Why do I bother?

[FionaM12]

Mollie was out all summer, then in at night for a month or so. Now all the fields are closed until spring so she's in 24/7. I'd rather she wasn't, but every cloud has a silver lining, and I thought, at least she won't look like a mud monster all the time! I can keep her clean! Woohoo!

Except there is just one small paddock, very rough surface, no good for hay etc, which the YO lets us take turns in putting our horses out in just while we muck out etc.

So, every day I groom Mollie and lovingly brush out her mane and tail and (to me) she looks lovely. A bit later on, I do my "big" muck out, so I pop her in the paddock to mooch about and graze a little while I do so.

And, every day she finds the wettest, muddiest patch in the whole muddy paddock and had a really good roll. When she comes in she looks very pleased with herself, mud caked over every inch and matted in her mane, even smeared all over her face... Clearly this is the look she's going for.

I wonder why I bother?

 

[cassie summers]

our fields are really dry as we are in surrey so havnt had much rain (till last night)but my mare has found some and comes in each night looking like mud monster i am sure she is shire x hippo

 

[FionaM12]

A hippo! Yes! That's latin for horse, isn't it? Mollie was only out for about 15 minutes today and managed not only to do the usual mud job, but fill her tail with briars and a whole branch of thorns.

 

[MrsHutt]

A hippo! Yes! That's latin for horse, isn't it? Mollie was only out for about 15 minutes today and managed not only to do the usual mud job, but fill her tail with briars and a whole branch of thorns.

'hippos' - Greek for horse

We noticed that there was a particular patch of mud in the field that was completely flattened, presumably by someone rolling there. My friend returned her grey to the field and he promptly dashed to that spot and had a good old mud bath. There are tons of other muddy bits; why would you suppose just there is so attractive?!

 

[FionaM12]

'hippos' - Greek for horse

We noticed that there was a particular patch of mud in the field that was completely flattened, presumably by someone rolling there. My friend returned her grey to the field and he promptly dashed to that spot and had a good old mud bath. There are tons of other muddy bits; why would you suppose just there is so attractive?!

Ah, Greek not Latin! My Dad used to call me a hippomaniac which he said meant horse-mad.

Odd they favour that particular patch. I wonder why.

 

[Miss L Toe]

The classical word is equus. The word caballus originally meant "an inferior-quality horse; a nag," but became the general word for horse in the common speech that gave rise to the Romance languages (e.g., Italian cavallo, Spanish caballo, French cheval).

Answser 2:

Classical Latin: equus

Vulgar Latin: caballus

 

[Horsesgalore]

Why do horses roll anyway? Is it to scratch their backs or to cover themselves with mud, disguising their scent from preditors?

They certainly seem to like mud.

 

[Cortez]

Why do horses roll anyway? Is it to scratch their backs or to cover themselves with mud, disguising their scent from preditors?

They certainly seem to like mud.

Why? Some say it's to "clean" the coat, some theories say it's to keep the intestines in the right place (thus why horses want to roll when they colic). They certainly don't like being clean (just try bathing a horses and then turning it out), so perhaps it's just because they can?

 

[stencilface]

I think its just to give them an excuse to have something to buck and fart about afterwards

 

[rockysmum]

LOL I think its a well thought out strategy on their part, they obviously have more brains that we give them credit for.

Its a classic way of avoiding work, it takes so long to clean them up you dont bother riding. Even if you do have time, by the time you have finished you are so grubby and itchy that you dont want to.

In addition it forces us to give them a really really good groom which we might not have bothered with otherwise. Mine stand with their eyes shut and would purr if they could while being brushed.

I spent the last 30 years moaning because my old lad was a mud monster, he would even roll in the stream if he couldn't find it anywhere else. Now I wish he still could, he hardly ever does more than lie down and have a token go at it these days. Poor old man.

 

[FionaM12]

The word caballus originally meant "an inferior-quality horse; a nag," but became the general word for horse in the common speech that gave rise to the Romance languages (e.g., Italian cavallo, Spanish caballo, French cheval).

Classical Latin: equus

Vulgar Latin: caballus

Now that's just showing off!

or to cover themselves with mud, disguising their scent from preditors?

Interesting idea. Zoologists say that predators (inc dogs!) roll in dung for this reason, so who knows?

I think its just to give them an excuse to have something to buck and fart about afterwards

They need an excuse?

 

[FionaM12]

I spent the last 30 years moaning because my old lad was a mud monster, he would even roll in the stream if he couldn't find it anywhere else. Now I wish he still could, he hardly ever does more than lie down and have a token go at it these days. Poor old man.

That's sad.

 

[Cortez]

Why not turn out with a lightweight/no-fill sheet on? If I need to keep a clean horse this is what I do, then all you have to deep clean is the neck and legs. I think rolling is a deep seated need for horses: I once rescued a poor stallion that had not been out of his stable for 6 years (we had to dig him out as he had also not been mucked out during this time and he stood at least 3 feet above ground level with the muck build up). I thought he would run when we turned him out, but all he did was roll and roll for 35 minutes.