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pawing - how to stop

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Toni L
Reg. Jun 2010
Posted 2010-12-31 9:22 PM (#128402)
Subject: pawing - how to stop


Member


Posts: 7

Location: IA
I just recently purchases a new young 3 yr old horse. So far I am happy with him, but I have found out that he has a tendency to paw. This is a behavior I want to stop as I sure don't want him to do this when in the trailer or other places. So, what is everyone's secret to stoping this unwanted behavior?
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bbsmfg3
Reg. Dec 2006
Posted 2010-12-31 11:20 PM (#128403 - in reply to #128402)
Subject: RE: pawing - how to stop


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Posts: 376
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Location: Missouri
Teach him to stand still while hobbled, then any time he paws, put the hobbles on.
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ponytammy
Reg. Jan 2005
Posted 2011-01-01 9:52 AM (#128407 - in reply to #128402)
Subject: RE: pawing - how to stop


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Posts: 781
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Location: La Cygne, KS

This is a common habit in a young horse. You didn't mention if he paws at home, in the trailer or at a new place such as a show or trail.

I have found that working the heck out of the horse and then tying him/her up for few hours teaches them patience. The quickly learn that standing tied is a lot better than working and is a time for rest.

Sometimes it can also be a behaviorial issue if the horse is seperated from it's herd mates. I have a mare with this annoying habit, and almost have it nipped. I used the retreat and approach technique with the buddy horse for shorter and then longer duration of time. In new places I can now take the buddy away and place him in a stall/picket line where she can see him. This is a great improvement and she only gets to go back to her stall/picket line after she stands quietly at the trailer. In the beginning I was having to leave her tied 2-3 hours before she would stand quiet. She doesn't paw at home, only away from home. So this is kinda hard to fix in a home envirnoment as she doesn't care if she is tied up in a stall by herself at home or to the trailer with no buddy's in sight. Odd behavior for sure especially since I can ride off alone from the buddy horses on the trail!

Maturity cures most pawing habits, so I wouldn't be too worried about it yet. The horse just needs to learn patience and gain confidence in themselves. Remember not to reward the horse by untying it while it is pawing. Otherwise, you've just reinforced the behavior to get untied.

As the other poster stated about hobbles, this in essence is learning patience to stand tied and is a good skill to have especially if the horse were to ever get caught in wire or vines on the trail.

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Toni L
Reg. Jun 2010
Posted 2011-01-01 10:05 AM (#128408 - in reply to #128402)
Subject: RE: pawing - how to stop - HELP!


Member


Posts: 7

Location: IA
I have only owned this horse for 5 days and have him under a 30 day trial period. So far the one thing he does that I don't care for is the pawing. If I am messing with him, he doesn't do it. If I stop working with him or being right there with him, he starts in. So far I have told him NO firmly and tapped him on the side if he starts to paw and I am right there. When he stops and stands briefly without doing it, he then gets a lot of praise - he is a in your pocket horse who LOVES attention. If I leave him tied in the barn ally and for example go and get brushes, a halter, the saddle or whatever, which is in the barn but not right there next to him, he really starts in on the pawing. But he is alone in the barn when this is going on and then I am not right with him, so he may be lonely or insecure and I can't immediately try and do something to get him to stop. This is my first young horse to work with, so I need some advice from the experts out there PLEASE! I really want to stop this behavior as I don't want him to do it in the trailer as I have a new nice LQ trailer and I sure don't want him to cause damage to it!! Hope you guys here can help me. As far as hobbles, I have never used them, so if this is what I need to do I will need a lot of guidance on how to do that so I sure don't want to do it wrong and hurt him!Thanks in advance!
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Painted Horse
Reg. May 2005
Posted 2011-01-01 10:56 AM (#128409 - in reply to #128402)
Subject: RE: pawing - how to stop



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Location: Northern Utah

Hobbles are not difficult to teach a horse.  All my horses have been hobbled out on the trail. It's just a good thing for a horse to know. I frequently hobble mine at lunch stops and let them graze while we enjoy lunch.

The thing to remember is that you want to stay in control of the horse when you put the hobbles on the first time.  I usually don't leave them tied, but do leave a lead rope in. Hence I can control them if they get excited. Horses learning hobbles will stumble forward. So don't stand in front of them.

For horses just learning, use a wide soft banded  hobble.  I do use some 2" wide nylon web hobbles on horses that are already broke to hobble. But I don't like teach how to hobble with nylon hobbles. A padded cuff or a very soft cotten rope hoble work well for teaching.

Something else you can try, is while he is cross tied, if he starts to paw, just slip a horse shoe around his pastern. If he paws, the shoe bounces around and annoyes his leg. Make sure you remove the shoe before moving him or leading him to another spot.

 

Horses grazing at lunch on hobbles



Edited by Painted Horse 2011-01-01 10:58 AM
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laurie
Reg. Jun 2004
Posted 2011-01-01 11:35 AM (#128410 - in reply to #128402)
Subject: RE: pawing - how to stop


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Posts: 447
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Location: cedar rapids iowa

He is just being impatient. I think the 1st thing you need to do is get a sratch on your LQ so you can get over worrying about something damaging it. Seems like you are placing alot of emphasis on that. My horses do not typically paw but occaisonally they will but my trailer is sturdy and I have had many a new one and getting a hoof mark on it didn't even cross my mind am I am very picky.

The trailer seems to be causing you more anxiety than neccessary. Are you ever going to tie a horse to the side? A hay bag or a tie can make marks.

 

Hey I just saw you are from Iowa. I am in Cedar Rapids



Edited by laurie 2011-01-01 11:36 AM
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Toni L
Reg. Jun 2010
Posted 2011-01-01 11:43 AM (#128411 - in reply to #128402)
Subject: RE: pawing - how to stop


Member


Posts: 7

Location: IA
Laurie - hey I'm right outside of Cedar Rapids - would love to meet up with you sometime if you would be willing!!No, the damage to the trailer isn't my biggest concern - it already has some scratches on it and will get more I know. I just also mentioned I don't want him pawing in the trailer as I have seen some horse that have caused major damage to trailers from pawing.My biggest concern his trying to teach his youngster that pawing is not a behavior he can do, and I don't know how to do that. I don't want him pawing in the alleyway in the barn, in a stall, while tied to a trailer or in the trailer - so I just want to teach him not to do it - period.If you would like to meet for some horse talk, let me know!
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gliderider
Reg. Nov 2009
Posted 2011-01-01 1:53 PM (#128412 - in reply to #128402)
Subject: RE: pawing - how to stop


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Posts: 186
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  I understand where you are coming from, you only have a few short weeks.  I don't think horses know what "time" is, they live in the moment.  Panic attack  5 minutes or 25 minutes it is all the same to them.    IMO the horse is useing pawing as a sort of "flight" instinct when tied alone.  His pawing is bacily his "run away keep myself safe" until you come back and he is not alone a younger horse has a harder time being alone.   Don't go back to the horse until he settles himself.  I agree with above post it's a young horse and odds are he will outgrow it. He is double insecure/scared being in a new place. I have seen lameness issues in cronic pawers.  I was told last summer by a vetrenarian who did alot of hobbleing himself, that he has seen more injuries with wide padded hobbles than skinny non padded type, he used a bright orange heavy slick type neopreen with chains in between with easy on and off hook straps, that I cannot find on line anywhere.  Anyway my horse lounged forward then went backwards for the first couple days when we had to use hobbles. If your going that route get someone expierenced in hobbles to help you don't try it yourself.   I had a stud that pawed and held up his right leg when grained, nothing I let bother me I never paid any attention to it.  His son did the same exact thing so I stopped graining him he is to fat anyway.  There are no perfect horses, a lucky person finds a horse with the type of bad habit they can tolerate.
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trot-on
Reg. Dec 2009
Posted 2011-01-01 2:47 PM (#128413 - in reply to #128402)
Subject: RE: pawing - how to stop


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Posts: 373
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Location: Texas
He wants attention, and pawing gets it. Even if it is scolding. Tie him to a safe, strong place, and leave him. If he paws, that does not get the reward of you coming over to him. Leave him. Don't let him see you, or get any reward.Again, a reward in his mind is your attention, even if it is correction. He will soon find pawing gets him nothing. Only when standing nice and quiet does that get attention.

Hobble breaking is also a wonderful tool, but I'd start with the above first.
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rose
Reg. Feb 2004
Posted 2011-01-01 9:38 PM (#128424 - in reply to #128402)
Subject: RE: pawing - how to stop




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Location: KY
I agree with Trot-On.
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bigfoot
Reg. Dec 2010
Posted 2011-01-01 10:26 PM (#128426 - in reply to #128402)
Subject: RE: pawing - how to stop


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Posts: 79
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Location: Hopkinsville, Ky
To me a horse that paws is a horse that has learned patience/the need to conserve energy. Many long rides in conjunction with hobbles should teach him to stand still.
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