hugs
Junior Member
Posts: 2,647 
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Post by hugs on Oct 29, 2014 8:56:24 GMT
Peaches is tied to the hitching rail and I am grooming her and its windy. She paws and agitates. Do I correct her or ignore it? If I correct her how do I do it? If I stop grooming her and I'm talking to someone and she acts the same way, same question.
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Post by horselover4life on Oct 29, 2014 10:12:05 GMT
Me, she could stand there and dig to China.
It is a attention getter.
A sharp "QUIT" and a swat on her shoulder with my hand.....then, ignored.
When she stands quietly, she gets moved. Not before.......be prepared to be at the barn a while.
I think you are very reactive to everything she does. You want to read something into every action, breath and movement she does, so she does them to control you. Yes, she indeed knows if she does something it gets your attention focused squarely on her, only her, like tunnel-vision.
Try to stop catering to her.....
I can tell you that many a trainer, and those names who all preach their "My way is the...blah, blah, blah"....
This horse would be standing tied someplace to learn patience, positive of that. If it took 10 minutes or 5 hours....when they stood quietly they would be rewarded.
Horses are not dumb animals, but they learn by repetition.....they do and you react, over and over....that pattern needs broken. She learned well what you have been teaching her for years, now you need to re-educate the mind of that horse. smart horse
Peaches is testing....don't fail the test! YOU ARE IN CHARGE,  ........... not your horse!! 
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Post by lorddaxter on Oct 29, 2014 12:03:53 GMT
Ira used to be a pawer when tied, when he went to the trainer she left him tied for hours, said he dug her a ditch big enough to bury a dead body, he learned though that it got him nowhere, he doesn't do it now.
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Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Lipizzan on Oct 29, 2014 16:47:15 GMT
I have only one horse who will do this does that. She will do it when gromed, when waiting for food, being washed, standing. You name it. She once brake her shoe like that. I have tried everything...
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mingiz
Junior Member
Los Lunas, NM
Posts: 3,320
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Post by mingiz on Oct 30, 2014 2:32:49 GMT
Now this won't work for the situation of tied while grooming. But this is what I did to Reno.  I was hauling him for a weekend of camping. The whole 3hr haul he pawed. I would jerk the trailer, hit the brakes, Everything I did it wouldn't stop him but for a nano sec. In the mean while he tore up my white wall under the window. Looked like some one took a hammer to it. I was pissed! New trailer!! So the next time I had JR on the back Reno in the middle. I got home and pulled up close to the gate to put them in the field. I had just gotten JR off the trailer and as soon as I got him in the field Reno was just tearing up the trailer. >:(I came back to the trailer and opened up the tack door quietly and reached in and got my short dressage whip. He didn't know I was back there! I yelled at him and he stopped again for a nano sec. When he started again I took the whip and laid it into his front legs. Well that startled the hell out of him. I waited and he started again. I again whipped those front legs but harder. He still couldn't see me. By the third time of him doing it and me hitting those front legs harder each time. He finally stood in there for about 5 mins. and I pulled him off the trailer. He hasn't done it since. But I still have a messed up wall and that is the only stall he rides in. He does it in the barn when we feed. But he is tied up and I can't use the whip there. I keep threatening him that I'm going to put hobbles on him and let him throw his self down. Rawhide is another one that paws while eating. He has a 3x3 ft hole in front of his bucket. They won't do it if your standing there watching them...They know I will lite into them. So once I have stalls there are going to be some mats under the feeders. But hobbles are a lot cheaper...  |
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Post by Shelly on Oct 30, 2014 3:21:13 GMT
It sounds silly, a friend of mine told me to "paw" back at the horse with your leg. It's one of those things it so ridiculous and somehow it manages to work short term to get their attention elsewhere. Good luck! pawing is one of those annoying habits that are hard to kick!
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Post by ladymcts on Oct 30, 2014 12:53:39 GMT
Windy & agitated - you need to be her leader and reassure her that it's OK. I don't know if you talk to your horse much, but I do. Jacques and Reggie know a LOT about what I'm thinking and feeling and intending based on what I'm saying to them. I can be brushing one and somewhere midway will just call out a "Good Boy" at the other to reassure him that I'm not forgetting him. I swear they take a lot from that. So in windy & agitated conditions, I do a lot of talking to them, and reassuring with my tone.
Impatient from lack of attention - kinda the opposite and kinda the same. Stopping what you're doing and giving her attention is rewarding her impatience. And yet her impatience is also saying, "Hey Mom, over here, I want your company" so truly admonishing or reprimanding isn't such a great option either. I think I would try making a habit of doing some interruptions for a while, and as I said above, talk at her. Find other things to do in the middle of grooming sessions that take your attention from her, whether it's talking to someone else or going to clean out the tack box. And while you're doing this other thing, throw her an occasional "good girl" only at the times where she's quiet and NOT impatient. Seek those moments of goodness to reward, rather than wait for the bad moments to admonish.
^^ disclaimer ^^ I've been told I talk too much to my horses ... :-)
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Post by lorddaxter on Oct 30, 2014 15:40:12 GMT
Trainer told me let them paw it out somewhere tied safely and watch from a distance, it worked for mine, I even used to throw snowballs at Ira when he did it but that didn't work!
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Oct 30, 2014 19:06:04 GMT
Knock on wood, this is a vice that I haven't had to deal with with any of my horses and I haven't seen anyone effectively stop it. I hope you find something that works. When other people's horses do it it drives me mental.
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Post by lorddaxter on Oct 30, 2014 19:57:12 GMT
Mingiz, in Scotland we used to tile holly against the front trailer wall to stop horses doing that, worked a treat, not sure if you have holly there or here though?
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hugs
Junior Member
Posts: 2,647
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Post by hugs on Oct 31, 2014 2:20:10 GMT
Excuse me for not responding sooner but I was gone for three days for training. It was windy and cold again so I figured it was a good time for a patience lesson. My intent was to tie her up to the wooden rail but someone was busy with their horse there so we went back to the round pen. I hadn't read your posts yet so I did both; correct her and not correct her over the hour she was tied... and untied herself once I am more certain than ever that Peaches doesn't need reassurance, she wasn't upset she was just wanting to DO something. Well, too bad sister! When she got more energetic and was rearranging the round pen I did correct her. Just a firm "No" and she stopped for a while and once in a while a tap on the leg. Every so often she'd stand still, licking and chewing so I'd pet her a little so she knew that was what I wanted. Mostly I just stood around but not looking at her. Then I went about cleaning up poo that others had left for something to do. I want her to stand calmly all by herself. Then Lois came out and Peaches gave her a big whinny/neigh. Lois was saying that she sees Peaches as a pretty smart horse who is learning the rules of the barn, good manners as I said before, and not a mean bone in her body. However, Peaches kicked when I wanted to lift her back foot so she got a sharp rap from the back of the brush on her bum. Kicking is NOT okay. Here's Peaches sense of humor. After correcting her pawing she'd lift up and hold her foot and kind of wiggle it around a little bit before setting it down, not stamping at all. So in fact she wasn't pawing but she still got to move. Maybe I should have corrected that but it was too funny so I let it go. Then I round penned Peaches and I had her turning to the inside or the outside in a change of direction at a calm rhythmic pace and when she kept looking to me for "what's next" I eventually had her stop and come toward me, then stop and come toward me and we were good for the day. So I've learned that he "agitation" isn't that at all, she is just fine, she just doesn't like to stand still. Oh well, its what we'll be doing from now on until she gets over herself. These lessons are good for both of us, each learning what we can at our own pace, with no one bitching at us to do it their way. I really like that. Like you guys say, "No drama". |
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........... not your horse!! 
