Rolling in Gateway at Bringing In!?

Elsbells

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Ok I feel daft asking this, but it's annoying me as to why she's doing it and I'm hoping one of you knowledgable peeps can answer me please?

Every evening for last week or so, Ive been standing there in the open gateway waiting for my mare, headcollar ready in hand. She's been waiting for me up until now but she walks away again just 3 or 4 strides and gets down(very gently) to roll while I have to stand and wait! What's that all about?!!

Is it because she's individually grazed? She will roll with me in the stable too if my back is turned. She doesn't seem to care how close she is or where we are?
 

Pebble101

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I would be interested in any theories as my grey horse does it too. I take his companion in first and by the time I get back he has rolled - he has layer upon layer of mud at the moment but as he is retired and happy I'm not too fussed. It was however a pain when he was ridden because it was unbelievable how far under his rug he managed to get the mud.
 

fatpiggy

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Because they enjoy being a complete PITA, that's why! My mare would go out of her way to roll in the deepest, muddiest bit of the gateway as soon as I arrived to bring her in and the look on her face told me there was no doubt she did it out of sheer devilment. She knew it was naughty so she did it deliberately. One summer I was cleaning out the water trough (a bath) in the field and she gradually wandered closer to watch, pretending to just be grazing of course. I had no choice but to empty the water out in front of the bath (my choice would have been behind it so it could flow down into the ditch) so the bare soil turned into a mud patch. She materialized right beside me and I told her to go away which she did but was still watching. As I closed the gate to walk away, I watched her drop neatly in the mud I'd created specially for her and plaster herself very effectively. Cow.
 

Bigbenji

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They know coming in normally =work.
Getting plastered in wet mud can delay such activities so I take it as a bit of an 'up yours mum'! :)
 
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Coblover63

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I have one that does it whilst I'm preparing his feed. I always put it down to excitement of the anticipation of food. Really annoying if it is wet and muddy as he comes in slathered, filthy and dripping, but it's just his way. And yes.... I have tried bringing him in first, but then he kicks seven bells out of his stable door in impatience so the mud is the lesser of two evils!!!
 
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