Horse standing stock-still for a poo!

kathantoinette

kathantoinette

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Hi HHO's

New horse has been allowed to stand for a poo - very annoying. Any tips on how to get him out of the habit? I mean he will abruptly stop (from a walk or a trot), poo, and then be happy to move off. I don't want him doing this. He's only 6 so hoping its not too late. Up to now he hasn't poo-d in the school whilst I'm schooling him - certainly don't want him doing this in a dressage test.

Have tried moving him sideways, sharp slap with the stick, big kicks, nothing will budge him.

Look forward to hearing any suggestions.
 
Mine stops, in 11 years he has never stopped in a dressage test ;). In the times I tried then gave up trying to resolve it I found it was better to try and keep him going, once he'd stopped you had no chance :D I most gave up because the trouble is it is much easier to avoid and pick up a dropping in one place in the school than spread round half a corner.
 
I've got one that does this. We've had him for -gosh! - over 10 years and have never managed to stop him doing it. Mostly it isn't a problem because he just holds on. Only once in all that time do I remember him doing it in competition.
 
Mine will not stop when schooling, but will hacking when walking. TBF if I wanted a poo I would probably prefer to stop too.

It does not happen at trot because I am riding him, as in plugged in' to his balance, energy etc, so can stop it as soon as he even has the thought. When hacking I tend to slop along on a long rein, it is our chill out time, and he is free to poo standing still.

If it is important to you, and he will not do as you request, then turning his head right round, and even tipping it a bit will generally set them in motion. They don't like their eyes to be unlevel with the skyline. It is not as ugly as whacking them.

Personally though, it would not bother me.
 
Like the other posters I have had horses that do this and never found it a problem, normally when you take them out competing they tend to clear out in the lorry and have no need to go once they are off and being ridden, as he does not generally go when you are schooling then he is unlikely to go in a dressage test.
I am not bothered by them stopping out hacking and having had one horse who would hold on when ridden to the point of getting colic after a long clinic I will never make an issue out of it in case they end up holding on rather than risk going and being told off for stopping, the horse that had colic would never go when tacked up so when he evented he had to be completely untacked and put back in the box between phases, he was a relatively old horse before he relaxed enough to go out hacking and was allowed to stop and praised for doing so, so be careful what you do with you horse, I expect mine was slapped early on in his life and never got over it.
 
Poo on the move? Mine won't even poo on the track! He has to find a patch of suitably long grass and poo there, preferably with his bum turned to the hedge so people can't see. Although if we're on the road, he likes to poo on the white lines up the middle.

He is honestly horrified if the horse in front of him poos on the go and will pick his way around the offending piles with a comedy high-stepping walk.

He will however stop pretty much anywhere for a wee.

Issues. My horse has issues.
 
Haha, what a great series of replies! I had one that always stopped for a poo. Like others have said, it never bothered me and was easier to clear up in the school, and he never did it during a test (not that we did many of those). He was very white, maybe he wanted to avoid the excessive bathing?

He wouldn't pee out though, which always troubled me slightly, he'd wait until back in his stable. His face was a picture when we were in the lorry and the horse next to him did a massive wee, splashing him and then it trickled out the back (we had pulled up at a garage so I got out there quick smart with my leaking lorry!)
 
Mine does too - and he had a very successful record up to PSG dressage, so I guess it's never been a problem in a test. Regularly takes me by surprise when he suddenly slams the anchors on out hacking and fires me up his neck!
 
Just be thankful that your horse isn't so obsessed with only pooing in hedges that he will happily fall into a ditch to get there. (We have some very comical moments out hacking while trying to avoid this....strange horse)
 
Interesting replies - thanks guys. Will give this some thought. I just find it a bit of a worry, he would stop anywhere, busy main road, crossing a junction etc. I'm pretty sure the world could be ending around him and he'd just be stood there...having a poo!!!
 
IMO thats where the keeping them moving before they stop comes in. Once they've stopped they are going to wait until they have finished ;)
 
Mine is the same. Although if she is working hard I can push her on to avoid stopping. If walking/hacking she will always stop & heaven forbid she stand in it- she will always jump over it in the school 😂
 
My boy ALWAYS;

- poo stops when entering jumping arena and approaching the judges. Judges and I engage in small talk for duration of said poo.

- poo stops during the final circle before entering dressage arena. Much to hilarity of bystanders.

- poo stops before loading onto trailer. This is quite handy as I NEVER have to clean float out.

Sigh. No idea how to get him out of the habit.
 
I had a school pony that always jammed on the breaks for a poo, very irritating and disruptive as all behind would scatter. One day on the lunge she went to stop and I sent her on a little more enthusistically than intended, I caught her butt with the whip, she clamped her tail trapping a piece of poo and bucked the rider off!

Lesson learned, let her stop or face rider being ejected.
 
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