Sudden yawning

[Hampshirecharlotte]

Hi, my 13 hand cob seems to yawn on and off. Sometimes when I’m grooming (but not all the time) sometimes when I’m lead reining her (but again not all the time) and tonight when I lead her into her stable. She’s a rescue so trust building at the moment …. Should I ignore this behaviour? Do you think she’s showing anxiety? Thanks!

 

[BigRedDog]

No, the opposite. Horses yawn to release tension. So shows you are doing a good job and she is starting to relax with you. Well done.

 

[Hampshirecharlotte]

Thank you! I heard she maybe getting anxious so should I just ignore it?

 

[Sossigpoker]

Thank you! I heard she maybe getting anxious so should I just ignore it?

It's a release of tension so it may be that when you're brushing her you might be giving her a bit of a massage which feels nice to her.
It might be an idea to have a physio or a massage therapist see her and release those tensions a bit more.

 

[JackFrost]

Mine yawned when there was a dental problem. Once the bad tooth was removed it stopped. Has she had a dental check?

 

[Winters100]

Someone once told me that it can be a sign of gastric problems, but since mine have never shown this behaviour I did not investigate further and have no idea if this is correct.

 

[spotty_pony2]

It’s supposed to be a sign they are relaxed and happy. My boy yawns every time he sees me - I’m told it means he is pleased to see me

 

[AWinter]

Yawning can be a calming signal which is a sign of stress, it’s very context based, you’ll see it happen a lot during body work, but also after something they’ve found stressful, same with licking and chewing. It’s not quite as simple as just them feeling relaxed. It sounds like your pony may be finding their feet a bit and finding things a bit stressful. It’s hard to say without seeing the behaviour.

 

[rextherobber]

One of mine yawns when she's colicky

 

[sarcasm_queen]

One of ours started yawning a lot when his kidneys were shutting down.

Probably not that in your case OP, but it’s one of those things that can be a sign of lots of things.

 

[reynold]

I was told that yawning can be a sign of liver problems. If your horse is a rescue it is possible that the liver could have been affected by ragwort.

Definitely keep an eye on it.

 

[Green Bean]

I take it as a positive sign of relaxing. My horse yawns when I walk towards her in the stable and even moves her lower jaw from left to right which I take as an even more positive sign as that is a massive sign of relaxation. Puts on the disappointed face when I walk towards her with a saddle though

 

[Birker2020]

My dog never fails to yawn if I rub the palm of my hand slowly in a circle on the flat top of her head. She does it every time, its spooky.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Someone once told me that it can be a sign of gastric problems, but since mine have never shown this behaviour I did not investigate further and have no idea if this is correct.

Yes this. It depends when they do it I guess. Yawning can be a sign of gastric pain. My vet was quite worried when one of ours who was sick started yawning a lot.

 

[throwawayaccount]

excessive yawning can be a sign of colic

however in most normal circumstances, its usually just because the horse is relaxed; my mare yawns when having a good groom or scratch, or after licking my hand for a while after eating a treat.

 

[ycbm]

Do you see her lying down to sleep, or signs of her lying down?
.