Horse Behavior - Pawing

Letters > Horse Behavior - Pawing/Pawing "My 4 year old mare paws constantly"

Dear Keith... Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Hi, My 4 year old mare paws constantly. I’ve had her a year and a half and she has always pawed. I have pictures of her as a foal pawing as she ate. She paws when she’s begging for food or attention, she paws when she’s eating, she paws when no one is around, she paws while being groomed or treated, she paws when tied, she paws during her lessons, she paws in her stall, she paws at the fence sometimes getting her hoof and leg caught in the fence and has to lie on the ground until someone finds her. Normally, she is turned out with other mares and one 3 year old filly. The filly also has the pawing habit, although she is the newest member of the herd and seemed to come to us that way also. Currently she is with my trainer and is in a large electrically fenced grassy paddock most of the day with turnout in a much larger electrically fenced pasture after her work is done. We have tried ignoring the behavior, turning away from her until she stops, slapping her leg, hollering out “stop” or “quit” or “no” at her. She eventually stops but starts right back up again until we stop her. My trainer has even tried hobbling her. She pawed in the hobble. Several vets have observed this behavior and have been puzzled by it but have no other methods to offer. Is there anything we can do to train this out of her? We do not give her treats except after she has done her training work for the day because once you give her a treat you’ve basically “lost” her. I am very attached to this mare and don’t intend to give up on her. Otherwise she is a very sweet compliant horse. Even my vet and the vets at the Univ.of Florida who kept her this summer after doing a tenotomy on the tendon in her leg which she damaged pawing and getting stuck in the fence have remarked on her sweet disposition. We are getting desperate due to the danger to her health this “habit” has caused. My stable does not have electric fencing. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time. Sincerely, Julie B

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