The importance of droppings to the horse

[sporthorsefrance]

I expect most of you who have watched your horses enter a new field have noticed how they always go round & sniff all the droppings from previous occupants before settling to eat. It's a recognition thing. And I believe very important to the herd, however small.
Today I sent a 3 yr old off to be professionally broken in - her sister, who was weaned to her a year ago, went straight to our muck heap in the field, dug it up & rolled in it. These two were the only horses of my 7 who had contributed to said muckheap.
A few years ago, I weaned a filly to a 3 yr old gelding. They were really sweet together - when the filly was sold, the gelding ate her droppings - only hers, not the other horse's.
It's something that hasn't been looked at at all, in terms of equine behaviour. Perhaps observing this trait a bit more would give us a better insight into the way they work. Instinct, memories, tracking - poo is IMPORTANT!!
Would be interested to hear from others who have observed the same thing.

 

[exracehorse]

My lad always sniffs any droppings he spies while out on a hack. Won’t move until he’s sniffed the pile. And he can distinguish the difference between mud on a track or poop. Most have incredible nose senses.

 

[tallyho!]

I've always known they were important... means a lot to one, more so than others. Out on a hack she will sniff almost every one which can get annoying at which point I insist it stops.

 

[Mrs G]

I always let my horse sniff poos we come across. We often pass the muck trailer on the way to his turn out and we can be there for ages! I tend to think of it as the equine version of Facebook; “Star checked in here”, “Ned had Spillers for tea”, “Polly binged a bit on the grass today”...

 

[tallyho!]

I always let my horse sniff poos we come across. We often pass the muck trailer on the way to his turn out and we can be there for ages! I tend to think of it as the equine version of Facebook; “Star checked in here”, “Ned had Spillers for tea”, “Polly binged a bit on the grass today”...

Haha!

 

[sporthorsefrance]

I always let my horse sniff poos we come across. We often pass the muck trailer on the way to his turn out and we can be there for ages! I tend to think of it as the equine version of Facebook; “Star checked in here”, “Ned had Spillers for tea”, “Polly binged a bit on the grass today”...

You are so right!! Equine Facebook is a very good description.

 

[ponyparty]

Yeah mine always has a good sniff of other horses' droppings, more so than any horse I've come across before. I wondered if it was related to his being cut late, and some of the stallion-like behaviour he can exhibit at times.

The other day, I'd just got on and walked half way across the school, when he made his own deposit. He promptly did a turn on the forehand (of his own accord) so that he could sniff his own droppings - and then lifted a foreleg and helpfully booted the pile to smithereens! Made me giggle, but I'm sure it meant something to him...

 

[webble]

There is a yard 100yards up the road from ours and my boy stops to poo outside it every single time we go out, but oddly only if we are on our own and always on the way out not the way back