or cutting legs off or glueing hooves to the ground would be effective?
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Is there something blocking her view?

used to work with a horse that would never stand still etc, would rear, bounce, anything (not helpful having a 17hh doing that when you've got kids around) and kept doing it until me moved him to another part of the yard. Turns out he could see more
 
Well some of you might not like this, but I always teach every horse to stand still and be patient. They get cross tied in the corner of a stable for about 4 hours at a time....no hay! and no fuss. That way they learn that they have to be patient and not bother by doing anything to cause a scene.....theres no point.

They all then stand rock solid when tied up and the ponies will stand in the middle of the yard, parked, while they are harnessed up.
 
If you did this with my mare she would struggle until free - even if that meant turning herself inside out and hurting herself - and she would keep on doing it every time.

After 11 years and alot of patience if my horse gets a fright when tied up or decides she doesnt want to be tied up she will fight to the death to get free
 
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