Pawing
Pawing can be an annoying habit, one of those habits that can drive you nuts. Sometimes, pawing is done from boredom or playfulness, but it can just as often be done out of impatience, nervousness, frustration, or stress.
Before you address the issue, you should try to determine the cause. Knowing why a horse is pawing will often determine which approach you use to deal with it. As an example, punishing a nervous horse will usually cause it to be more fretful and nervous, long before it stops pawing.
There are several methods for dealing with a pawing horse. In no particular order, they are discussed below.
Ignoring the Issue:
At times it pays to just ignore the issue and let the horse work it out. If you choose this method it is easy to employe. You tie your horse up somewhere safe and you let them stand. If your horse likes to paw the ground, it usually does not take long for the pawing to begin. Ignore it.
This method works especially well for horses that are pawing for attention. A horse, much like a child, will often seek attention. If they cannot get attention by doing something good, they will often resort to doing something bad. It usually works too. This horse will accept scolding, mild punishment, jerks on the lead line, taps with a whip. In fact as long as you come back to it while its feet are pawing, it thinks that pawing has “called” you over. Most horses learn this routine accidently in their stalls at feeding time.
During feeding time they often move their feet, and sometimes bang the door, or paw the ground, just as feed is being tossed to the other horses. They are impatient for their feed and an impatient horse is usually a horse moving around. Naturally, if the horse is fed while this is going on, it soon learns that pawing, and banging around causes feed to come over the door. Later this is transferred to other areas, like a hitching rail.
The solution here is simple, as long as the horse is pawing or banging on a stall door, they do not get fed and they do not get attention. When their feet are quiet you can feed them, or go untie them if they are at the hitching rail.
Rocking the Horse:
If you are grooming your horse in the cross ties, or at the hitching rail and your horse begins to paw then you can do what I call rocking the horse. Horses do not like to be off balance. When a horse is pawing they are balancing on three legs and it is fairly easy to upset their balance. I use one of two methods: method one is to push gently into the horse along his rib cage or shoulder until he has to take a step. It is easier to use two or three gentle shoves rather than one big one. As the horse goes off balance he has to set the pawing leg down. I then reward the horse for his effort. Method two is a rocking motion. I usually put my hand on the horse’s whither and begin to rock them back and forth. This usually takes more effort but accomplishes the same thing in making them off balance. Once again, when they set the offending leg down I reward them with praise.
Food Reward:
The food reward is a two-stage process. First you must teach the horse about food rewards and link them to a verbal command or praise. I often use the simple words, good boy or good girl. Timing and patience is critical for this to work.
I start by teaching the horse how to properly take a food reward, by making the horse take it from a particular position. The usual position is to have the horse take it when it’s head is straight forward and in a near vertical position. If the horse reaches for the reward I retain it until I can get the horse to take the reward from the position that I want. This will often mean bumping the horses head away from my hand, and directing the horses head to the correct position. As the horse takes the reward, I usually say“good boy” or “good girl”. Soon I reinforce the position by saying “good boy” prior to giving the reward. By doing this the horse begins to understand that when he hears the words “good boy” he has done something correct. As soon as the horse has learned this, you can use it to reinforce good behavior.
Place the horse in a tie position (cross ties, or hitching rail) and go about your usual business. If the horse begins to paw, wait on them to stop, and when they do, immediately say good boy or good girl and reward them with the food reward. Naturally, the horse will first think that they got the reward because they were pawing seconds before. However, there is a thing known as random reward, and random reward says that you will keep doing the same thing over and over waiting for your reward. Don’t believe me, then think about this. When you were little and did something right you were given an immediate reward. As an adult you have been trained to show up for work and do your job every day for two weeks waiting for your paycheck (your reward). Your horse can learn to do the same thing.
The way you create random reward for the horse, is to say “good boy” immediately, but wait longer to give the reward. If the horse starts to paw before you can give the reward then just wait until they stop and try again. The usual timing and pace for doing this should be along these lines: Horse paws for a minute and then quits, when the horse stops the owner immediately says “good boy” or “good girl”, and issues the reward right away. The owner goes back to brushing the horse. Horse paws and then stops, owner says “good boy” or “good girl” and waits five to seven seconds to issue the reward. Next time you might wait fifteen to twenty seconds between the verbal “good boy” or“good girl” and giving the reward. In a matter of logical steps this time frame can be increased to a rather lengthy time frame before a reward is given. Eventually the horse stands longer and longer and no food reward is needed.
Remember, if the horse starts to paw just as you are about to give the reward you have to take the reward away and go back to doing what you were doing. You must have patience.
Approach and Retreat:
This is a simple method to use and usually requires a book. If your horse is a confirmed“pawer”, take your horse to the hitching rail and tie it up. Walk away, and go sit down about 30 feet away, slightly to the side and rear of the horse. Leave your horse alone. More than likely your horse will begin to paw soon. Open your book and read. Relax yourself, and watch your horse to make sure that your horse does not get into trouble. When your horse stops pawing (and they all do, even if briefly) get up and start walking
towards your horse. More than likely your horse will start pawing again. Turn around and go sit down until the pawing stops. Usually the horse will paw longer this time because it thinks that the pawing got you up in the first place. Just wait. Read. Watch the clouds. When the horse stops pawing, get up and start walking towards it. If it starts again, turn around, but listen for the horse to stop. They usually do when you turn around to leave. When they stop, turn back to them and begin approaching. As long as the horse is standing quietly, keep walking. If they start again, walk away. If they stand quietly walk up and untie them and put them away for the day, or hand graze them for a few minutes and try it again if you have time. It usually only takes a few sessions of approach and retreat before the horse realizes that quiet feet bring the owner, and pawing feet send them away. Do the same thing at feeding time. Quiet feet get fed, pawing feet go hungry (or so the horse will think).
Tapping With a Whip:
While this method can work, I don’t bother with it and suggest you don’t either. Many times this makes a horse worse or causes other anxiety issues, especially with a horse that is pawing because of nervousness. I am not saying that it never works, and I am sure that some people have had success with it. But it is too difficult to explain all the variables and the degree of force to use in an article. Unless you know of someone who can teach you exactly what to do, leave it alone.
Before you address the issue, you should try to determine the cause. Knowing why a horse is pawing will often determine which approach you use to deal with it. As an example, punishing a nervous horse will usually cause it to be more fretful and nervous, long before it stops pawing.
There are several methods for dealing with a pawing horse. In no particular order, they are discussed below.
Ignoring the Issue:
At times it pays to just ignore the issue and let the horse work it out. If you choose this method it is easy to employe. You tie your horse up somewhere safe and you let them stand. If your horse likes to paw the ground, it usually does not take long for the pawing to begin. Ignore it.
This method works especially well for horses that are pawing for attention. A horse, much like a child, will often seek attention. If they cannot get attention by doing something good, they will often resort to doing something bad. It usually works too. This horse will accept scolding, mild punishment, jerks on the lead line, taps with a whip. In fact as long as you come back to it while its feet are pawing, it thinks that pawing has “called” you over. Most horses learn this routine accidently in their stalls at feeding time.
During feeding time they often move their feet, and sometimes bang the door, or paw the ground, just as feed is being tossed to the other horses. They are impatient for their feed and an impatient horse is usually a horse moving around. Naturally, if the horse is fed while this is going on, it soon learns that pawing, and banging around causes feed to come over the door. Later this is transferred to other areas, like a hitching rail.
The solution here is simple, as long as the horse is pawing or banging on a stall door, they do not get fed and they do not get attention. When their feet are quiet you can feed them, or go untie them if they are at the hitching rail.
Rocking the Horse:
If you are grooming your horse in the cross ties, or at the hitching rail and your horse begins to paw then you can do what I call rocking the horse. Horses do not like to be off balance. When a horse is pawing they are balancing on three legs and it is fairly easy to upset their balance. I use one of two methods: method one is to push gently into the horse along his rib cage or shoulder until he has to take a step. It is easier to use two or three gentle shoves rather than one big one. As the horse goes off balance he has to set the pawing leg down. I then reward the horse for his effort. Method two is a rocking motion. I usually put my hand on the horse’s whither and begin to rock them back and forth. This usually takes more effort but accomplishes the same thing in making them off balance. Once again, when they set the offending leg down I reward them with praise.
Food Reward:
The food reward is a two-stage process. First you must teach the horse about food rewards and link them to a verbal command or praise. I often use the simple words, good boy or good girl. Timing and patience is critical for this to work.
I start by teaching the horse how to properly take a food reward, by making the horse take it from a particular position. The usual position is to have the horse take it when it’s head is straight forward and in a near vertical position. If the horse reaches for the reward I retain it until I can get the horse to take the reward from the position that I want. This will often mean bumping the horses head away from my hand, and directing the horses head to the correct position. As the horse takes the reward, I usually say“good boy” or “good girl”. Soon I reinforce the position by saying “good boy” prior to giving the reward. By doing this the horse begins to understand that when he hears the words “good boy” he has done something correct. As soon as the horse has learned this, you can use it to reinforce good behavior.
Place the horse in a tie position (cross ties, or hitching rail) and go about your usual business. If the horse begins to paw, wait on them to stop, and when they do, immediately say good boy or good girl and reward them with the food reward. Naturally, the horse will first think that they got the reward because they were pawing seconds before. However, there is a thing known as random reward, and random reward says that you will keep doing the same thing over and over waiting for your reward. Don’t believe me, then think about this. When you were little and did something right you were given an immediate reward. As an adult you have been trained to show up for work and do your job every day for two weeks waiting for your paycheck (your reward). Your horse can learn to do the same thing.
The way you create random reward for the horse, is to say “good boy” immediately, but wait longer to give the reward. If the horse starts to paw before you can give the reward then just wait until they stop and try again. The usual timing and pace for doing this should be along these lines: Horse paws for a minute and then quits, when the horse stops the owner immediately says “good boy” or “good girl”, and issues the reward right away. The owner goes back to brushing the horse. Horse paws and then stops, owner says “good boy” or “good girl” and waits five to seven seconds to issue the reward. Next time you might wait fifteen to twenty seconds between the verbal “good boy” or“good girl” and giving the reward. In a matter of logical steps this time frame can be increased to a rather lengthy time frame before a reward is given. Eventually the horse stands longer and longer and no food reward is needed.
Remember, if the horse starts to paw just as you are about to give the reward you have to take the reward away and go back to doing what you were doing. You must have patience.
Approach and Retreat:
This is a simple method to use and usually requires a book. If your horse is a confirmed“pawer”, take your horse to the hitching rail and tie it up. Walk away, and go sit down about 30 feet away, slightly to the side and rear of the horse. Leave your horse alone. More than likely your horse will begin to paw soon. Open your book and read. Relax yourself, and watch your horse to make sure that your horse does not get into trouble. When your horse stops pawing (and they all do, even if briefly) get up and start walking
towards your horse. More than likely your horse will start pawing again. Turn around and go sit down until the pawing stops. Usually the horse will paw longer this time because it thinks that the pawing got you up in the first place. Just wait. Read. Watch the clouds. When the horse stops pawing, get up and start walking towards it. If it starts again, turn around, but listen for the horse to stop. They usually do when you turn around to leave. When they stop, turn back to them and begin approaching. As long as the horse is standing quietly, keep walking. If they start again, walk away. If they stand quietly walk up and untie them and put them away for the day, or hand graze them for a few minutes and try it again if you have time. It usually only takes a few sessions of approach and retreat before the horse realizes that quiet feet bring the owner, and pawing feet send them away. Do the same thing at feeding time. Quiet feet get fed, pawing feet go hungry (or so the horse will think).
Tapping With a Whip:
While this method can work, I don’t bother with it and suggest you don’t either. Many times this makes a horse worse or causes other anxiety issues, especially with a horse that is pawing because of nervousness. I am not saying that it never works, and I am sure that some people have had success with it. But it is too difficult to explain all the variables and the degree of force to use in an article. Unless you know of someone who can teach you exactly what to do, leave it alone.