Is there anything I can do to discourage pawing? I am enjoying my new Exiss Event 2H slant bumper pull. But I have had 3 instances of severe pawing. 2 of these occurred when I dropped a friend's horse off and had to haul Sinclair home alone. He pawed his foot over the corner feeder bag and was riding on 3 legs when I got home. He hasn't been hurt, but has ruined 2 feeders in 3 months. I am going to switch to a hay bag hung high. The pawing seems to be worse during "separation anxiety," even with horses he doesn't know well. The partition between the horses is solid. My aluminum trailer walls are lined with mats that come up pretty high, so hopefully he won't damage the trailer. I just bought him shipping boots, used them on Sunday for the first time. Got home from a 90 minute haul, and his foreleg was hung up in the feeder again. What a stinker!
Posted 2005-09-20 8:55 PM (#30702 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 378 Location: Nebraska
Pawing is an act of frustration, a simple problem. Let's say everytime the trailer stops the horse starts pawing and then the trailer moves again, the horse thinks " everytime it's stops I'll paw to get it to move". This can lead to stomping or kicking in the trailer' when one of two things happens: The trailer starts moving or he gets unloaded.
Posted 2005-09-20 9:11 PM (#30703 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 500 Location: West TN
We have experienced the same problem. We started putting hay in the trailer with our horses and this helped the problem when we were on short hauls. It seemed to keep them occupied. We have several friends that will hobble their horse while trailering. I am not a fan of this, I feel there are too many risks if they get hung up and cannot balance their weight with the hobbles.
Posted 2005-09-20 9:36 PM (#30705 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Regular
Posts: 94 Location: Minnesota
He is always hauled with hay in the feeder. I have not caught him in the act of pawing. He stands quietly for me to unload him (dropping the window down, readying the leadrope, opening the back doors.)
I hope he will get over it as time goes by. He has been hauled on one long trip without being caught pawing, with a buddy next to him. The trips in my new trailer have been 30 to 90 minutes, about 10 times so far this summer.
Edited to add: He is by nature an impatient horse. He has pawed in the cross ties if he can see me doing something else in the barn, but is doing it less. He is finally standing quietly while mounted (for example while waiting to enter arena for a class at a clinic) instead of fidgeting or tossing his head.
Posted 2005-09-21 7:15 AM (#30719 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Elite Veteran
Posts: 648 Location: Coconut Creek, FL
I used to lease a horse that did the same thing and it drove me crazy. He only pawed when he was alone in the trailer, but he also pawed on crossties, tied to the trailers, etc. I was told to use hobbles when on the crossties, etc to try and break the habit, but his owner refused. I gave up the lease as he was ruining my trailer.
Posted 2005-09-21 7:24 AM (#30721 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Veteran
Posts: 225 Location: Kansas City
I have a nervous horse who did pawed in my 2H straight load. With the 3H slant he paws worse. He does it at lights, stopped, and when generally not being paid attention to. I have received two suggestions that I would appreciate comments on . . .
1) Put an oversided horse shoe around the ankle of the foot that paws. Drill two holes in the heel and tie the shoe on with a small leather strap. The shoe banging on the ankle will hurt and eventually cause him to stop. Does not create tied down situations that hobbles do. 2) Tie in barn, get a dog electric shock collar, turn down to low, and then watch from afar (where he can't see you) and give him a jolt when he paws. You don't want him to associate you with the shock - only the pawing.
Posted 2005-09-21 8:12 AM (#30722 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Regular
Posts: 97
I have a youngster who is very impatient too. She can dig a 3 ft' whole in less than 5 minutes. It doesn't matter where she is at or what horse she is with or by herself. When she wants something or is uncomfortable in any way such as waiting she will let me know by pawing. She is 5 now. I think I finally have an answer to the problem. You may not want to try this in your trailer though. But you can certainly teach a little patents outside of your trailer. I take a dog collar and buckle it just above the knee, get you some chains and hook to the collar and let them hang down far enough that when he is pawing those chains will hit and he won't like that at all. Please understand I have never seen a case as bad as my own mare. It looks cruel but they figure it out all by themselves. Sometimes I will leave her tied in the barn, out on the patients pole, and to the side of the horse trailer. Move your horse around from one spot to another. I have left her tied for as long as 5 hours with those chains. Flicka is finally coming around. She still does it occasionally but not nerely as bad. When I first introduced her to it, she would dance around a little bit but she was not pawing. Now she is doing much better. I will continue to use this method on any horse that paws. Pawing is dangerous, annoying and destructive. I hope this helps.
Posted 2005-09-21 10:35 AM (#30729 - in reply to #30721) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Expert
Posts: 1719 Location: PA
Barry, I don't like the shock method. You have to be around to make it work. I like methods that work when I'm not there, so the lesson is consistent. The enlarged shoe method works much like kick chains. I prefer to use quick releases on anything like that, so I think I'd add a quick release to the leather strap. I also would let the hosre learn about them in the confines of his stall when he is not tied. Let him find out that little movements are fine but exaggerated movements cause pain when the shoe is on. Then move to tying him in his stall and finally hauling with the shoe on. I feel this or hobbles are the best method for this problem.
Posted 2005-09-21 10:37 AM (#30730 - in reply to #30705) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Expert
Posts: 1719 Location: PA
I would try the shoe method. But this horse really has to learn patience in general. I never tolerate a horse pawing in a cross tie or when he doesn't get his way. He needs to have total respect for you.
Posted 2005-09-21 11:45 AM (#30732 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
You can use hay as a "passifier" and or a couple swift whacks with a stout riding crop across his or her front legs will get their attention. I'm not one for beating a horse but you can have a inter-galactic champion of some sort and if he has no respect for you or anyone else then what have you got. We raise and break our own colts and fillies, this is one of the first things that we teach, STAND QUIETLY, whether in the trailer, cross tie, stall and or show ring. I may not have the best show horses in the country but you best believe I got some of the best behaved. The longer you let them paw the harder it will be to break them of it. At a show this past weekend and a horse about four trailers down had dug a hole big enough to turn the trailer over in. I'm thinking "this horse doesn't know any better than to do this" the owner/rider could use a couple swats of the crop! Make them behave and you won't be embarrased to take them anywhere, same goes for some of the kids out there also.
Posted 2005-09-21 11:54 AM (#30733 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Regular
Posts: 97
I like that. I have tried a few times running a lunge whip across Flicka's front legs. Unfortunately I created a spoiled brat. I do carry some of the blame myself. In her case it did not help much. So I resorted to the chains on the legs. She is doing much better now. A lesson well learned on my part. I have to say there were times when I could have killed her I was so mad. Like I said she could dig a huge whole in no time flat. I still tie her in various places on the farm and leave her with the chains for a couple of hours at a time sometimes longer. I will even go to the barn and feed everybody else and make her wait another 30 minutes. There is nothing cruel about it. You are right they have to learn to behave and stand quietly. Bottom line a horse that paw's is ill mannered. Thank You I appreciated your comment.
Posted 2005-09-21 1:50 PM (#30745 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Veteran
Posts: 225 Location: Kansas City
My horse will respond positively to a swift swat, a harsh word. But as Hav3ride stated, you have to be there. Has anyone used a shock collar. I am not into abuse - but turned down, one of these collars should provide jolt just enough to "scare" the horse. The reason someone suggested that you hide around the corner is that the horse quickly associated the buzz with pawing and not with you.
Posted 2005-09-21 7:41 PM (#30760 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Veteran
Posts: 103
just my 2 cents as some people have said this needs to come frome home like one person said like kids.tie a horse for hours i mean hours if they paw hobble tie them for hours more they will get the idea.there are other things to do and shock ant it for me i am 2nd generation bird dog and also horse training.after you have them standing good at home and i mean standing quiet they still paw a little in the trailer you can tap on the brakes to wake them up i have said this before and people went off on it but you do not lay them down just wake them up.It is hard to teach what is been a way of life to you some people have made millions doing this and i know most of them you have to think like a horse or dog if you want them to respond.there are not crazey horses and doges
but some people have made them that way.unless they have had an inbreeding problem or head trauma sorry to tell it like i see it with out the big words anyway good luck
Posted 2005-09-23 9:28 PM (#30903 - in reply to #30722) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Regular
Posts: 94 Location: Minnesota
I will try the oversize shoe method to work on the pawing.
I will start in the cross ties. He won't paw if I stand there with a crop. He's too smart for that.
I haven't caught him pawing in the trailer, but I've felt it while driving when he gets his leg caught up in the corner feed bag. I've been so fed up with him that I've left him standing that way for a while, but he has done it 3 times, so that is not working. I don't think he has connnected the pawing with having to stand 3-legged. I sure don't want it to escalate to kicking.
Posted 2005-09-24 8:56 AM (#30912 - in reply to #30903) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
Expert
Posts: 1719 Location: PA
Start with him in his stall, untied, till he gets to know what the shoe does. Then tie him for a long, long time in his stall. Even put feed in the stall so he can see it but not get it so that he gets a bit aggravated. When he stands quietly for very long periods, move on the to cross ties and such.
Posted 2005-09-28 9:23 AM (#31075 - in reply to #30701) Subject: RE: Advice regarding pawing
New User
Posts: 2
Location: Lexington, KY
Had a horse that kicked in the trailer...not just a little. would kick her back left shoe off every time. five minutes in the trailer and she'd be in a full-body sweat. started blasting the trailer before you could get the divider shut. kicked hard enough one time that she broke the support the slant divider latched to (alum. featherlite)
switched to hauling in a side-by-side and it was like getting a new horse. Shoes stayed on, no broken trailer parts, and only the occasional half-hearted kick. Had to buy a different trailer, but definately worth the peace and quiet (not to mention safety/piece of mind)
Maybe try another trailer configuration (loose in a box stall, etc), borrow a friends or whatever.
Advice regarding pawing
