Piglets running loose in lane whilst hacking

Birker2020

Birker2020

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I've been forced into hacking out my 17.1hh WB gelding following a suspensory injury as there is very little else I can do with him other than to walk round the building about 20 times every day at the yard where I keep him as the vet says he's not allowed in the school just yet.:(

He's never been very good at hacking on his own and therefore we've always avoided it like the plague (never have anyone want to hack at the same pace/time/distance as me) but quite honestly this has all been a bit of a blessing in disguise as because I've been forced into hacking out due to lack of anywhere else to ride and he's become so good now, that we both enjoy our hacking tremendously and I rarely encounter any problems with him other than the occassional spin. I've also put him on a supplement (99.9% pure magnesium), dropped him down to a pasture mix and I cover myself with essential lavender oil which seems to have a calming effect too!

However the other day whilst hacking to a local wood and back I came across a couple of piglets running loose in the lane. They'd got through gaps in their fencing and were dashing across the quiet lane to go rooting around to see what they could find to eat on the other side of the embankment.:eek: I had a hell of a job trying to get my horse past the piglets, I knew if we went towards them they'd scarper back to their little field but it was trying to get him to go towards them where the fun started. We had numerous spins and planting of feet before the age old trick of walking backwards, circling and sending forward worked, and we managed to get past the 'danger' area doing a combination of very positive riding and backwards walking!:) He gave two massive stallion like snorts (to warn all the other horses in the area no doubt!!) and was very tense, but didn't panic and got lots of pats and praise from me.

My first emotion once I'd got him past was one of anger that the farmer should be so negligent with his fencing, but this was swiftly followed by a feeling of euphoria that I'd managed to get him to listen and trust me.

I actually found it quite challenging and very rewarding when I reflected on what had happened and I'm looking forward to the challenge of getting him past them again as it is one of only three hacks I can actually take him on, so I am not going to give up on it, having spent all this time making him hack out. However, just wondering if I should have a word with the farmer and let him know his piglets are loose as it would make life a lot easier and help reduce any accidents in the area for other riders.

If an accident occurred as a result of loose livestock am I right in thinking the farmer would be held liable in a Court of Law for having insufficient restraining fencing???
 
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That would have been quite entertaining - piglets are very good at finding holes where they can escape from.

You must be so proud of your horse though to have battled the horse eating piglets and made it home safe and aound.

My friend has some kune kune pigs and they managed to get out a few weeks ago and went on a rampage around her property. She spotted them running hell for leather across one paddock chased by a very angry pony snapping at their heels - ex bush pony who certainly wasn't scared of pigs. My friend at this point is running around trying to herd them into the round pen - in her nightie and gumboots! You can just imagine the sight! She sent a txt to her son to say they were out and he sent a couple of friends over to help her. They meanwhile are in hysterics at the sight of gumboot and nighty clad lady racing around after two demented piglets and a pony determined to savage them.

Finally they were trapped in the round pen and she got the gate off its hinges and then tied it so that the piggies couldn't get under it.

Meanwhile other horse has head over the gate sucking the ear of one of the piglets!

I would so loved to have seen all this myself as her recouonting the adventure was very entertaining.
 
Ha how funny, I like pigs. Not sure if horses really don't like pigs or its an old wives tale. I was proud of my boy though but more so myself. To be honest there was no other alternative but to go past the pigs. It was the way home, there was no other route we could have taken. I did contemplate ringing my friend and asking her to drive over and lead me past but that would have been a total last resort. Walking backwards always gets the result in the end, horses don't seem to realise that they are walking backwards quite happily past the thing they find frightening.

I think sometimes with horses if you turn things around on their head and try to make a scary thing a challenge instead of seeing it as something to worry about it makes life a bit easier. Of course this doesn't work for everything but it is a philosophy I try to stick to.

Wish I lived in New Zealand. You lucky thing you!
 
Well done for getting past the piglets, your horse must really trust you, very handy in dangerous piggy situations! Agree with the walking backwards thingy, it's a useful tool to have in your box.

I don't think it's an old wives tale re horses and pigs, I did a bit of research a few years ago after me and my horse had a bit of a falling out when he spotted a loose piglet (it ended with me quite badly injured and laid up for 6 weeks). It comes from prehistoric times when horses were the size of poodles, and pigs were the size of your average family pony and went round eating the poodle horses for breakfast.
 
Nother helpful to add but loved your story and glad you are enjoying your hacking and well done getting past piglets. I guess you could let farmer know if you see him. I hope when your horse is fit you keep up the hacking as well as the school work.
Evelyn that was a LOL moment.
 
Yes the farmer would likely be liable, though that would involve lots of stressy court case stuff. If you know who owns the pigs, ring them up and ask them nicely to sort the fencing as it's causing a danger.

Then give him a week to do something in terms of emergency repairs or move the pigs (proper repair might take him longer to arrange as good fencing needs a contractor and their equipment).

If nothing is done then you would be within your rights to go to your local Animal Health officer at the local council. Since this sounds like a public road the pigs are on, they are not on the farmers holding and this would be classed as an illegal livestock movement (obviously AH officers understand animals get out occasionally but take a dim view if the issue isnt rectified when farmer is alerted to it).

Hope this helps!
 
gala said:
Well done for getting past the piglets, your horse must really trust you, very handy in dangerous piggy situations! Agree with the walking backwards thingy, it's a useful tool to have in your box.

I don't think it's an old wives tale re horses and pigs, I did a bit of research a few years ago after me and my horse had a bit of a falling out when he spotted a loose piglet (it ended with me quite badly injured and laid up for 6 weeks). It comes from prehistoric times when horses were the size of poodles, and pigs were the size of your average family pony and went round eating the poodle horses for breakfast.
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Yes, you are right Gala, pigs used to eat horses back in pre history and that's where the fear seems to come from. Alot of my customers say their horses or ponies are scared of pigs and cannot be in a field nextdoor to them or they panic.
 
You did well to get your horse past the pigs. Some horses definately don't like them maybe because they have not been exposed to them in the past.
 
Horses are generally, genuinely frightened of pigs because a pig will attack a horse.

Yes they can get use to them when exposed to them on a regular basis but the fear is instinctive.

You did well in persisting with your horse and if he can go past future pork chops running around he will go pasty anything!

Many years ago local cattle transporter came to collect some ponies for a show. The first pony went up the ramp and then spun around knocking the kid leading him, flying, the second didn't go as far before spinning. Couldn't work out why as these ponies were all good loaders. When I went into the lorry, which was full of clean straw there was a funny musky smell. The transporter had carried a lion for the local zoo and as the wagon looked clean, had not washed it out.

These ponies had an instinctive fear of the smell and we had to spray the inside with Jeyes fluid before they would go in!
 
Hi, speaking as a pig keeper I would love to know if the little darlings had snuck out. Piglets can get through the smallest of gaps and unless you spot them escaping it can be really hard to find out where they got out.
Well done with getting the neddy past them, I always assumed that it was the smell that horses dont like. My pigs are kept next door to the ponies and most dont seem to take that much notice and I assumed that it was because they are outdoor pigs and dont smell like those kept in concrete pens.
My sons NF scratches their backs for them and plays chase up and down the fence.
 
Pigs are turned out for several weeks in the New Forest in the autumn and share the area with the ponies. I may be very lucky but my last three horses got used to them very easily, actually wanting to go up to them and investigate. In fact, one old sow was the one who was scared and beat a hasty and squealy retreat when my horse loomed over her to say hello while she was rooting at the road side, looked up and saw his nose inches from hers! :D
Never heard of a single horse attacked by a pig on the Forest. The sows can get defensive if they have piglets with them, particularly with dogs and occasionally with joggers who look as if they are running at them. But then so will most female animals with young. I was attacked by an amazingly brave hen pheasant once when I was trying to shoo her babies off the road before they got squashed.
 
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Happened to us once about ten squealing piglets running up and down the lane trying to find a way back to mum excellent piaffe from both horses it was hilarious as soon as we got past,was a bit worrying at the time.
 
Our completely bombproof in all situations gelding was always wary going past the pig farm (tiptoed) but interestingly was more than happy to stroll nonchalantly past the pet lioness which was often sitting on the garage (flat) roof watching us hack past.
It used to give me the heebie-jeebies but I can only assume that she was very well fed as actually she never mad any sort of move - I was very relieved when it became illegal to keep wild animals as pets.
Our current horses are happy to pass various fields with free-range pigs, the only problem we've ever had was once when there was an almighty thump from the shelter as a pig lay down just as we passed. Both horses leapt up in the air.
 
That was very brave of your horse OP.

I too have a 17-3hh WB and he is terrified of pigs, mind he is scared of his own shadow too. Elizabeth, my daughter, spend weeks getting him to hack past a couple of pigs just up the lane. Finally he went pass, all be it piaffing. A few days later there was a commotion on our yard and someone comes and says there are two pigs out. E. runs out of the barn and stands in front of the door hands and legs akimbo shouting "if they come in here I'll never get him out of his stable!" The rest of us were to busy laughing to try to catch them!

So glad your lad was a brave boy, could I borrow him to teach mine? Fany walked past them no problems, did not even look at them.
FDC
 
Going to go for a hack past there tommorow so will see how I get on.
Looking forward to it now I know he is safe with them. Just worried the poor little things will get run over (by car not my horse) LOL
 
The title made me chuckle before I'd even read your post,:D we have pigs on the farm where I live and we also hire out the arena so I know how extreme some horses can get around pigs when they first come across them!:D

I think you should definitely mention it, if riders regularly use this lane I'm sure sooner or later someone is gonna have an incident! some horses are absolutely terrified of them, one of our liveries has left after a year of trying to get her horse use to the pigs, her horse would still box walk and weave if the wind was blowing in the right direction and he could smell them, even though he was turned out in the field along side them every day, he still thought they would come and eat him in the night :) I shouldn't laugh really, as it's not funny, but it's bizarre how some horses can be so extreme about them.
 
Very brave horse!!!

Mine is terrified of them. we sometimes get them at the top of our lane, though we cannot actually SEE them through the hedges. She just SMELLS them and the first timje, planted and I could NOT get her past to go home, I could have taken her round the block home, but did not want to be beaten so got my uncle to ride his horse up to meet us. Since that she is still scared and relectuant to pass. But bless, as she can only smell them, and NOT see them, she doesn't really know what she is scared of so jumps at everything going!!


Definately let farmer know though, they're way too cute to end up as roadkill!!
 
Pedantic said:
This post is hilarious, little pink sausages running around the lanes, and now they have to expose themselves PMSL :D:D
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I love how your mind works!!! :D

We had some wild boar cross piglets (had being the operative word - they are now sausages) which kept escaping into the field with the horses. They escaped through stock fencing and piglet height electric fencing, naughty little grunters, if they want to go a-rooting they are b*ggers to keep in!!!
My horses are quite happy with the pigs, my section A; Jack Russell and current spotty piglets have a great game running up and down the fence-line together, it is hilarious, must get it filmed ;)
 
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