Pawing whilst eating - help please

PuzzlePiece

PuzzlePiece

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I've had my filly since August, she's settled really well and I'm pleased with how she's growing, putting on condition and feet are strengthening.
However at feed time she paws the ground whilst eating. I've never known a horse to do this before. She used to live out with other youngsters before I got her, and was fed pony nuts from a metal trough. I know she wasn't very high up in the pecking order so was thinking she may have done it to warn others off, tip feeder over or from frustration. She's the type of horse who will eat anything and a friend suggested she may have been hungry/starved at some point in her life.
So should I just let her do it and not worry? Or try to prevent it?
I'm quite worried as she does tend to have dug a hole in the ground by the time she's finished and it can't be doing her feet any good. We're moving to a stabled yard in a few weeks so not sure how that will affect it.
Thanks to all who got this far and I'm grateful for any advice. I do remember seeing a video of a horse who had to be fed outside for similar reasons but that was a while ago.
 
I believe you are correct. Pawing is an instinctive reaction to frustration. I was watching the reaction of some of my lambs to the first snow. They seemed bewildered that the grass had disappeared. Then started tentatively pawing. Hey presto! Grass!

I've never tried clicker training but this sounds like something that might be solved by using it. Plenty of sites on the Internet telling you how. Sometimes natural instincts "go over board". We have bred for that over hundreds of years so that breeds are evolved with special characteristics we find useful. Sometimes these instincts just come through too strongly. It could of course be a form of neurotic behaviour as you suggest and there may be no cure.
 
My gelding did it a lot when I first got him (6yo), but it has gradually reduced over time and he rarely does it at all now (rising 8yo) perhaps it's something they grow out of i don't know! :)
 
My 18yo does it when he's been waiting for his tea. He won't do it if it just arrives in front of his nose without him noticing, and he won't do it with hay, but if he's been watching me make his feed he gets very stressed and frustrated. Luckily I can just avoid it by giving him hay at the opposite end of the field and then go back to the feed room to make dinner, and he doesn't do it badly (he settles once he's about half way through the bucket).
I'd be interested to hear if you do manage to stop it!
 
Thanks for your replies. She only does it with feed in a bucket not hay. Still early days, I know a few people who have used clicker training successfully for other things so might look into it. And might be worth giving the vet a ring to check there's nothing wrong internally
 
If she paws, then gets fed, the behaviour will be reinforced as she is being "rewarded" for pawing. It sounds similar to the door kicking habit.

I don't know if you could arrange/make a feeding container with a sliding lid and pull the lid across when she paws and open it when she doesn't? Anyway, that's the line of reasoning I'd follow.

Good luck! Sounds interesting. Do let us know if you solve it.
 
My horse paws the ground, alternating legs, and waving them in the air as he eats his bucket feed. It just looks like enthusiasm and excitement. He also paws a little when he gets impatient and thinks I'm taking too long grooming or tacking up. I take no notice and it certainly doesn't worry me.
 
I had an ex racehorse who used to paw really badly.

She was turned out in a large herd as a youngster, and I believe thats where the trait came from.

There may be certain techniques out there (that I couldn't advise you on!) but for my mare the best thing was for her to be indoors in a calm environment (no horses too near) and without any build up or excitement around feed time from other horses. Gradually she learnt the feed was hers and she did not have to worry or frustrate over losing out on dinner.

- I say indoors mainly because she would tear the grass up really badly and I found that wound her (and me!) up further. Indoors also meant (at my yard) there were no horses about at the time I chose to feed.

Hopefully the same will happen to yours!
 
Mine paws, albeit a bit half-heartedly, when she's eating her bucket feed and sometimes just waves her leg around - always the same leg, and she's very good about waiting till she's told to start eating, and she's very calm, so I don't worry too much.
 
Two of mine do this, young cob eats with a leg up and will alternate legs, my trotter x paws at his bucket and often used to spill the lot, I now make a plate of hay and put their feeds on that, doesn't stop the leg action though
 
PuzzlePiece said:
I've had my filly since August, she's settled really well and I'm pleased with how she's growing, putting on condition and feet are strengthening.
However at feed time she paws the ground whilst eating. I've never known a horse to do this before. She used to live out with other youngsters before I got her, and was fed pony nuts from a metal trough. I know she wasn't very high up in the pecking order so was thinking she may have done it to warn others off, tip feeder over or from frustration. She's the type of horse who will eat anything and a friend suggested she may have been hungry/starved at some point in her life.
So should I just let her do it and not worry? Or try to prevent it?
I'm quite worried as she does tend to have dug a hole in the ground by the time she's finished and it can't be doing her feet any good. We're moving to a stabled yard in a few weeks so not sure how that will affect it.
Thanks to all who got this far and I'm grateful for any advice. I do remember seeing a video of a horse who had to be fed outside for similar reasons but that was a while ago.
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My pony paws and bangs her knee againts the manger its just one of her foibles like some lift leg up
 
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