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Horse Behavior

Horse behavior refers to the basic behavior of a horse as a prey animal with a well-developed fight-or-flight instinct. Their first basic response to a threat is to escape, though some instances where flight is untenable, horses are known to stand their ground and defend for themselves.

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How many feet are on the ground when horses are running?

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Asked by Wiki User

Horses are measured in hands not feet, but you can always break down the hands measurement into feet and inches. Keep in mind one hand is 4 inches.

Horses range on average from 14.3 to 17 hands tall, but can get taller than this (ponies are 14.2 hands and under, as it is a height designation.)

So this means a 14.3 hand horse is 4'11" and a 17 hand horse is 5'8" at the withers.

An interesting side note. The worlds smallest horse, a dwarf miniature horse is Thumbelina at just 17 inches or 1'5" (4.1 hands), while the tallest horse on record is Big Jake a Belgian draft horse that stands 20.2 3/4 hands which is 82.75 inches or 6'10 3/4" at the withers.

Why do horses kick humans and dogs?

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Asked by Wiki User

They can't see you. Also, they are prey. If you are standing behind them, they will not know if you are a predator trying to eat you so it will use one of it's do defense mechanismes. If you are longer, it will run. If it can't run, it will kick you

Does gelding slow down a horse?

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No, gelding is a surgery done to castrate male horses that are unsuitable for breeding in one form or another. Horses unlike humans will not feel bad about having something removed from their bodies, nor will it typically harm a horse.

What sound does horses make when they are frightened?

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Asked by Wiki User

A horse can make several sounds when distressed, a groan, a grunt, maybe even a squeal.

Squeals are made when something hurts or scares the horse.

Grunts and groans are done typically to express pain. This is normally accompanied by pinned ears and a pained expression. Groans are made by air vibrating against the vocal cords when the diaphragm is being bear down upon.

Are horses herbivores or predators?

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A horse is a herbivore, they eat grass, fruits, vegetable's, and other plant matter.

How can you stop a horse from rubbing its tail and making parts of it bald?

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Asked by Wiki User

Hair eating is often linked to a mineral deficiency, but it can stem from boredom. Pat Coleby recommends seaweed meal, also known as kelp meal, in her book Natural Horse Care.

Feeding kelp meal can limit or eliminate some unwanted behaviors including mane and tail chewing, wood chewing and even cribbing because of its naturally high and balanced levels of minerals. I have used it for years and seen huge improvements in my horses.

How good for a horse is 5 out of 10 on the temperament scale?

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I'm assuming you're talking about online horse advertisements (like the ones found on equine.com, dreamhorse.com, and similar sites)

5 would be in the middle of the scale of 1-10, meaning that the horse is about in the middle of extremely calm and extremely excitable. This would be a horse for an intermediate to experienced rider willing to spend time working with a more difficult horse.

How do you stop your horse from throwing his head around?

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Make the fence taller so he can't. If on a budget a few strands of barb wire will get the job done. Better yet is hot wire, he'll learn after about 2 trys. And if your horse is a cribber, or even if he's not and he's just obsessively resting his throat on a fence, try a cribbing collar. And you may want to observe what;s so interesting on the other side of the fence that has his attention and relocate it. :)

Do horses have pointy ears?

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Cows don't have pointed or round ears they have oval shaped ears.

How do you train a horse to be ground tied?

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This can take some time. With the horse saddled and bridled up, also put a halter on it, tie a rope to the halter and to a weight, get on and then off and walk a few feet away. The horse will try to walk off but will have to drag the weight. Now if you want to be really careful you can tie a longer rope also that you can hold so the horse wont take off running if spooked by the weight. When you dismount always take the reins down or off over the horses head and drop them so they touch the ground. If the horse really drags the weight you need to find a heavier one. Let the horse wonder awhile and then mount up again. Do this several times and each time walk off a little further for a little longer and soon your horse will get the idea. As soon as your horse does not move the weight, you can lighten it a bit until you are only using the reins for a weight. Now this will take maybe days to teach. Be patient, your horse may have to drag the weight until it gets tired of it. This will work. *

How do you get a lazy pony to move?

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Asked by Wiki User

You could use a Lunge Whip i have 2 Horse's myself and one of mine is very lazy so we just get a nice big lunge Whip

The noise makes them alert and should make them go into canter

If this does not work i cant help you

Does a horse drink water through its nose?

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Asked by Wiki User

technically they grind food back and forth on occasion they chew with their lips curled up.

Why do horses raise their tail?

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Either because their breed makes them hold it high naturally, or they are going to get rid of waste or gas.

Do horse foals cry when they are young?

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No. Horses (and foals) cannot 'cry' but they can call to their mothers and the horses surrounding them. They can call out in pain, fear, excitement, nervousness, etc...

How does a horse react when an enemy is approaching?

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Asked by Wiki User

Horses are prey animals so if an ememy is approching they will try to escape by running away. If a horse hears something behind it and doesn't know what it is than it will probably whirl around to see what it is. However horses can be trained to be less "spookable" and some horses are just naterally less fearful than others. You could explode a bomb next to my pony(could not should!) and he wouln't move a muscle, but our horse Ivan spooks at leaves blowing across the grass.

How do you handle an injured yearling?

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Asked by Wiki User

Can't give you a proper answer. It all depends on how much handing the yearling has had before the injury and how bad the injury is. You haven't said if it's a joint injury or a flesh wound... As always with horses, you must be calm and quiet but persistent. Reassure the horse and keep it calm, as they can be so quick to get a fright at nothing and injure themselves further when at a young age ...

Why is your horse crying?

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Asked by Wiki User

Horses do not 'cry'. If the horse has tears running down it's face it may have blocked tear ducts, which is somewhat common problem. You should have a equine vet come out to check the eye and flush debris from it if needed. The 'crying' can also be caused by an eye infection or even a sinus issue.

How do wild mustang horses behave?

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A horse in the wild will act in much the same way a horse in domestic situations would. They graze for 10 to 20 hours depending on the quality of the forage, while grazing they will intermittently lay down and sleep, nap standing up, go to the water hole to drink, play with their herd mates, possibly breed with a stallion or mare, and always remain watchful of predators.

How do you stop a horse being scared of a blanket?

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Sometimes a firm smack on the muzzle is sufficient enough! BUT, some horses are more tough. Perhaps a whip or crop needs to be handy! Also, feeding treats by hand only makes this problem worse. NEVER smack a horse on its face, that's what makes them want to nip you!. What you should do is take a rope lead line and smack the horse on its chest, not enough to hurt the horse but firm telling the horse that's not an appropriate behavior. If you notice the horse isn't nipping as much, you should treat him/her with maybe a carrot, apple, horse treat or maybe a sugar cube.

How do you tell if horse is foundered?

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Asked by Wiki User

A horse needs food, water, shelter, veterinary care, hoof care, exercise and social interaction. Unfortunately, many laws leave out veterinary and hoof care, exercise and social interaction and will only prosecute based on lack of food, water, shelter or veterinary care.

A horse that is well fed shows it is getting food. If its lips were cut, that may be a problem, but since horses do not have mucus membranes on the outside of their lips, this would not be from dehydration. The lack of water doesn't mean the horse doesn't have periodic access to water, and that may only be a turn-out paddock to spend an hour or so during the day. The chipped feet could mean the owner is looking for a new farrier. There are many reasons for some of the things you may have seen, including but not limited to neglect. Call your local police officer if you are worried. They can locate the owner, speak to them, and call animal control if necessary.

The worst mistake people in the US can do for a neglected horse is to feed and water or otherwise care for them. If the animal is getting food or other care, the owners cannot be prosecuted, even if they are not the ones giving the care.

Hi It's still me, I was just explaining my question in more detail. You see, I was walking along a busy road and found a bridge - I crossed it and found a small field (about the size of a average school hall) with a black horse in it. The field had a stable - but it was old and falling apart and all bolted up.

Now when i found the horse, the weather was around 40 degrees and this horse had no access to water or shade or even much grass - there were no other horses in the area. But the horse was really quite fat, and behind the stable (where the horse couldn't get) there was a bale of hay and a screwed up new zealand blanket all covered in cobwebs. So I'm not sure if it was neglected or not. The stable looked more like a shed and was empty apart from where people had dumped their rubbish in it. The horse had chipped hooves, it kept trying to scratch its leg, her lips were cut and very very dry (because she had no water) and she kept swishing her head and biting the fence which is a sign of boredom. She looked really hungry and stomped her foot when i left. I'm just not sure what i should do about her - she looks quite young and i think she may die if i just leave her there - PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO! A horses life may be at risk here!

Why do horses stare into space?

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Asked by Wiki User

I don't believe it is specifically "staring into space." It's possible that a horse--even the one by another answerer above--may have heard something that is far beyond a human's range of hearing and was intently listening to this particular sound and looking to where this sound came from. When a horse does that, their heads are up, ears are pricked, and their eyes focused on something which even they cannot comprehend or see, but their ears can.

However, if your horse is not acting this way and is relaxed but literally staring off into space, there is a possibility that she (or he) is just resting (you know the way they do, with their necks down (level with their top-line), ears and lips relaxed, and one of the hind feet resting in kind of a folded-under position (resting three-legged)) and close to dozing off. Occasionally this may also be an indicator that [s]he is ill (this will be accompanied by other symptoms, of course), so keep an eye on her/him in case something seems a bit off.

Another Answer:My horse did this once. She had her head turned towards a specific locale in a specific direction in a horse barn (I was feeding her), and was absolutely fixated on it (I don't remember for how long; no less than five minutes). But when I looked in that direction, I saw nothing (I scanned in that area/direction carefully, and saw nothing unusual). Years later I read that occasionally animals can see things of a paranormal nature (ghosts, etc.) that humans can't. I've often wondered since then if this isn't what happened that afternoon (it was years ago). Hope this reply isn't too weird.

Do horses make a habit of gorging?

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Asked by Wiki User

Horses are hungry 24/7. As grazers they are constantly eating if given a choice. If stall kept they eagerly await their food and do consume large quanities of grain and hay, though some require less than others (like people) to maintain a good weight.

Do all horses run fast?

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Asked by Wiki User

no because horses might be born different and wont be able to run.

What is the behavioral adaptations for the wild horse?

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Asked by Wiki User

Mostely the same of a horses, they have to adapt to hunters, they hve to adapt to the weather nd the wild animals Wild horses vary from domesticated horses in the sense that their survival instincts are more honed. Wild horses must learn to live on less food and harsher climates. In this they learn to live on less, their feet never need shoes or trimmed as they are hardend from birth and the land naturally trims them. They learn where to water in all seasons and where the best food sources are as well. They are very dependent on herds for warmth and strength against predators. Wild horses fear everything. Domesticated horses are different in the fact that they have learned to depend on humans for their shelter, food, safety and health needs. Hope this helps, if not feel free to email me with more questions.