TheHorse.com logo
Sign In or Create a Login
for access to 15,300+ articles
News and veterinarian-approved articles on
equine health care from The Horse magazine.



Go to Article #:
 
Adoptable Horse
Sponsored By Exclusively Equine


Get a DVM

Behavior
Tongue Troubles September/2009
Q: I have an unusual problem. I have raised several foals in the past, some from birth, some from weanling/yearling age. I have a 2 1/2-year-old half Friesian mare that I have had from birth. I purchased her dam already bred and owned and rode her for a year.
Compulsive Urinating on Hay September/2009
Q: My 10-year old Paso Fino gelding has a very strange habit. He consistently and sometimes frantically urinates on his hay. I have placed his hay deep in the corner of his stall, and he will squeeze his body into the corner to urinate on his hay. If the hay is placed in a hay net he will circle around and around his stall, releasing short bursts of urine, kicking the walls as he is circling around his stall.
Nip Nipping in the Bud August/2009
Q: I work with Ride To Walk, a therapeutic riding program serving neurologically disabled children. I am contacting you to see if you would be interested in finding some way to help us with solving problems for our therapy horses. We are having a problem with a few of our therapy horses being very mouthy.
Earning Back Trust August/2009
Q: I have a 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Simon, that I have owned for five years. I need some real advice because I am very concerned about him. Up until recently I have never had any behavioral issues with him. I have always worked very hard on making sure his manners on the ground and when riding were impeccable.
Self Mutilation or Pain? June/2009
Q: I have a horse that I believe is displaying a form of self-mutilating behavior, and I’m wondering if you have any insight that can help us to manage this. A veterinarian estimated that our gelding Pal was 10 years old when we purchased him about a year ago.
Trailer Loading Styles June/2009
Q: I work as an equine veterinary technician at a reproduction clinic. Most days we have 10 or more horses trailer in for procedures. We seem to be spending far too much time loading or helping owners load their horses. Some days it seems our staff spends more hours in the parking lot than in the clinic.
Feet Feud May/2009
Q: My horse Lucky has started a behavior problem when we handle his feet. He's always been awesome about lifting his feet, but now he's getting crabby about it. It started when he went lame on one front leg because of a foot abscess.
New Herdmates May/2009
Q: My horse recently moved to a new barn for the winter, and ever since moving there he has been a different horse. Since moving to the new barn he has developed an extreme attachment to the other horses and has a completely different personality. He has become pushy and difficult to work with, whereas before he had great ground manners and an excellent work ethic.
To Breed, or Not to Breed? April/2009
Q: The question I have is not about any one horse, but rather a general topic that I am asked about from time to time. It concerns what is best for young stallions in terms of introduction and exposure to breeding while they are in training or work. I have had several clients here in Texas ask similar questions over the years about when to introduce young performance stallions to breeding and what effect collecting semen from these young stallions may or may not have on their performance (mostly cutting horses).
Herd Instincts Revisited March/2009
(Editor's Note: Dr. McDonnell answered a reader's questions on thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=9219">her horse biting another in the throat in the March 2007 issue. The reader and McDonnell follow up on this interesting story.
Unbalanced Behavior December/2008
Q: I've worked with numerous young horses, but I have never encountered an issue quite like the one I'm experiencing with my 5-year-old Andalusian gelding. I'm hoping you can give me some pointers for intervening during his "temper tantrums" without escalating the situation.
Anabolic Steroids or Confidence? November/2008
Q: In reading the article by Dr. McDonnell about the thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=10697">effects of anabolic steroids on geldings and their behavior, I wondered how long the effects last after the steroids are given to the horse. I have a 3-year-old off-the-track Thoroughbred at home recovering from illness, and he is not the same sweet gelding I sent out for training.
Can Horses 'Herd' Across a Fence? November/2008
Q: I know horses like to "herd" with one another, but how close do horses have to be to feel comfortable? Is having another horse across the fence suitable, or do they need to be in the same pasture?                 Kris, via e-mail A: Contact across a fence with reasonable proximity that allows visual and auditory communication appears to afford horses many of the benefits of herd social contact. One conspicuous sign that horses enjoy some of the benefits of company in neighboring enclosures is seen when horses stand as near as possible on opposite sides of the fence when resting or loafing.
Young Guns October/2008
Q: I would like to know at what age a colt could breed a mare. I have a 10-month-old colt that has been in with mares until recently, and I was told he could have bred my mares. A: There are many examples of colts as young as yours siring offspring, so there is good reason to believe he might have established some pregnancies.
Mare Instinct After Loss September/2008
Q: After several years of pasture breeding, we are having our first experience with a stillbirth. The dam is a 5-year-old mare with her first pregnancy. The foal was right on time, as we estimated it from the last observed breeding after which we removed the stallion.
Behavior: Strong Reaction to Strangers August/2008
Q: I have a 5-year-old headstrong mare with whom I have a good, solid bond. She works well on the ground and is a dream under saddle for me. She does not like strangers coming into the barn, and she counts my boarder's farrier and also our veterinarian as interlopers who mess up the daily schedule. Unless I stand by her door and keep her company, she weaves rapidly and frequently will kick the wall to assert her displeasure.
Behavior: Discipline for Kicking and Striking August/2008
Q: We have a disagreement in our barn: How do you best handle immediate discipline for a horse that strikes out with both front feet or cow-kicks and knows better (not a young horse)? Those people in our barn who have Western discipline upbringing say it's okay to kick the horse in the ribs (much like you would thump on one if you were riding and the horse wouldn't respond to leg aids), and the English group says no kicking from the ground, but kicking while riding is okay. I'm not talking inhumane beating, but immediate discipline.
Stubborn or Fearful? June/2008
Q: Recently, I was working with a group of veterinary students and a patient. It was a colt that had experienced minimal handling or training for leading before arriving at the hospital. On the way to his stall, he needed to be weighed.
Natural Stallion Behavior May/2008
Q: I own a Lusitano stallion that has been stabled at the same barn for four years. Within the past four to six months, he has shown increasingly aggressive displays toward two stallions that walk in front of his stall. He kicks and bashes his face full-force into the bars.
Training a One-Eyed Horse April/2008
Q: I am a barn manager at a Dutch Warmblood farm. I have a filly that turned 2 in March. She has been in the field for a year (the owner is out of the country and can't return). She was born with one eye, and I need to train her.
Potty Problems April/2008
Q: I have a serious problem with my 3-year-old Warmblood filly I recently purchased. I had her extensively vetted, and she vetted clean. However, after she arrived, I learned that her previous owner had conditioned her to not urinate in her stall. They did not put shavings on top of the stall mats, which, of course, made her inclined to not urinate as it would splatter her legs and feet.
Raising a Stud Colt March/2008
I have bred my first colt this year and thus far have followed handling practices we have used on our previous two filly foals with great success. We have a beautiful Welsh Section C colt who is unafraid of most things, is very people friendly, will pick up all his feet for you, doesn't bite, and enjoys a walk on a headcollar. No issues, no problems.
Pawing Problem February/2008
Q: Is there a humane method for breaking my 4-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter mare from pawing? She has taken this to a dangerous level by getting her leg stuck in the fence, hurting herself enough to the point of requiring surgery on a forelimb flexor tendon and an ensuing four-month recovery. During her hospitalization, all of the vets and techs commented on her incessant pawing: while eating, when bored, while being groomed, while being stroked, when alone, basically just at any given time.
Calming Mother Nature January/2008
Q: I have a 7-year-old Quarter Horse mare that is quite "the mare." When she is around the geldings (even if they are in different pastures) and in season, she will put her butt up to the fence and wink (the vulvar lips), etc. She gets the geldings completely in a dither.
Crossing Bridges January/2008
Q: My horse Dakota is not wanting to cross a wood bridge. I walked him across plywood for about three days and had no trouble. Then I rode back to the bridge, and he wouldn't have anything to do with it. Dakota goes crazy, starts sweating, jumps up and down, and starts backing up.
Bad-Asses January/2008
Q: Some friends and I were discussing the heightened "territorial" aspects of long-ears (mules and donkeys) vs. horses. While I've had horses that were bred and raised out West that were more protective against "predators" such as dogs and coyotes, it seems more ingrained and harder to train out of mules and donkeys. Do you have any insights on this phenomenon? Kim, via e-mail A: It is true that members of the ass family are territorial and are much more likely to attack intruders.
Best Breeding Approach December/2007
Q: For a horse reproduction project in my equine seminar course, I was trying to find video clips of horses breeding. Well, there were many on YouTube, and it took awhile to find the decent ones. But once I found some that were seriously educational, it was very interesting to see how many different ways people hold the stallion when taking him to breed a mare or a breeding mount.
Anabolic Steroid Effects November/2007
A colleague, Larry Soma, VMD, is an anesthesiologist/pharmacologist who conducts research for the Thoroughbred and Standardbred horse racing commissions in Pennsylvania. Basically, his lab develops and validates testing methods for detection of illegal drugs in horses.
Oral Attacks October/2007
Q: We have an Arabian who, for some reason, has taken to chewing on the horse trailer when we are at a show. He has never done this before. He started gnawing on the fender. We tied him away from the fender, and he started chewing the paint off the side.
Defecation Behavior October/2007
Q: Why do some horses at our barn poop in the same place every time, then some others seem to go anywhere? A: We certainly don't know the full answer, but I can tell you what we do know. Male horses, especially if not gelded, tend to defecate in particular areas, which in their stall tends to be in the same one or two spots.
Smart Mare, Smarter Vet September/2007
I am doing some positive reinforcement-based behavior modification for needle shyness in a draft broodmare. This mare is just too big and strong for the old-fashioned restraint methods of working around the problem. She has quite a repertoire of increasingly dangerous ways to avoid and react, so it is no longer safe to use the tactic of sneaking up on her.
Unsettled Slumber August/2007
I believe my horse is having sleeping problems. I haven't seen him lie down. I have seen him roll about once a day, then get right back up, but no resting or sleeping like the other horses. When he goes to lie down the front feet go down fine.
Positive Reinforcement July/2007
Can you explain the concept of positive reinforcement training? What exactly does it mean? I was recently in New Zealand, where I was with a group that seems "converted" to what they call "all-positive training." It sounds like good old-fashioned treats and bribes, just what I was taught not to do with horses.
In Living Color June/2007
I volunteer with a group helping kids with simple science concepts, and I was wondering if it has been sorted out whether horses can see in color? This question comes up over and over. Back in Pony Club, we were taught the traditional view that horses see in black and white.
A Late Start May/2007
I have a 5-month-old colt that was never halter broken. According to the breeder, it appeared that at one point a halter had been put on him, and the experience was traumatic for him. Since he came home with me, I have been spending time with him at feeding time by feeding him his grain in a bucket and touching him.
Let Nature Work it Out (Shy Stud Colt) April/2007
I desperately need some advice about my new colt. He is a 2½-year-old Gypsy Cob named Geordie. He was raised in a herd, then separated as a yearling colt, and ran with a colt herd until I imported him to Australia. He is naturally gentle and not aggressive.
Herd Instincts: Sparring March/2007
My horse was seen biting another horse in the throat. They were up on their hind legs supposedly playing when all of a sudden my horse made a very unusual move, according to the witness, and bit the other horse in the throat. The other horse ran and hid.
Keeping Stallions Focused February/2007
I'm a veterinary student from the United Kingdom and have been riding with a stud farm veterinarian in America going from place to place. I am trying to figure out the art of handling stallions for breeding. Can you please enlighten me on the intended purpose of the various stud shank configurations--not just the various styles, but the significance of the different ways to put the chain part of the shank over the nose, around the nose, or through the mouth? Also, what is a breeding bridle?          Jan My hands-on experience is fairly limited to the methods that we have used and taught for decades, and occasional attempts to try alternate configurations.
Orphans and Families January/2007
I wanted to share with you a horse behavior experience that I had after I lost my best broodmare. "Janet" died overnight on May 30, 2006, at age 22. She looked remarkably great for her age, so we were breeding her back to our stallion. She was living at the farm where the stallion stands.
Stallion-like Behaviors December/2006
I castrated my gelding at 17 months (November 2005). A veterinarian with 35 years of experience showed me the epididymides. My mare had her first heat cycle in March (2006). He mounted and bred her as if he was a stallion.
Gelding Herding Mares November/2006
Is it possible to change a horse's aggressive behavior? Specifically, I am wondering if there is any information relating to reinforcement contingencies and transfer of learning from a "human-handled" situation to a free-running setting? The 15-year-old gelding in question (Sass) recently chased some other horses when he was turned out with them, and their owner is worried about allowing him to be pastured with them. We acquired him about a year ago as a trail horse from a friend who had him for a couple of years.
Rearing and Flipping October/2006
We have a Quarter Horse mare whose mother was a bad flipper in the starting gate. She has two half-brothers that were also bad in the gate. All of these offspring were trained by different individuals. This spring, she had a filly that tried to flip over backward at 20 minutes of age when we tried to dip her navel.
No Vertical Vision? August/2006
I follow Pat Parelli's training methodology. While doing the exercise of desensitizing my horse to a ball, I quickly realized that her focus never followed the ball over her head. If I rolled it at her feet, or played with the ball anywhere below her eye-level, she followed it.
Trashing the Place August/2006
I think that somebody already asked about horses or maybe ponies that defecate in their water buckets. Why do some defecate onto the walls of the stall, pasting manure onto their tails, hindquarters, and all over walls? It makes a big mess that I have to clean up every day.    via e-mail I'm not sure that all the reasons why some horses do this are known, but most likely the majority that do it have some physical, as opposed to behavioral cause.
Daily Hoof Washing? August/2006
I have heard horses should get their feet washed every day, and that this is called the natural moisturizing cycle for hooves. In the horses you have observed in the wild, do they wet their feet every day? If so, please explain how they do it?   via e-mail Horses and ponies that I have observed living in natural environments do have wet feet a good deal of the time. Depending upon the climate, the weather, the time of the year, and the bodies of water around, their feet get wet in a wide variety of ways.
Savage Stallions July/2006
Q: I have worked with many different breeding stallions, including Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods back east, then mostly Arabians and Quarter Horses in Texas. We now have a halter stallion that does something I've never seen before.
Horse Learning June/2006
In a web site advice column written by a veterinarian, he claimed that if a blacksmith trims or shoes a horse incorrectly so that the horse becomes lame within a couple of weeks of work, the horse will make the connection that the blacksmith was the cause of the lameness and will hate the blacksmith and refuse to pick up its feet for the blacksmith from then on. I can believe that horses might remember if the blacksmith hurt the horse at the time of the trimming, and it will associate that blacksmith, or maybe even foot work in general, with pain.
Superstition May/2006
I have a BS in animal science and am now taking graduate courses in animal behavior while working to save up for vet school. A topic we are discussing in class is comparative cognition in a psychology and neurobiology program. This has to do with what is known about the nervous system, perception, and learning across species.
Sexual Misbehavior Vaccine? April/2006
I am looking into ways to settle down a colt that is showing full-blown sexual interest already at a 1 1/2 years of age. He's just too much for us to handle, but we are not ready to geld him. If you try to correct him when he's all excited, he rears and turns toward you and almost mounts you.
Cribbing Weanling March/2006
I have a client with a foal that was weaned a few days ago, and it has started cribbing. Within only a few hours after it was separated from the mare, it was seen doing something funny that the owners now appreciate was cribbing. Once they realized what it was doing (on day two or three), they immediately turned it out and have not seen it crib outside.
Pony Girthing/Mounting Issues February/2006
My 11-year-old daughter is having trouble with her pony nipping at her when she is girthing him, and when she goes to mount without an assistant. He also smacks his tail and pins his ears, almost looking like he might cow-kick at her sometimes. If she has an assistant, he knows he has to behave, so even though he doesn't like it, he knows he can't do much.
Semen Collecting from a Blind Stallion February/2006
We have a Standardbred stallion that had a minor neurologic episode a few months ago that was never really figured out. He has recovered slowly back to normal, except that he has gone completely blind. He does well at pasture and you would hardly know he's blind.
Licking/Chewing=Learning? December/2005
I'm studying for an MSc in Equine Science and am researching equine behavior. Having studied scientific literature, including your catalog of horse behavior (The Equid Ethogram, A Practical Field Guide to Horse Behavior), I cannot find any reports or descriptions of "licking and chewing" while head lowered in feral or domestic herds. My queries are as follows: 1.
Keeping Horses in Harems November/2005
I am a veterinarian in Atlanta with a special interest in behavior. I also own and raise Arabian horses. I have a 2 1/2-year-old stallion, and I would like to keep him in a harem situation. He is now pastured with another gelding and is quite socialized to other horses.
Kicking Problems November/2005
My horse constantly kicks his stall, and in the pasture he's very rough with other horses, biting and kicking them. How can I stop this behavior?          Jess; Boulder, Colo. There are many possible causes of the behavior you describe.
Deliberate Abuse? October/2005
I hope you remember me from psychology graduate school back in the early '80s. Time flies. Anyway, I still have horses and enjoy your contributions on behavior to The Horse magazine and web site. Sometimes I wish I had gone into horse or dog behavior, but I am enjoying work as a clinical psychologist and enjoying horses for a diversion.
Transportation Trio: Kicking and Pawing September/2005
My 4-year-old kicks the lorry (van or truck) and paws its floor, both with company and when alone. He doesn't seem scared and loads easily. He is turned out on a regular basis as well. We need to understand what is going on with him, and most importantly, stop him from doing this!           via email Kicking and pawing are fairly common traveling problems, and there can be a couple of different possible causes.
Transportation Trio: Runny Nose and Cough September/2005
Every time we trailer our horse, he arrives with a cough and runny nose. Our vet has suggested that he is sensitive to the dust from bedding in the trailer or bits of hay from the hay net bouncing around in front of his nose. It has been suggested that we should stop using a hay net and bedding in the trailer for him.
Transportation Trio: Loading Trick September/2005
I found an amateur video clip in our tack room and nobody knows where it came from. It shows an amazing demonstration of loading two horses on a trailer. The horses, without a lead or halter, went right into the trailer, one after the other, when the demonstrator gave a hand signal.
Eating Poop August/2005
Our first foal is 10 days old and has already been spotted eating manure. We have accepted the fact that eating manure is normal foal behavior and are trying to ignore it. A quick question: When should he get over this behavior? via e-mail Coprophagy, as it is called, is most commonly seen in foals from a week or two of age to a month or two of age.
Barn Aversion August/2005
 Our elderly Connemara gelding was unfortunately exposed in his stable to multiple bee stings on more than one occasion over a period of two weeks before the problem was figured out and fixed. He used to be very calm and content in the stable, but since the bee stings, he is a neurotic mess.
A Stallion as a Problem Breeder July/2005
We purchased a stallion for breeding at nine years of age. He had bred before, but curiously had very few offspring for his impeccable credentials. He was a lovely stallion, very well-behaved, and a perfect gentleman to work around. When we bought him we were advised that he was an over-enthusiastic breeder and that we should breed him by natural cover at pasture at the beginning of the breeding season.
Finding a Stallion Handler June/2005
We have expanded our semen collection/shipping facility, so we can now keep up to eight stallions in residence and accommodate local stallions trailering in just for semen collection as needed through the season. In the past we have depended upon stallion owners to handle their own stallions for collection.
Is My Horse Psychotic? May/2005
I bought my gelding as a stallion from a local sulky racetrack a year ago (where he never got out of his stall except for training). He had just turned three and was very excitable, so we had him gelded. After several months, he seemed to calm down.
Foals of Non-Milking Mares April/2005
I have a gorgeous palomino Quarter Horse mare that I would like to breed, but I have a problem. She ran into barbed wire as a yearling and she cannot produce milk as a result of that accident. The man who owned her before bred her twice, and he bottle-fed the babies and they did fine.
Stallion Washing Aversion March/2005
My husband and I run a business of shipping semen from a few stallions that we board. We have some started ourselves, and some have started elsewhere. Most of them do really well with our simple collection routine.
Horse Behavior and Women's Reproductive Cycles February/2005
Do horses (stallions) respond to women's reproductive cycles? I work with a group of stallions, and some days they seem more interested in me. They come right up to me and seem to sniff at me. Could it be in response to my period or to ovulation?                Robin This is a very common question.
Determining Delivery Time February/2005
I have two horses I have purchased not knowing they were pregnant. How will I know that they are close to delivery? Will they lose their appetite like my dogs do, or will there be other signs I should look for in the last month of pregnancy?                    via e-mail There are several ways to help you tell where your mares are in their pregnancies and when parturition is imminent. First, your mares can have an ultrasound examination by a veterinarian to help determine the size/age of the fetus.
Breeding Your Stallion On Cue January/2005
Our stallion has a great pedigree, and we have kept him intact hoping he could eventually become a breeding stallion. We’ve put a lot of effort into getting him to show well enough to be worth breeding. He has always done really well except for periodic distractions by mares that cause him to lose it at just the wrong moment.
Men vs. Women Handlers January/2005
Your answer to the question about the fellow with the peculiar method of "dominating stallions" (December 2003, thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=4749">www.TheHorse.
Sleeping Patterns December/2004
I think my 11-year-old mare isn't getting enough sleep. My mother and I have seen her start to fall asleep in her paddock and in her stall during the day. Her eyes begin to close, her lower lip hangs loose, and her head slowly lowers.
Using the Twitch Properly November/2004
I attended a short course on horse behavior at New Bolton Center where you explained how a twitch works and your recommendations for how to use it most effectively. It seemed to make so much sense why sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and especially why horses can get to hate the twitch.
Breaking A Young Horse October/2004
My husband and I recently broke my 3-year-old mare to ride. The first few times she rode like a dream, then she caught on to the idea that when we catch her, she has to work, and she has gotten a bad attitude. Her new antics include bucking.
Spooking on Trail October/2004
I have a 17-year-old Arabian mare. When trail riding, she looks for every opportunity to jump, spook, or take off, especially now that my other horse, her companion, no longer accompanies her. The companion is 30 years old, and due to a recent bout with EPM can no longer be ridden.
Water Crossing October/2004
How can I get my horse to cross through water when I'm riding him on trail? He refuses to even get his feet wet.           via e-mail For horses that are afraid of crossing water, the most effective approach I know is to pasture them with a stream. The stream will change over the course of a year and get them used to crossing various depths and currents.
Taming an Aggressive Foal September/2004
We recently were blessed with a healthy filly. However, the breeder we bought the mare from had her due date wrong. She came five weeks before we were expecting her. She was born in the pasture with another mare present.
Bonding With a Trail Buddy August/2004
I took my best trail and traveling horse, a 7-year-old Tennessee Walking horse gelding (gelded at age five), on a trail ride recently. He has been on other trips of similar distance and length of stay and has always been great in groups, even very large ones. He is very tolerant of other horses around him.
What's In a Yawn? August/2004
My pony yawns (sometimes several times in a row) after I stop to give him a treat or when he comes out for a walk. I have heard this means a horse is stressed, but it always seems to happen along with pleasant things that he likes. What's the truth about yawning?            Heather
Sleep-Crashing July/2004
In any of the equine behavior literature that I have read, I am unable to find any description of the sleeping behavior we see in our retired broodmare (17 years old). She has functioned as the watch horse in the small herd she was from, and she now is retired at our two-horse farm and continues to maintain that role.
Why is She So Grumpy? June/2004
Why does my 2-year-old pin her ears all the time (i.e., if you touch her, mount her, walk in her stall), but she doesn't kick or bite and seems to like attention?                  via e-mail thehorse.
Blind and Restless June/2004
My 19-year-old horse is 95% blind, and when he's not eating or sleeping he walks in circles. What can I do to stop or minimize this behavior? via e-mail You certainly would want to have this horse evaluated by a veterinarian to be sure he can walk in a straight line, and to get an opinion on why he is blind and on what his quality of life might be from here on. Your veterinarian might even want to refer you to a neurology specialist.
Get a Vet! June/2004
When I ride my 24-year-old Arabian mare Western, she tends to want to pick up the pace and wants to look around. How can I get her to slow down and stay focused? She gets stiff and starts to limp on her left hind leg when I am riding her. Another thing she does is pee constantly when I am riding her, but it isn't pee that comes out, it's blood.
Don't Leave Me Alone! June/2004
Why do some horses not like having their buddies taken out of their pen when they have to stay in?    Katy The ancestors of our domestic horses were open plains grazing animals, for whom the strategy for survival from predation is "safety in numbers," and "never be caught alone." Just as our horses have inherited their beautiful bodies and ability to take off at speed that supported survival on the plains, so have they inherited their social behavioral tendencies for survival.
Play Invitation May/2004
We have been struggling with a very particular behavior problem with a young colt. From birth, he's been a strong and athletic rascal, and has been "full of himself," with the usual colt behavior tendencies. We have dealt successfully with all the nippiness and rearing when leading him and turning him out, etc.
Foals and Geldings April/2004
My 12-year-old daughter's 9-year-old Welsh Pony gelding (named Taffy) was moved to a new stable about eight weeks ago. Six weeks after the move, Taffy was introduced to the mares and allowed to graze and socialize with them. Since four of the 16 mares had two- to four-month-old foals, we were more than a little nervous that the mares would not take well to Taffy.
Sudden-Onset Cribbing and Headshaking April/2004
My pony started tossing his head and cribbing at about the same time. The head tossing has increased to the point of not being able to ride him. He has had his teeth floated and has been checked by a vet for common problems. He has never had any problems before, and has always been a great pony hunter.
Handling a Hostile Broodmare March/2004
My mare just had a colt today and I have a concern about it because she is 13 years old and not broken. She had been broken three times prior to me getting her, and she won't come near anyone. My question is: How will I be able to mess with the colt without the mare coming after me? She is very protective of the colt, and I am very concerned about separating them when the time comes.
Bereavement Leave? March/2004
I have two horses in my stable yard. One is a 20-year-old retired ex-chaser gelding and the other is a 12-year-old Arab gelding. They have been together for seven years, six of which were spent living on a small yard with just the two of them and no other horses visible or visiting. Obviously they are very attached to one another, and as they are both retired from ridden work (the 12-year-old is chronically lame), there is never any need to separate them.
Hauling Training February/2004
I'd like information and recommendations for safe hauling of my weanlings. These are young (five- to six-month-old) babies that have already been weaned and will need to be hauled around, either because they have been sold or because they will start showing. They tie and are halter-broken and healthy, but my question lies in their safety on those first trailer rides until they get used to the sounds, smells, movements, etc.
Sudden-Onset Headshaking February/2004
My pony started tossing his head and cribbing at about the same time. The head tossing has increased to the point of not being able to ride him. He has had his teeth floated and has been checked by a vet for common problems. He has never had any problems before this, and has always been a great pony hunter.
Fear of Cows January/2004
My horse is a 16.3-hand 7-year-old off-track Thoroughbred. His history is largely unknown. My problem is that in the five months I've had him at a boarding stable, he hasn't gotten over his fear of cows and their field, which is about 10 feet away from the indoor arena and the outdoor ring. He'll simply refuse to go past, spin, back up, anything.
Mare Aggression January/2004
I've owned a Paint mare for a year. She has a history of aggressive behavior toward geldings, i.e., will kick out when they're close, but gets along well with other mares. When I am with her in her stall, she becomes very aggressive toward geldings outside by biting the bars and kicking the wall.
Tail Rubbing December/2003
One of our mares rubs her butt on everything, all the time. It messes up the top of her tail, and she always has these big scratch marks across her butt. We can't seem to get her to stop it.
Abusive Training for Stud Colts December/2003
I hope you are not offended by this question, and that you will find time to answer it if you know anything about it or maybe could refer me to someone else who might have heard of this fairly unusual advice. My boyfriend was afraid to write to you about it, so I will.
Picking a Children's Pony November/2003
One of the fondest memories I have as a very young child is hugging and brushing a pony that our neighbors had, and I had always wanted to have one of my own. Our daughter is 3 1/2 years old and we are expecting our second child, a boy, in February.
Tough Catches November/2003
I have an 18-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse that was vaccinated two weeks ago with no apparent reaction. A week later, he has become impossible to catch in the stall. He pins his ears, turns his rear to his owner, and kicks.
Understanding Male Aggression October/2003
I purchased my horse a year ago knowing he had some aggression problems. He is great around people, just not around other horses. Unfortunately, when he attacks, he goes for the throat just behind the jaw line. He refuses to let go at times, causing severe swelling.
How Dangerous Is He? September/2003
I have three horses in a 1 1/2-acre pasture with a stall for each that I use at feeding time and for shade. About six weeks ago we took on one additional horse, which we board for a friend. This horse has some bad behavior that I'm afraid will impact my horses negatively.
Can't He Just Drink Out of It? August/2003
Out of seven horses here, I have five with water bucket issues in stalls, and it's getting on my nerves. Our Morgan pony paws at his water bucket and spills out most of the water, no matter how many buckets we leave or how we try to tie them down. Two geldings, one a Quarter Horse and one an old Thoroughbred, both defecate into their water buckets, no matter where we put the buckets in the stall or how many buckets are put in the stall.
Slow-Starting Stallion July/2003
We just started using a 3-year-old Quarter Horse stallion for breeding. He is sort of interested and will rub his head on the mare a bit, but he drops about half-way, then up, down, up, down. He doesn't seem shy or anxious, just lazy, like a gelding.
Gentling Abused Colts June/2003
I run a rescue ranch in Tucson for abused horses and dogs. I recently got in two young horses about six to eight months old, weighing in at about 500 pounds each. They have been badly branded, and they appear to be beaten up pretty badly.
Follow-Up: Carnivorous Horses May/2003
Last October, we shared letters from three readers describing horses killing and/or eating small mammals and birds (see "Carnivous Horses," article thehorse.com/ViewArticle.
Kicking Out at Feeding Time April/2003
My gelding is stall kicking. I'm not there at feeding time, but my trainer tells me the stall kicking occurs when it's feeding time. The same thing happened the last two places he lived. She has tried feeding him first, but that didn't help.
Trailer Resistance March/2003
I've had my yearling filly all of her life. I trained her from week one to trailer load, and she was fine with getting in and out. However, this was with a four-horse slant load trailer that steps up. Now I need to load her into a two-horse trailer with a ramp and a divider.
Foot Work: Training for Hoof Care February/2003
My only horse finally lived out his days with me last fall. He died peacefully at the great old age of 32 years. He had been with me through thick and thin for 21 years, and was a sweetheart of a horse. He came to me completely broke and was always easy.
Clusters of Aggression Problems January/2003
I have an almost 4-year-old Peruvian stallion, born and raised on my farm, living with only his mother and a sister. Because of my inexperience, I treated him as a pet. Since a very young age, he showed a strong will.
Keeping a Stallion With a Foaling Mare, or Mares December/2002
We have a mare and stallion together in a pasture. We borrowed a stallion in August just to breed this mare. They have been together since then, and we just had the mare checked for the first time since they were together and found out that the mare is pregnant. Of course, we can't be sure when the foal is due.
Fly Masks November/2002
When I am bringing fly-masked horses in from the field, I feel insecure, as if it's hard to tell what they are doing. I always feel better when fall comes and the masks come off. I've talked to other people who feel the same way.
Truck Training November/2002
I recently had a difficult time trailering my horse to a show. While loading him, we had backed the trailer up to the barn, which resulted in a situation where he became afraid of the truck/trailer by the barn area. After returning from the show the following day, he had his feet done.
Feeding Time Pawing November/2002
Do you have any suggestions for stopping a horse from pawing while he is eating his grain? This one is the worst I've ever seen. It's not just while he's waiting for me to get to his stall with the grain, it continues while he is eating the grain. I have to hang his bucket or he tips it over straight away.
Carnivorous Horses October/2002
While taking questions from the audience at a one-day behavior program in New Zealand this May, a well-respected horse owner and trainer described behavior she had recently witnessed in a horse involving a scenario I had never heard or thought about. None of the 200 or so horse owners in the audience had either.
Stallion Mounting Behavior September/2002
I'm a veterinarian asking this question on behalf of clients who are standing a stallion at stud. The stallion isn't new to breeding or to this farm; he's in his third or fourth breeding season. He normally breeds eagerly, without hesitation.
Separating Mare and Foal for Work August/2002
A young breeder asked me if she could take a mare from her foal for one hour every day. That young breeder would like to ride the mare; therefore she'll leave the foal in the box. I am not a fan of that.
Determining Personality July/2002
My new horse--my first--is a 12-year-old Thoroughbred. I do not know all of her history, but I understand it has had its rough patches. She was one of a group of underfed broodmares rescued from an abusive owner. Fortunately, she was in two good homes before she came to me.
Controlling Cribbing July/2002
There is a new 3-year-old gelding in my barn. He cribs and wears a collar; the collar seems awfully tight to me. A respected friend says that the other horses might pick up this habit from this horse. Is that true? And how can I work with this cribber so he can get rid of the collar? via e-mail I had given up on answering cribbing questions.
Anti-Social Behavior June/2002
I am looking for some guidance on a horse I'd like to buy. He is an ex-racehorse, about eight years old, with no information on his history--not even a name. The problem is that he kicks at other horses when ridden.
Overly Social Behavior? June/2002
Why does my son's mare seem interested in another mare in a bordering pasture? --via e-mail Without further information, I can offer explanations for a couple of likely scenarios. If the mare is just buddying up with another mare along a common fence line, it could simply be social behavior.
Is He Sore, or Misbehaving? May/2002
Over the last few months, my horse has changed from a steady, reliable, and willing friend to a miserable grouch. He's an 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding that I have owned and used just for pleasure since he was seven years old, and I knew him for a couple of years before I bought him. He used to be the kind of horse that seemed happy to see you whether you were feeding him or getting him out for work.
Breeding Dummy Design April/2002
We have a Quarter Horse stallion that we will be starting in a shipped semen program this year. All of us--the stallion, our veterinarian, and our farm personnel--are new at collecting semen. We are in the planning stages for our breeding room and trying to make decisions on a dummy mount.
Ground vs. Breeding Mount Semen Collection April/2002
We have show pony breeding stallions, and as of last year are doing almost all shipped semen. This year we are seriously thinking about expanding our business to offer semen collection and shipping services for outside stallions, which will involve improving our facilities. We're thinking about whether or not we need and can afford a dummy mount.
Narrow Doorway Aversion March/2002
 My mare has a particular problem with doorways, like stall doorways, small barn doorways, and even to some extent with the round pen gate. Big, wide doors are no problem, but with anything about four feet wide or smaller she will hesitate until you insist, then she scurries through as if she's afraid. It's really frustrating because you almost always need somebody to get behind her with a whip.
Foal Elimination Behavior March/2002
I am doing a poster report for our middle school science fair this year on foals. I am working on the part about what they can do at each hour and each day after they  are born. I read somewhere that it takes a couple of days for a foal to learn how to go to the bathroom.
Reactions to Other Species February/2002
This might be a bit off the wall, but I hope you can help. We have had horses here at our farm off and on over the years. Since all of the kids moved out and took their horses a couple of years ago, our barn has been empty. Just recently we decided to offer stalls and pasture to boarders.
Abnormal Responses to Handling February/2002
I have a 9-month-old Thoroughbred filly we got when she was three months old. The breeder told us that she had been orphaned and was bottle- and bucket-fed. They warned me that she was a bit over-friendly, and that I should stand my ground with her and try to avoid babying her.
How Smart is He? The Thinking Horse December/2001
I am writing a paper in my agricultural ethics class on the treatment of horses, and one of my discussions deals with the equality of horses to humans. My roommate and I were debating if horses have the capability to think through a problem -- something like unlatching a gate.
Foaling Location November/2001
I swear our mare is trying to drive us nuts. She is a 10-year-old Connemara that we have had since she was four. She is due to have a foal--actually, overdue. She has all the signs, and each night for the last week, just about dusk, she looked like she was starting to go into labor.
Stallion Sexual Behavior: When Is He Mature? November/2001
How young is too young to breed a colt? We have a coming 2-year-old who acts like he is ready to breed. We don't have any horses to breed to him, but the question came up for discussion last night among a group of guys. This colt was out there showing his stuff along the fence near the fillies.
More on Panic Attacks October/2001
Readers Respond August's Behavior column (article #914) sparked heated debate about euthanasia for horses with incurable panic attacks. This month we feature two readers' responses and the author's comments. It was a huge relief to have this topic discussed so directly.
Retraining a Rebellious Colt September/2001
We recently had a foal who is now one month old. His mother has always been easy to handle in the cross ties or harness (she is a 20-year-old retired Standardbred), but is not a horse which can be caught easily in the pasture, and she isn't very "people oriented." The problem we are having is with her foal; when asked to do things he doesn't want to do, he attempts to bite us.
Unpredictable Fear August/2001
I have inherited a mare that no one wants because every once in a while she spooks and bolts, big time, without warning. No one has ever been able to figure out for sure what sets her off. But she can go from normal one second to a serious panic the next.
Herd Bound Horses July/2001
I was wondering if you could help me. For a friend, I look after a 15.3-hand mare who is six years old. The horse had a fairly bad start in life as she was first abandoned in a stable, then in a field. She has luxating patellas in both hind legs and gets distressed if left for long periods in a stable as her legs continually lock up.
One-Horse Property? June/2001
I am in the process of relocating from Indiana to Pennsylvania. I planned to move my retired 21-year-old Quarter Horse gelding as soon as I could find a property with enough space to keep him at home. I was shocked to hear my realtor in Pennsylvania say that keeping a single horse is considered inhumane, and that you should have at least two horses.
Happy And Unhappy Horses at Home June/2001
A couple of "horsy" friends and I were trying to figure out why some of the facilities where we have boarded seem to really be upsetting to our horses. Has any research been done regarding the "likes and dislikes" of horses regarding their homes? I have owned my horse for almost 13 years (since he was two).
Mare Savages Foal June/2001
We run a small operation where we foal out about a dozen broodmares each year, mostly Arabians and Quarter Horses. Last spring, one of our maiden mares attacked her foal. It was a filly which was born with no problems.
Physical or Psychological? June/2001
A little over two years ago, we acquired a lovely Irish Draught mare, Colleen, from neighbors who were retiring and selling their place. This mare had been their family pleasure horse for many years. After their kids outgrew her, Colleen became a trusted loaner horse shared and passed among families here in our little valley.
Rushing Out of Trailers June/2001
One of our horses has a problem with unloading from a trailer. He bolts out of the back as soon as we start to open the back gate, often before we can undo the butt bar. He has done this since we got him over a year ago.
Naughty Or Natural? June/2001
I have a little problem with my horse. My uncle is a veterinarian. He knows the behavior happens in other horses, too. He suggested that I tell you about the problem and see if you have ever seen such a rude habit and if you know whether it can be fixed. This is the situation.
Managing Mouthiness April/2001
My gelding Trenton is about 12 years old, and I have owned him for only a month. The first time I met him, he bit my arm very badly. I have stopped this behavior, but he continually mouths me -- my head, my clothes, everything. I wonder if this is behavior that should be curbed, and how? I don't know if this is his attempt to mutually groom me, or if he is attempting to establish dominance.
Water Temperature and Drinking Behavior February/2001
A few years ago I read an article describing research done at New Bolton Center on drinking behavior. It said that the research showed that in winter, horses prefer to drink warm water rather than ice cold water, and as a result veterinarians recommend giving horses warm water during the winter to be sure that they drink enough. So, that winter we hung buckets of water along the fence every morning and evening at feeding time.
Bizarre Behavior January/2001
We have a new problem with our old family pony. Pokey is a Shetland gelding that we have had since our first of five daughters was five years old. We figured he was about 10 years old in 1978 when we got him, so he is now just over 30. Pokey has always been an absolute joy of a character--no care, laid back, 100% trustworthy around kids, and there for us whenever we needed him.
Foal Eats Manure January/2001
One quick question. What about our foals that eat manure? Why do they do it? I find it completely disgusting. My little filly paws and chows down mouthfuls of fresh, warm poop. Terry Alabama Dear Terry, This charming behavior is called coprophagia, from the Latin for "feces eating.
Till Death Do Us Part January/2001
My mare Gabriella has lived in the same pasture for about seven years with an old gelding named Bear. We took Bear specifically as a babysitter for Gabby when she came to us as a weanling. Bear and Gabby hit it off immediately and have been awesome buddies.
Rolling Along January/2001
Dear Dr. McDonnell, Almost every time I let my horses out of the stalls after feeding them, they roll in the dirt, dust, or mud. Why? Mike and Sharon Rolling associated with turnout after feeding is a slight variation on the more usual question of rolling immediately after a good grooming or a bath. Owners often ask why their horse "hates to be clean," or tries to "ruin his coat," and seems to deliberately roll to "spite you for grooming him.
Ground Work January/2001
Dear Dr. McDonnell, I am a 12-year-old girl who recently got a 14-year-old Quarter Horse. She is a doll, but there is just one little problem -- she hasn't been ridden in about four years. We are hiring some-one to come and work with her, but I was just wondering if you know of any good training tips for me to use with her during my spare time.
Teeth Grinding January/2001
What does teeth grinding mean? I think there is a horse in our barn that does it sometimes. Teeth grinding is one of those things that is difficult to describe, but you know it when you hear it. The sound is quite unique, a muffled rhythmic grinding, louder than the loudest gut sounds.
Horse Play January/2001
I have a report to do for science class on animal behavior (middle school, fifth grade). My teacher, Mr. Brennan, said to pick a favorite animal species and a favorite type of behavior. My favorite animals are wild horses, and my favorite behavior is play.
Pasture Feeding Aggression January/2001
My yearling colt came from a place where he was kept with a group of yearlings. All were fed their grain in buckets along a fence line, with the buckets hung on posts. I now have him in with one other yearling, a filly which I got at the same time from the same place.
Biter Gone Bad January/2001
We've been raising a Welsh pony for the kids. At about nine months of age, he started with constant nipping at your arm and the lead shank, kind of playing with you. We read on the Internet that this biting is a "colt thing," and that it should go away with maturity.
Playful Rearing December/2000
We recently received an orphaned colt from a very reputable breeder friend who had neither the time nor facilities to raise the baby. We picked him up when he was five hours old, and he is now three weeks old. Health-wise he is doing fine.
Overcoming Obstacles Your Horse Fears August/2000
I have been enjoying a new horse for a couple of years. He is just great about everything, except crossing railroad tracks. It's so frustrating. He just will not cross. I have tried getting off and leading him across, even bribing him with treats.
Problem Behaviors in Pastures June/2000
I recently purchased a 4-year-old gelding. He is extremely aggressive toward my other gelding in the pasture, and I'm unable to turn them out together. I am able to turn the horse out with my pony mare and pony gelding, but he "herds" them constantly and often will unsheath his penis and sustain an erection around mares.
Calming Influences May/2000
Calming a Mustang Stud Last fall I adopted a wild mustang stud. It is my first horse. Should this guy be fixed? Will it calm his wild and spooky attitude? Can you tell me how you do it? I want to start training him this spring. Will, Alabama Having your mustang stallion fixed is probably a good plan, particularly since he is your first horse.
Paddock Ins And Outs January/2000
Our 12-year-old gelding, Ringo, has become difficult to bring in from the pasture. He sometimes drags us through the barn door. Then he barges through the stall door and straight to his grain tub. There's almost no stopping him.
Battling Mares: Fighting for Dominance January/2000
Q. Within the past three weeks, we have purchased our second miniature horse, a 10-year-old mare in foal. When the mare arrived at our farm, we assumed that she would be a good companion for our 2-year-old miniature mare. We also expected that there would be some adjustments for all of us.
View All




AAEP Media Partner AAEVT Partner WEVA
Seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian before proceeding with any diagnosis, treatment, or therapy.

Facebook | Twitter | RSS | Site Map | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2009 BLOOD-HORSE PUBLICATIONS. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without written permission of BLOOD-HORSE PUBLICATIONS is prohibited. THE HORSE, THE HORSE logo, THEHORSE.COM and THEHORSE.COM logo are trademarks of BLOOD-HORSE PUBLICATIONS.