How Scary is That?

We horses are flighters, not fighters. Almost everything is scary. But there are some things that we do not need to be afraid of. Today we have compiled a list of things that the average horse might be scared of. These are our scary ratings survey results:

Please note that all fear ratings are out of 10.

·        Plastic bags and other flimsy noise-producing items. Fear Rating: 9

Although their scare rating is abnormally high, studies have shown that a plastic bag or other flimsy noise-producing object has almost never been known to hurt horses; therefore, we actually need not be afraid of these items.

Possibly the most scary of all, but not harmful!

·        Foreign animals. Fear Rating: 6

Depending on the kind of animal, the rating can vary, so be sure to keep a good eye out. Note that foreign animals have been known to attack or hurt horses.

Clearly Vegas is not afraid of dogs.

·        Bull Whips. Fear Rating: 3

These should never actually hurt you. It is just the loud cracking sound that is scary. If your human is using a bull whip to hurt you, report to an older horse who may be able to give you tips on how to get out of this situation. It is very, very rare for this to happen though.

·        Standing Water. Fear Rating: 3

Water is a good thing, though many horses forget this. When asked to step into the water, do not fear. Although smaller puddles may appear deep and dangerous, 99.9 percent of the time horses do step in these puddles, they are perfectly fine.

·        New Surroundings. Fear Rating: 10

Be afraid of all new things! Whether it is a new stall, a new arena, a new trailer, a new tree, be on guard. If you do not know what it is, how can you be sure it won’t hurt you?

That’s our two bits!

The Art of Mud Rolling

Imagine you just got relieved of your saddle after a long and strenuous ride, and you get let out into the pasture to relax. Now, what’s the very first thing you want to do?

Many horses would say “ROLL!” For some horses, mud rolling isn’t just a way to stay warm in the cold winter months.

There are many reasons for you to decide to roll in a dirty spot. One, it does keep you warm in the winter. Two, rolling in mud or dirt can relieve the itchiness you feel after a ride. Three, when your human sees you completely covered in dirt, they usually get annoyed. And finally, many horses roll just for the fun and excitement of it.

 

Our friend Kat has clearly mastered the art of mud rolling! (By the way, Kat is supposed to be yellow!)

Sadly, this country has come to a point where horses no longer appreciate the art of mud rolling. In a poll taken at the barn where we stay, over 80% of horses agree that they can do a thorough job of getting dirty with just a few seconds of thrashing around in the dirt. This is a complete outrage!

To thoroughly cover your body with mud, you must spend at least 30 seconds working on it, if not even a few minutes. These are three key steps that will change the way you roll from now on.

1. Be sure to pick out a very good spot. Often there is a certain place in your pasture where you and the other horses usually roll. Most likely this will be the best place for you to take a dirt bath, but it is wise to check the area for better spots. The lower your rolling spot is in your pasture, the more likely there will be mud.

2. Once you have picked out your perfect spot, proceed to the lying down position. Start with one side of your body and thrash around in the dirt, making sure to drag your neck up and down through the dirt. When you have finished one side, pause and catch your breath, and then flip over to start on the other side. Cover this side just as you did the first side.

3. Now the last and hardest step to master the art of mud rolling is to carefully get up and without shaking. When you shake, too much of the dirt or mud comes off!

A very important factor in mud rolling is the presence of actual mud. Horses with access to mud will obviously do better than horses with only dirt. Don’t be discouraged if your pasture has no mud, though. We have taken plenty of rolls in dry dirt with great results.

 

Caddy getting good results in a mixture of dirt and grass.

That’s our two bits!

5 Ways to Cure Stall Boredom

Our friend Leo trapped in a stall.

Of the many boring things in our lives, being trapped in a stall is probably the worst of them all, especially after your food is gone. Together with the help of a few other horses, we have come up with five easy and fun boredom killers.

1.     Try to find a way out. Start with the doors first. If you cannot get the door to open, try the walls. Often in stalls the wooden panels slide up and out. Even if you do not succeed in escaping, you did something for about 30 minutes to an hour.

2.     Cover your poop. This will blow another 30 minutes of your stall time with each pile you make. The easiest way to cover your poop with shavings is to walk right past the piles repeatedly. Be sure that when you are passing by the poop piles, you kick the shavings up or else you will have a ring of no shavings and poop still out in the open. Be sure to cover all piles before moving on to the next boredom killer.

3.     If you have hanging buckets in your stall, a quick and easy game is to see how far you can pull one back without letting it slip through your teeth. When the bucket slips and falls, it makes a very loud sound that will annoy anyone in the area.

4.     Fun toys. Occasionally, good humans will put these toys in our stalls to play with. The only problem is that we don’t know how to play with them. A few experienced horses who have mastered these toys have recently told me their secrets. You usually either pull on the toy with your teeth, just like you do with the hanging buckets, or bop it with your nose. If you do not have any of these toys in your stall, make some. Rubber buckets that sit on the ground can be played with as a toy.

5.     Pooping in your water buckets. This is a very difficult task. You must be an expert at positioning yourself properly. First you need to take a quick drink of your water before you defile it. This is the danger of pooping in your water buckets--you cannot drink anymore until your human comes and refills the buckets. It may be a difficult boredom killer, but the instructions are simple. Aim and fire.  

That’s our two bits!

Trailer Tactics--Part 3 (Unloading the Trailer)

Unloading the trailer is by far the scariest part of the trailer ride, especially if you must back out. This is one of the only times in life when we recommend trusting your human to the fullest extent.

If you are backing down a ramp, be sure to trust the ramp. Relax as you calmly walk backwards as you would on solid ground. Soon all four hoofs will be touching the ground. 

Without a ramp you must use caution. Carefully and slowly step backwards, one hoof behind the other. When one hoof drops off the edge, take a deep breath and relax; then step the others out. Often your human will make a warning sound when you are about to step your first hoof off the edge. Be listening.

Our humans try very hard to keep us safe during trailer rides. Thank them by trying your hardest to cooperate.  Even though the overall trailering experience may be a nightmare for some, just remember, more than 100 years ago, it was the other way around! So, just be glad humans pull us now!

That’s our two bits!