Weird habits - Whats your horses odd quirk??

[Pinkvboots]

My yard tap is outside one of my stables and it used had a lever on it to turn it on instead of a normal tap so very easy to use, my old mare used to turn the thing on early in the morning if she was stabled used to have to barricade it in so she couldnt get to it, I eventually got it changed to a normal tap as she made it her mission to get to it no matter what you did to try and cover it.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Both of my horses are terrible escape artists they can undo the top bolt in a second, if I go in the stable I have to clip the bolt behind me or before I even turn around they are out, Lou won't stay in the stable with a chain either he just walks through them, given up with them now he just has his door shut at all times.

 

[AdorableAlice]

The feral carthorse has dedicated pee stop grassy verges on all of our hacking routes. He will march along get to each spot put himself on the verge and relieve himself without fail.

If we are somewhere new or at a competition he will just drop the contact slightly and we ask him 'do you want a pee'? and if he does he will pull himself up and take you to the nearest grassy spot. It is actually quite a handy quirk and I wish my old horse had been as willing at Ted to pee on demand. We lost a championship at Royal Windsor because of being so uncomfortable and refusing to pee anywhere but home. That horse was a nightmare, never peed on showground, in the lorry or under tack.

 

[Mule]

My youngest mare stops and stretches her back and hind legs every morning when I lead her out of her stable. It's adorable.

I had one who used to do that, she used to remind me of a cat 😀

 

[Mule]

Another one of mine stares at me while I do his stable, he then walks in, stares at me, pees and strolls out again

 

[Dave's Mam]

These are all fab

I'm racking my brains, but I can't think of any, except that my welsh cob rolled, then sat up like a dog, then rolled the other side.

Need to think about the present 3.....

Fiona

Yup. Dave just likes to sit on his arse.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Offering carrot stretches before they are asked for, as a hint that carrots should be produced. I thought he had colic the first time he did this.

😂 mine does this too. Go to put a head collar on - head between legs, do strap up on rug,head between legs, do girth up - head between legs. Any hint of a treat - head between legs.

Nearly came a cropper once. He was on hand-walking after an operation on his annular ligaments so I put his bridle on and attached lunge line which was still looped (totally stupid thing to do). Then thought oops I haven’t undone his rug properly reached under to undo it he then promptly bowed and stuck his leg through the looped lunge line then threw his head up and span around the box with his leg suspended in the loop and nearly knocking me flying.

I actually cried as I thought he’d damage his newly operated on hind legs but thankfully no damage to him or I.

 

[Merrymoles]

Mine audibly sucks his bit when hacking alone - only does it when alone so I am assuming it's a "comfort blanket" thing for him. Combined with my creaky saddle, we are quite tuneful...

 

[AGray825]

My girl always pees as soon as you've put her in the stable. Almost like she's re-marking her territory!
And both of mine always do a final poo just as I've emptied the wheelbarrows for the night. And I have to clean it. I can't stand leaving them for the night with a poo in the stable, even though I know it makes no difference!

My youngster always rolls when the fresh shavings are put down. Not so much with the fresh pellet base, those aren't as exciting!
He also flops his tongue around when he's waiting for his dinner.

Also both of mine now automatically hold their top lips out for a kiss to try and get a treat. My girl is so good at this now that she almost purses her lips together for one!

 

[Embo]

Not really odd, but he has his habits! B will only drink from the field trough (or the gross hay-soaking water) in summer and will only drink sparkly clean fresh water in winter. He does a pee whenever he comes off the trailer (always away from home, not always when we get home, but often!) and whenever he comes in from the field. He also gurns after being fed a treat, he sort of chews and twists his lips around. As another poster's horse, he will do carrot stretches on his own if he thinks he will get a treat!

 

[Fiona]

Yup. Dave just likes to sit on his arse.

Aww that is such an amazing pic..... I lost my pony over ten years ago, before we were so well endowed with camera phones etc, and I never got a pic of Ben doing it...

Fiona

 

[Mule]

Yup. Dave just likes to sit on his arse.

I've never seen that before, he's so cute I love his little face 🙂

 

[eatmyshorts]

My coloured cob smokes. In his younger days, before retirement, he'd follow people around or sneak up to them at show grounds & very obviously snort/inhale their smoke. Such a ned.

 

[Antw23uk]

My mare is a pee and poo before coming in kinda girl and a sniffer! I did have a mare (vile thing) that would only wee in her stable!

 

[BeckyFlowers]

Yup. Dave just likes to sit on his arse.

Adorable! He has such a snooty look on his face, he should be wearing a top hat and monocle 😂

 

[SEL]

OH has been giving me a hand with the poo picking. The Appy has started wandering over and having a poo next to the barrow he's filling. Thought it was coincidence first time but seems to be a habit now. Never does it with me!

 

[Pippity]

When I'm grooming my gelding, he'll always lift his one hindleg (on whichever side I'm standing on) as high as possible (almost freezing in the 'cowkick' position) and bend his neck round as far as he can so he can stare at the leg that's lifted - and he won't put it down until after I've decently scratched the inside of his thigh and all the way down to the inside of his hock.
Then he'll do the same once I'm grooming on the other side.

My old share horse would do that. And, while you were scratchng his shoulder/armpit, he'd wrap his head and neck around you and give you a cuddle.

In the less fun side, he used to run into his stable. He tripped while going in once, and very nearly went down. In his head, the way to avoid it happening again wasn't to go in carefully but to go in VERY VERY FAST. New yard staff had to be shown to point him at the stable, unclip his leadrope, and let him go.

 

[Ambers Echo]

Yup. Dave just likes to sit on his arse.

Haha. Katie's old pony used to do that!

 

[Dave's Mam]

Adorable! He has such a snooty look on his face, he should be wearing a top hat and monocle 😂

Haha! Yes, he does look rather snooty!

 

[Ambers Echo]

Max stands on one leg like a flamingo whenever he is eating.
Amber licks her bucket clean. Then licks the edges. Then the rim. Then the floor near the bucket..... I think she is trying to tell me she'd like bigger rations.

 

[Mule]

My coloured cob smokes. In his younger days, before retirement, he'd follow people around or sneak up to them at show grounds & very obviously snort/inhale their smoke. Such a ned.

That's hilarious

 

[tankgirl1]

I was thinking about this earlier. In winter I put apple slices in the stable water buckets, and my shettie has developed a little routine. He eats his bucket then goes to the water and flips all the slices out with his nose then eats them. His poor face is a picture when I run out of apples

He also prefers to eat his bed (straw) rather than his hay, and often eats a perfectly circlular little patch of his bed away in the same place every night

 

[tankgirl1]

He's also a greedy little thing, and will take anything out your hand in the hope its edible. However he hates parsnips, so I amuse myself by offering him sliced parsnip and then laugh at him when he spits it out - it never stops him from taking it though lol

 

[huskydamage]

Mine holds one leg up whilst eating shortfeed. First time she did it I thought there was something wrong with her foot, now I know she's just a weirdo

 

[Steerpike]

One of mine loves to hug the wheelbarrow with her front leg, she always puts her leg over the handle, never tips it over or she likes to back up to things and gently rubs her hind leg on them before resting it there, like the ramp if we are at a ride or the farriers tool box

 

[hollyandivy123]

Mine audibly sucks his bit when hacking alone - only does it when alone so I am assuming it's a "comfort blanket" thing for him. Combined with my creaky saddle, we are quite tuneful...

I had one which would hum if we out and about, always took it they were having a good time

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Mine holds one leg up whilst eating shortfeed. First time she did it I thought there was something wrong with her foot, now I know she's just a weirdo

There's two on our yard that do this same pose!

 

[Steerpike]

Oh and another of mine makes squeaking noises every time her rolls

 

[Kezzabell2]

I can only catch my shetland in one place, and I have to scratch his bum before I can get hold of his head collar! if I try and catch him from another spot he will literally run circles around me.

My big horse always has to have a drink when we've finished riding, even if its only a 20 min walk, but he absolutely won't drink when we get back to the trailer if we've been out, which is the time you'd think he would be thirsty! at his old yard, he would always want a drink when he came in from his field, he would look over his stable door and paw it with his front foot until I brought him a drink

 

[dorsetladette]

my old stallion wouldn't pee in front of you. so if you turned up at the yard and he was mid pee he would stop while you walked past his stable with a panicked expression on his face and then continue when you'd gone by. He also would poo in one spot in his field but only for a day and then move on to the next, so 3 days of poo equalled 3 piles of poo.

We now have 2 welsh cobs who both chew there rubber feed buckets after they finish eating. both a pair of weirdo's!!!