PIGS

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ciderminx

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Ok, a horse on the yard is notorious for having to fall out with SOMETHING every time he is hacked out, now normally this is the pig farm down the road.
The last time he was ridden out he was an absolute idiot at passing the farm and scared his rider. However on speaking to a fair few other people it turns out that a lot of them have problems at getting their horses past anything pig related.
Has anyone else experienced this, and why are they like it??
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Yes!! A lot horses don't like pigs the same reason they don't like cows! Whatever that might be, haven't quite worked it out yet!
 
Ella's stable was opposite a paddock with two pigs in it! She absolutely hated the sight of them at first but she soon got use to them and just ignored them, almost like she refused to acknowledge their existence!

I don't know why horses hate pigs so much?
 
it could be cos pigs are quite rowdy and noisy when they get excited?
oh and did you know pigs are one of the only animals(inc humans and some kind os monkeys) that have sex for fun!
 
yeah im pretty sure its something to do with the smell, as sometimes you cant even see the pigs and he plays up. Where as any problems i've had on other horses with cows has been do with the actual sight of cows...almost like 'they're strange horses!'
 
According to the pet psychic who spoke to my pony he has a deep hatred of pigs!
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Never had him near one to find out though!
 
i was told that it was because pigs are meat eaters and look like predators with their eyes at the front of their heads-that wouldn't explain the cow thing though!
 
Could also be related to decendent of Wild Boar - and cows after all descended from things like Highland Cattle with very large horns.....

Only thing that is a 'cure' is to borrow a pig - but something that move slowly - like a very overweight pot bellied pig. However with the farming rules now you'd have to be a registered holding and have the correct movement forms and ear tags for the pig.

We have a yard near us that has a PB pig and the horses go past that OK once they know it's there - I presume all the horses on that yard are also 'pig proof' now !!!
 
I think it's simpler than the smell, or appearance. The majority of horses have never seen or heard a pig and so naturally don't like them.

It is merely a case of de-sensitising them. I had an arab mare who was petrified of pigs, then, cruel mum that I am, I moved her to a small yard on a pig farm. After a few hours of snorting, she got used to them and even used to share her feed from a bucket with them. They were free range pigs and used to lie in the piles of hay in the fields, the horses would come along and boot them off or eat around them, the foals had the greatest fun playing chase with the piglets.

Pigs are great, they have a sense of humour and they love to play, they are clean and they eat acorns! Love 'em.
 
just thinking, i wouldnt think it is the smell, because i used to work on a pig farm, and absolutely stank of pigs, no matter how much i washed, but i used to go straight to horse after work still stinking, and they would have a sniff, but none of them showed an adverse reaction to the smell.
enfys i love pigs too they are hilarious, and actually really friendly(well most of them) shame they smell so bad!
 
when we were on a livery yard a good few years ago we had to walk the ponies past the pigs
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At first they were snorting and spooky etc..... But after about 6 months of walking past them every day, twice a day they became ok.
But god forbid the pig was in a different place - then they'd freak!! LOL
 
Bunny, a pointer I had here qualifying hated pigs even though she couldn't see them. I could come home past the pigs with lots of snorting and rushing but I could not go out past the pigs, absolutely no way even if I got off and led; she was besides herself with fright so I didn't push it.
At another yard we had a lovely hunter, Harold, who was terrified of pigs, even out hunting they were a no-no and had to be gone around by a mile at least, no matter that hounds were streaming away; very frustrating for his owner who was no mean jockey either! One day put Harold back in his box after exercise and unknown to us, a neighbour's pet pig (Large White, so not even small!) had escaped and gone to sleep in the next box along the passage and we didn't find it til went to put the other horse back in his box! Harold had a dicky fit, eyes on stalks, literally jumped in his manger to get away from it and hiding his face so he couldn't see it while we were bursting our sides, it was classic farce helped by Alice making clucking pig noises to get it to go home! I still laugh when I think of it!
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hmmm....well its my turn to take him out this week to see if he's just being plain naughty or he is actually scared of something. My thoughts tend to sway to the 'just being naughty' side. He's a very clever horse and soon learns how to get his own way (not with ME i hasten to add!).
 
Think it dates back to the time when horses were wild and pigs were a mortal threat to them - so it seems that it is an in built fear that is not a learned fear - we must have some sympathy!!!
 
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