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Veteran
Posts: 225
 
Location: Urbana,MD | I have a horse that is running the fence line.She is out with one other horse .There are no other horses on thie side of the fence that she is running,and there is plenty of grass out there.She started doing this when I had another horse out there with her(when I had 3 horses out there,I now just have the 2),and I thought the other horse was making her do this.Now the other horse is gone and she is still doing it.It is realy annoying and I don't like it.Should I just ignore it ,and will she eventually get over it?Seems I have tried doing that and she doesn't get over it.She has never done this at any other farm .I have owned her for 12 years and she has only done this the last 2 years. |
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Expert
Posts: 2615
 
| what's next door to her? |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Arkansas | How big of an area is she in? Is she walking the fence, or running it? Does she do this sporadically, or constantly? |
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.jpg) Expert
Posts: 2828
Location: Southern New Mexico | My old mare used to do that when ever one of our neighbours had babies. She wanted a baby so bad she would steel them if she got a chance. For the past 2 years she has had a baby (my younger mare foaled and "shared" momma duties after baby figured out who momma was) and she hasn't shown any sign of this behavior. |
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Veteran
Posts: 225
Location: Urbana,MD | It is a 3 acre field.The barn is the only thing on that side.She does it then will go eat then come back and do it more.My other horse would do it with her,and I think they kept each other wound up,but the horse she is with now will not do it with her she eats and minds her own buisness.She mainly runs.She will run until she is dripping sweat.At first I thought maybe the bugs were bothering her and she was running to keep them away,but I am not so sure.She is 17 years old now,and has never done this until the last 2 years.I put fly masks on my horses and spray with fly spray every day.She will not run if out at night and I bring them in before daylight(I go to work very early)but if day light comes she is running dripping in sweat.She is only going over there during the day right now,and when the weather warms up she will go out at night. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544
Location: Claxton, Ga. | Hmm, it sounds like it very well could be insects. You will notice this especially around dusk about an hour or so. Is the barn on that side? If it is she may be wanting to be put up. Safer in the barn thing. Hey, Mine are rotten..... In the summer when horse and deer flies come out at dusk they are having a fit to be put up in the barn. |
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Expert
Posts: 2615
| Where we are,it would'nt matter at night if ours were in a barn,or not.The mosquitoes don't care where they are! It's during the DAY here that the horse flies are bad.They vanish at night.Then out come the buzzers by the hundreds.I always dread summer here for my poor horses. |
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Veteran
Posts: 225
Location: Urbana,MD | I was thinking the bugs also.I do have a fly sheet was thinking of putting it on her.It just seems like it would make her hotter.I think my other horse was nore sensitive to the bugs ,and has taught her this bad habit.I do notice after she runs and is dripping sweat seems to me the bugs are worse!Then she will stand at the water trough and play in it.(something this other horse taught her also)I am going to try the fly sheet and see what happens. |
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Expert
Posts: 1989
Location: South Central OK | If it is bugs, and I'm not saying I believe it is with what has been stated so far, a good way to give a horse relief is by planting pine or cedar trees in the field with them. Bugs hate the phenols released by evergreen type trees and when the horses stand in/under/around them they'll find they are fly and mosquito free. You can place ground poles out along the fence, at a 90 degree angle to make it harder to run the fence since she will now need to navigate obstacles it could curb her nasty habit. I have seen this work with young horses when the behavior first starts. Your biggest problem is that she's been doing this for two years, the longer a habit exists the harder it is to stop it! To install the ground poles all you need to do it run the pole into the fence at about knee level and let the end pointing into the pasture rest on the ground. She might "tick" them with her front legs but HOPEFULLY she'll learn that it's more work than it's worth and quit. |
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Veteran
Posts: 225
Location: Urbana,MD | huntseat those are really good ideas! She has been doing this the past 2 years but not straight.She is in my dirt lot all winter,and doesn't do it there.I will try the poles.I turned them out for the first time in the field she does it in yesterday,and she was running around like a wild woman.Some of that could have been just feeling good after being up in a smaller lot all winter.She is a TB and has lots of energy.I turned them out this a.m ,and she has not paced the fence yet.
I do have a ceder tree in the feild ,and I have seen my younger horse standing with her head under it.Found that interesting.
I do not think it is bug related either,since I do spray them and they get the masks,she has also never done this before and there has always been bugs out there. |
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horse running fence line
