IN ASSOCIATION WITH BLITZING BAD BEHAVIOUR
Pawing is an annoying habit and the bugbear of many owners, but remedying it lies in addressing the root cause rather than the act itself. Mel Beale finds out from behaviourist Trudi Dempsey how to nip pawing in the bud
MAYBE THIS BAD habit begins when feed buckets appear, or perhaps while the horse is waiting to be turned out into his field. Maybe he does it when his tack is being fetched, or once tacked up but still tied up and impatient to leave the yard.
Whatever the trigger, the annoying habit of pawing the ground is a difficult behaviour to remedy. Not only does pawing risk damage to a horse’s hooves, but the sound of it can be deafening and irritating to others.
The stigma attached to owning a pawer can leave owners feeling frustrated and at a loss as to what to do, but equine behaviourist Trudi Dempsey points out that unless an owner understands why their horse is pawing it will be a tricky problem to address.
“It’s important to think about the context in which the horse is pawing,” she explains. “Owners often take it as a sign that their horse is being keen, but actually it’s a behaviour that’s rooted in anxiety.”
PAWING
Trudi describes pawing in these types of situations as a displacement behaviour.
“Pawing is a normal, natural behaviour. Horses use their legs to explore and dig things up, but in these scenarios it’s a bit like, ‘right behaviour, wrong time’,” she explains. “A horse paws in a stressful situation because he’s replacing the behaviour he would like to perform — perhaps he’d like to run away, but the lead rope is stopping him, or his handler is making him stay — so he paws as a coping mechanism. Humans have these coping mechanisms, too. For example, when you’re at the dentist and know that you have to stay in the chair to have a filling you might bite your nails or play with your jewellery.”
When does he paw — and why?
To try and remedy this behaviour the owner first needs to identify the trigger. Then they can drill down to uncover what function that behaviour has and what the horse expects to gain by pawing.
“Work out what the trigger is using plain, non-emotive language,” suggests Trudi. “Remember, horses don’t want to be difficult or annoying.”
Does your horses paw as soon as he’s tied up? If so observe him over a number of days and see what else you notice — does he do it when a certain brush is us
