Horse playing?

lover · 01-17-2008, 06:06 PM

So in my post in the horse chat section there is a post about getting the horses trust. Some one suggested just walking around the pasture and not looking at the horse and see what he does. And just to get him used to you. So i did and my horse started fallowing me but then he start trotting and swinging his head from side to side and bucking like he was trying to take charge and play or something. What exactly was he doing? How can I get him to respect me when I am in the pasture? I don't want to punish him and make him afraid of me but is that what I have to do? Thanks

Callie's Mom · 01-17-2008, 06:12 PM

did he seem like he was threatening you, or maybe just was more saying hey pay attention to me like you usually do when you come out here?
does he normally come right up to you when you go out to get him or is he hard to catch, skittish, etc?

I ask because depending on his body language this reaction from him couuld be read 2 ways, I think.

oh one other thing, how big is the pasture?

ma23peas · 01-17-2008, 07:00 PM

My guess is that he's playing with you...especially if he's alone..does he have any other horses around? Was it just you two in the pasture? Horses need play time..my horse has started doing this and I truly believe it's because she does trust me...I've had her for 10 weeks and have worked hard on being consistent and she calls for me everytime I enter the pasture...at the beginning she'd follow me around and I'd try to signal for a little trot and she'd trot with me and stop when I stopped for about 6 short runs and then she'd get tired of me and go graze...well last week I could tell she was nodding her head and she wanted to PLAY! So I ran on the outside of the pasture and started running, boy did she EVER want to play! She started showing off in a fancy trot jumping and just having a good time...I could tell it was fun by her always keeping an ear on me and her eyes were not showing fear but really showed FUN! After we both ran for a bit, I entered the pasture and she came to me ears forward and head down..she had fun and so did I...I just don't feel confident enough to run BESIDE her yet!

I can jog and she can trot but when she's in her playful all out run mode...I think I might be a little scared, so the fence is a good way for us both to play "together"....hth!
Tara

lover · 01-17-2008, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ma23peas

My guess is that he's playing with you...especially if he's alone..does he have any other horses around? Was it just you two in the pasture? Horses need play time..my horse has started doing this and I truly believe it's because she does trust me...I've had her for 10 weeks and have worked hard on being consistent and she calls for me everytime I enter the pasture...at the beginning she'd follow me around and I'd try to signal for a little trot and she'd trot with me and stop when I stopped for about 6 short runs and then she'd get tired of me and go graze...well last week I could tell she was nodding her head and she wanted to PLAY! So I ran on the outside of the pasture and started running, boy did she EVER want to play! She started showing off in a fancy trot jumping and just having a good time...I could tell it was fun by her always keeping an ear on me and her eyes were not showing fear but really showed FUN! After we both ran for a bit, I entered the pasture and she came to me ears forward and head down..she had fun and so did I...I just don't feel confident enough to run BESIDE her yet!

I can jog and she can trot but when she's in her playful all out run mode...I think I might be a little scared, so the fence is a good way for us both to play "together"....hth!
Tara

He wasn't rolling his eyes that I could tell and he wasn't pinning his ears like he was being aggressive. I don't really know if he does trust me cause we have only have him for 4 weeks. He plays hard to catch in the pasture. The pasture is about half an acre. Any one else have any ideas? My mom doesn't think I should let him keep doing that because she doesn't want him to get into the habit of bulling my around in the pasture. Thanks

Ashleyn · 01-17-2008, 07:54 PM

my bet was he was jsut playing. i wouldnt worry about it unless he's to close to you. as long as he respects ur boundaries ur ok...if he doesnt, id use a loud firm voice and maybe make a stomp in his direction, if that doesnt work, id add a hand in the air

ma23peas · 01-17-2008, 08:48 PM

Just read a good tip for catching...go into the pasture and do not give eye contact, walk in and turn your back to him...if he comes up to you, just give a rub on his neck and walk away from him...keep your back to him...then leave the pasture...do this a couple of times for a few days and he will probably come to you...I just gave up on haltering my horse in the pasture unless it was to lead her to the stall...but I let her have open roam to all my pastures/paddocks/barn so she calmly follows me in for feedings and she goes off when she wants to. You didn't say if your horse was alone..any others out there? I would try running the fence with him and smile/laugh have fun with it...my horse really got into it when I was smiling and saying "Good Girl"...will your horse follow you into the stall for feedings? Where do you feed? I can always halter my horse easily leading out of the stall..she never resists..but she'll hold her head down and graze non-stop if I try to halter her out in the pasture..she won't walk away from me but she won't raise that head!

I just laid back on pushing the issue until I bring the second horse (in 1 week!!!)...that should help a bit with her tentativeness and anxiety she shows sometimes being alone...it's really a big issue.

Tara

lover · 01-17-2008, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ma23peas

Just read a good tip for catching...go into the pasture and do not give eye contact, walk in and turn your back to him...if he comes up to you, just give a rub on his neck and walk away from him...keep your back to him...then leave the pasture...do this a couple of times for a few days and he will probably come to you...I just gave up on haltering my horse in the pasture unless it was to lead her to the stall...but I let her have open roam to all my pastures/paddocks/barn so she calmly follows me in for feedings and she goes off when she wants to. You didn't say if your horse was alone..any others out there? I would try running the fence with him and smile/laugh have fun with it...my horse really got into it when I was smiling and saying "Good Girl"...will your horse follow you into the stall for feedings? Where do you feed? I can always halter my horse easily leading out of the stall..she never resists..but she'll hold her head down and graze non-stop if I try to halter her out in the pasture..she won't walk away from me but she won't raise that head!

I just laid back on pushing the issue until I bring the second horse (in 1 week!!!)...that should help a bit with her tentativeness and anxiety she shows sometimes being alone...it's really a big issue.

Tara

We have another horse on the other side of the fence. He is fed in his stall. And has free access to stall and pasture at all times of the day.

buck1173 · 01-18-2008, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lover

He wasn't rolling his eyes that I could tell and he wasn't pinning his ears like he was being aggressive. ...He plays hard to catch in the pasture. ....My mom doesn't think I should let him keep doing that because she doesn't want him to get into the habit of bulling my around in the pasture. Thanks

I personally feel the 'letting your horse chase you thing' is a fine line between play, and pushing, and agree with your mom.

With my first horse, I thought it was great he chased me, I'd run, and he'd run behind me and throw his head and buck, I thought we were having fun... then one day, I was watching him in turnout and he was chasing all the other horses around, and throwing his head and bucking, and it dawned on me... am I lower on the pecking order now that he can chase me too?

I ended up swapping who chased who with him, like a game of tag... I'd run, he'd chase, then I'd double back and chase him... I made sure I did more chasing than running.... I didn't want to be perceived as #2.

I don't let my horses chase me any more, though I do encourage to follow at a walk and trot, and I do play hide n' seek.

just food for thought, good luck! and maybe spend more time practicing catching him! (or better yet, get him to come to you when you call).

Eventer98 · 01-18-2008, 06:50 AM

I personally never "play" with my horses in the pasture. I think it's dangerous, and they tend to loose respect for you. I had a TB that would "play" with my sister in the pasture, and he ended up very disrespectful, and would charge her (and me if I wasn't careful)

I'm sorry if this offends, but I've always thought that it's a really stupid thing to do. Horses play by galloping, biting, kicking and bucking. Any one of those things can kill a person, even if the horse has the best intentions in the world.

My horse will follow me without a line, at walk and trot, turn away from me when I tell him, back, and come when I call. But I won't play with him. He has a lot of energy, and his favorite thing it to play-rear with the other horse. I always make him stop when he's close to me, because I've had some really close calls in the past.

pittmd · 01-18-2008, 06:56 AM

I never liked the horses following me around the pasture when I'm working on fence or picking rocks. They get a little to frisky for my comfort level so I send them away. I don't mind when they walk up to me but when they come thundering in at full gallop I get serious about things. I have noticed that they never do that unless I have one of my dogs with me. After reading this topic i'm thinking that they are trying to let the dog's know that they are someplace down the pecking order.

01-17-2008, 06:06 PM	#1
lover Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: USA Posts: 698 Blog Entries: 31	Horse playing? So in my post in the horse chat section there is a post about getting the horses trust. Some one suggested just walking around the pasture and not looking at the horse and see what he does. And just to get him used to you. So i did and my horse started fallowing me but then he start trotting and swinging his head from side to side and bucking like he was trying to take charge and play or something. What exactly was he doing? How can I get him to respect me when I am in the pasture? I don't want to punish him and make him afraid of me but is that what I have to do? Thanks __________________ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways aknowledge him and he shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (I think) I have been rubbed with LOVE!!!

01-17-2008, 07:54 PM	#5
Ashleyn Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upper Michigan Posts: 764 Images: 40	my bet was he was jsut playing. i wouldnt worry about it unless he's to close to you. as long as he respects ur boundaries ur ok...if he doesnt, id use a loud firm voice and maybe make a stomp in his direction, if that doesnt work, id add a hand in the air __________________ perfect partner- the horse-he doesnt have to do anything for u if he doesnt want to, but he does

01-18-2008, 06:50 AM	#9
Eventer98 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: At the corner of No and Where Posts: 472 Images: 9 Blog Entries: 5	I personally never "play" with my horses in the pasture. I think it's dangerous, and they tend to loose respect for you. I had a TB that would "play" with my sister in the pasture, and he ended up very disrespectful, and would charge her (and me if I wasn't careful) I'm sorry if this offends, but I've always thought that it's a really stupid thing to do. Horses play by galloping, biting, kicking and bucking. Any one of those things can kill a person, even if the horse has the best intentions in the world. My horse will follow me without a line, at walk and trot, turn away from me when I tell him, back, and come when I call. But I won't play with him. He has a lot of energy, and his favorite thing it to play-rear with the other horse. I always make him stop when he's close to me, because I've had some really close calls in the past. __________________ "They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself!" "Whisper in a dead man's ear: that doesn't make it real" "Fight the good fight, yeah?" I've Been Snowball'd!! See, people do know I exsist!

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01-17-2008, 06:12 PM	#2
Callie's Mom Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Roseville, ca Posts: 1,039 Images: 177	did he seem like he was threatening you, or maybe just was more saying hey pay attention to me like you usually do when you come out here? does he normally come right up to you when you go out to get him or is he hard to catch, skittish, etc? I ask because depending on his body language this reaction from him couuld be read 2 ways, I think. oh one other thing, how big is the pasture?

01-17-2008, 07:00 PM	#3
ma23peas Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 193 Images: 14	My guess is that he's playing with you...especially if he's alone..does he have any other horses around? Was it just you two in the pasture? Horses need play time..my horse has started doing this and I truly believe it's because she does trust me...I've had her for 10 weeks and have worked hard on being consistent and she calls for me everytime I enter the pasture...at the beginning she'd follow me around and I'd try to signal for a little trot and she'd trot with me and stop when I stopped for about 6 short runs and then she'd get tired of me and go graze...well last week I could tell she was nodding her head and she wanted to PLAY! So I ran on the outside of the pasture and started running, boy did she EVER want to play! She started showing off in a fancy trot jumping and just having a good time...I could tell it was fun by her always keeping an ear on me and her eyes were not showing fear but really showed FUN! After we both ran for a bit, I entered the pasture and she came to me ears forward and head down..she had fun and so did I...I just don't feel confident enough to run BESIDE her yet! I can jog and she can trot but when she's in her playful all out run mode...I think I might be a little scared, so the fence is a good way for us both to play "together"....hth! Tara

01-17-2008, 08:48 PM	#6
ma23peas Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 193 Images: 14	Just read a good tip for catching...go into the pasture and do not give eye contact, walk in and turn your back to him...if he comes up to you, just give a rub on his neck and walk away from him...keep your back to him...then leave the pasture...do this a couple of times for a few days and he will probably come to you...I just gave up on haltering my horse in the pasture unless it was to lead her to the stall...but I let her have open roam to all my pastures/paddocks/barn so she calmly follows me in for feedings and she goes off when she wants to. You didn't say if your horse was alone..any others out there? I would try running the fence with him and smile/laugh have fun with it...my horse really got into it when I was smiling and saying "Good Girl"...will your horse follow you into the stall for feedings? Where do you feed? I can always halter my horse easily leading out of the stall..she never resists..but she'll hold her head down and graze non-stop if I try to halter her out in the pasture..she won't walk away from me but she won't raise that head! I just laid back on pushing the issue until I bring the second horse (in 1 week!!!)...that should help a bit with her tentativeness and anxiety she shows sometimes being alone...it's really a big issue. Tara

01-18-2008, 06:56 AM	#10
pittmd Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Pine Island, Minnesota Posts: 397 Images: 12	I never liked the horses following me around the pasture when I'm working on fence or picking rocks. They get a little to frisky for my comfort level so I send them away. I don't mind when they walk up to me but when they come thundering in at full gallop I get serious about things. I have noticed that they never do that unless I have one of my dogs with me. After reading this topic i'm thinking that they are trying to let the dog's know that they are someplace down the pecking order.