Anyone Help With A Horse Behavior

Ok so my mare has recently (in the past few months) started pawing for food and or attention. If we are messing with another horse at the time she paws. Everytime we go out there to feed she paws and when its getting close to feeding time she paws at the fence. The other day she got her leg caught in the fence. I thought maybe she has learned her lesson cause she didnt do it for about 2 days. However, it has started up again. Im afraid of her getting her leg caught again and getting hurt. Im not really sure how to stop her from doing this but its something that has to be done soon as her colt is now learning to do the same thing.

Horses are creatures of habit.... do you feed at the same time every day..


My guess is she is anticipating it is meal time, and like many horses when they now it is feed time will react in different ways...some weave, some kick the door, some get agitated...


It may be an idea to change her daily routine around.

Same as Jackbox, but also, are you giving hay out in the field? It sounds like she's hungry to me, hence the pawing in anticipation of a good feed? When my horses were out, although they were keen to come over for their food at the same time every morning and night, there was never any fighting and they sort of ambled over to their buckets? This sounds like a hungry horse to me I'm afraid? If there's plenty of grass of course you don't need the hay, but I think I remember reading it was a field with LONG grass in and horses don't like long grass they much prefer short! HOpe that helps?

I was doing some reading and it said that some horses develop this behavior because they are anticipating be fed. Kinda like your dog begging. It said that if you feed a horse while they are in this state that it becomes a learned behavior and they will continue it as it is rewarded with food. They say to ignore your horse when they are doing this and to wait till they are quiet to feed. Anyone heard of this?? I read it on 3 sites just now.

Yes she gets hay and plenty enough for three horses IMO LOL We load her with it twice a day as she doesnt have grass right now being that she is in the round pen till these other horses leave the pasture. The pasture has tons of grass and its all short

My horse used to do it a LOT in other circumstances, i.e. when highly excited if I was on a x-country or something at the start, or if I was leading him around at a show (again excitement) and on the rare occasions that I was late for his breakfast when he was stabled, but never, ever when turned out in the field from what I can remember? HOrses are grazers, they graze 23 out of 24 hours, hence when they're out at grass, their mealtimes are not as exciting as when they're stabled 24/7, so again, I say to you, if they are turned out on bare land with no grass to graze on, then to my mind they're very hungry. Maybe they don't like your hay? Is it winter time over your way at the moment? A big horse like mine was 16h2" ID/tb would eat a bale of hay every single day during the winter - half morning half at night?

O no its no where near winter here. All of the horses that I have ever been around have always gotten worked up over feeding time. She isnt stalled but in a large pen right now, but she did this even when she was turned out in the pasture with grass back at the old place she was at.

Ok. So do you only go up to see her at feeding times? If so, then try going up at another time of day and see if she does it on your arrival, or when you're there grooming her or something? If she doesn't do it THEN, you're right, it's only the fact that she's anticipating her food, but if she does it ANY time you visit her, then I really think she's hungry coz she wants food, no matter what time of day it is you're up there. That's my take on it anyway. I've seen hungry horses, and I've seen horses that can take it or leave it or just eat their food quite nonchalently coz they're well fed and that's why I'm erring on the side here of her being hungry. If she starts turning nasty with it, i.e. lungeing out to bite you or kick you, then you'll definitely know, coz if she IS hungry, that'll be the next thing she'll start. Hope some of this helps?

Try the going up a few times every day at different times other than feeding times and just see what happens, and you can take it from there

No she doesnt do it if we go out there and its not feeding time, unless we start messing with another horse, its like shes getting jealous.

Horses don't get jealous, they don't care who owns them as long as they feed them! I don't think jealousy is in their make up, but someone might correct me on this. Unlike dogs!!!

LOL! Well what ever it is she does it when we mess with another horse and she is left behind. But only if the horse comes from her pasture.