Horse Behavior

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. *

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

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

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

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...

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.

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 ...

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

The cost will vary from show to show. It would be best to contact the show office and ask the show secretary directly. If that is not an option you could also call the venue where the show will be held and ask the manager about the entrance price.

It is fun and enjoyable, practical for getting around farms, herding livestock and competing in western competitions ie barrel racing I personally prefer English riding but both diciplines are fun and most people start out because they love horses and think it would be an exiting skill to learn.

You shouldn't be behind the horse, if at all possible. Otherwise, if you have to go directly behind a horse and there is no other option, you should always let the horse know your there. Run your hand along his/her back and rump, speaking softly as not to startle her but loud enough that she can hear it. If you are 6ft behind a horse, the horse could easily still kick you if it is big enough or it could back up to make a hit. If you be extremely quiet, it WILL spook the horse; the horse can hear MUCH better than you can and WILL hear you, regardless of how quiet you are being.

i have saddlebreds and mine are very high strung. however, if they weren't show horses, they'd be more like other horses at the barn. they can be both calm and high spirited, it depends on the horse.

Yes, I would say he isn't happy. Most animals when the ears go back are showing they are upset. This is common with the swishing of the tail.

Not exactly. If you're in the habit of wearing pads instead of tampons and have to work with stallions, yes this is true. But if you're wearing tampons and/or working with geldings, no this is not true. With stallions, if you're wearing pads, it's possible they may try to court and mount you from getting "turned on" from the pheromones they smell from the pads you're wearing. So to prevent this, just switch to tampons.

The ammonia smell is from a build up of urine. If the stables are not mucked out regularly this will cause a build up. Each stall should be muck at least once a day preferably two or three is the horse is inside most of the time. Also if the floors are dirt you may have to dig out the dirt and replace it. I also suggest using rubber mats. You can also place a stall freshener on the mat and work it in. Stall need to be stripped and cleaned from top to bottom at least every other month.

Horses do not hunt.

Horses are herbivores. In general they graze on grass, although they will eat leaves and other vegetation or even bark during the winter.

Domestic horses, of course, eat grain as well as grass.

Through demonstration and disipline.

Part of what a foal learns, it learns from watching other horses, and copying them.

The other part is the other horses will disipline the foal when it does wrong. Say it gets to playig a little too roughly with one of the older mares. They may threaten to kick or nip at the foal. If a foal is really disobedient, the lead mare wil chase him away from the herd and put him in "time out". Keeping him away from the herd is scary for a horse, because within the herd lies saftey, and away from it lies danger. The lead mare will keep the horse away until he shows signs of submission, lowering his head, licking his lips, etc. then the mare would turn her back on him and let him go back the herd.