Who rolls first?

My gelding obsessed with rolling in the exact spot that my chestnut mare (top horse) has rolled. If he sees her roll, even if he's just had a roll anyway, he will dash over and get down as soon as she's up. I've often thought that he'll get an accidental kick one day as he really stands far too close while she finishes rolling.

Could be just him rather than a herd thing though. He has his funny ways. ;)
 
I like the itchy theory! :D

Frankly, I think that if people think in terms of hierarchy they will be able to see evidence for it wherever they look. A decade or so ago, when notions of hierarchy and dominance were more popular amongst horse owners than they appear to be now, almost any behaviour could and was taken to be 'a sign of dominance'! Yawning, raising head above yours, licking, leading, driving, turning back on... the list was extensive.
 
On some days we have synchronised rolling . I’m always a bit ? as three horses start rolling in close proximity, and 12 legs are flying everywhere. So far they haven’t clashed ?
 
Just curious - has anyone seen a horse attack another which is down and rolling?? They are obviously vulnerable in that situation but I have never seen it happen.
 
Nope not even when I first introduced my daughters pony to my horse. The pony went straight in and rolled (she'd been in for some time) and the big mare just watched til she got up then went over.
 
Suby2 said:
Just curious - has anyone seen a horse attack another which is down and rolling?? They are obviously vulnerable in that situation but I have never seen it happen.
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Yes, but only an extremely dominant mare going for a youngster or small pony, and meaning it!
Once I discovered this was a regular thing, she got turned out separately for 10 mins or so, till everyone else was out, had rolled and was pottering off to graze. She was always a bit of a bully but this took the biscuit!


OP, mine have no order when out. If they are in for a long while, say overnight, and get turned out, then all stomp off to their favourite rolling spots :)
 
Never noticed any particular order with mine, even when the dominant older mare was still around. I do notice that it's sometimes a chain reaction though, one goes for the roll and the other follows shortly after!
 
If Archie sees a horse roll, he has to roll on the same patch. Sometimes he can barely wait for them to get up before he gets down. How he hasn't been whacked with flailing legs before now, I don't know. Someone suggested it was a dominance thing - putting his scent over the other horses but he's the bottom of the pile (although everybody's friend, he's so nonthreatening they seem to just tolerate him with a patronising benevolence!) so I've bought the other explanation I've come across - he's putting their scent on him to feel part of the gang / protect himself. Three of them get turned out together and he'll always watch them roll then get down and roll twice - once each where each of the others has rolled. If they don't roll within about 45 seconds though he'll just choose the swampiest bit he can and have a really good roll - far better than if the others have rolled there. That's just his hippo blood I'm sure. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
I don't care how dirty they get rolling, but rolling too close to the fence gives me the horrors. I have seen two dreadful accidents with horses rolling too close to a barbed wire fence.

Lovely field photo fburton!
 
Tarragon said:
This looks like clever time elapsed photography taken of 2 horses; 1 grey that doesn't move and one brown that rolls 3 times :)
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I see what you mean, yes it does look like that! :)

The photo was taken ages ago (late 1980s) at the blood bank near Falkirk, when all the horses were turned out over the summer.
 
J&S said:
I don't care how dirty they get rolling, but rolling too close to the fence gives me the horrors. I have seen two dreadful accidents with horses rolling too close to a barbed wire
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Mine got stuck rolling too close to a fence. I'd only just turned her out and had to scramble through the fence to push the stuck leg back through. Post and rail so no barbed wire but we both had bruises. Huge flippin field too.

I turn a 30yo oldie out with his field mates sometimes and they all wait until the old one has had his roll.
 
When my two are turned out usually my oldie rolls first but I have seen the younger horse stop him getting down down so he can roll first. Sometimes they roll together practically on top of each other or while the younger one rolls my oldie canters a circle around him bucking.

We have individual paddocks although mine are out together. I’ve also noticed that when one horse rolls in one paddock it often sets up a chain reaction of rolling in the other paddocks.
 
J&S said:
I don't care how dirty they get rolling, but rolling too close to the fence gives me the horrors. I have seen two dreadful accidents with horses rolling too close to a barbed wire fence.

Lovely field photo fburton!
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Gives me the horrors too, I've moved the fence and always take them well past it when I take them into the field but they still do it!! TBH I hate electric fencing but they open the haylage bales if I don't fence them off.
 
The mare always rolls first as the gelding is more worried about filling his stomach as they have their breakfast while turned out, he often won't roll until he's been out for a few hours.
 
Any of the boys. My mare rarely rolls when there is any risk of getting wet/muddy. She does roll in the summer/mild dry days and lies down every night in her stable, and will roll in the stable when there are clean shavings and she is rugless. She will even have a snooze in the field on warm days, but she is very picky about when she rolls. The boys however - anywhere, any time, any place!!!
 
nikicb said:
Any of the boys. My mare rarely rolls when there is any risk of getting wet/muddy. She does roll in the summer/mild dry days and lies down every night in her stable, and will roll in the stable when there are clean shavings and she is rugless. She will even have a snooze in the field on warm days, but she is very picky about when she rolls. The boys however - anywhere, any time, any place!!!
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Could you please tell me where to buy a mare like yours ? ?
 
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