“I have a senior horse that was best friends with my mare for 12 years up at a pack station, and after bring her home Bullwinkel came too because they couldn’t be apart. After about 4 months I had to put my mare Down as she developed laminitis and could no longer get up and down. It was the saddest thing to see and watch Bullwinkle grieve her passing, I have never seen anything so sad as he watched and cried for her for for about 2 weeks. I brought in another horse to be his pasture companion and finally I can see peace and joy back in Bullwinkle’s behavior. But during the time of loss he stayed close to me every minute I was with him and we develop so a wonderful bond. He needed to be loved on and groomed and just wanted me to be with him . Horses do have feelings and now I have both of them to love and cherish!, I love this sight and read it daily, so wanted to add my little tid bit of horse love!
Ronnie”
“One of my horses ( the younger one ) loves his bit so much that when I am taking off his bridle he keeps fiddling with it in his mouth for almost 30 seconds . I do not want to rush him as he is very young and is still figuring every high oout with his mouth but it is very cute how curious he is. i agree with everything else except that if your horse enjoys a bit and it does not bother them or cause them any sort of uncomfort I do not want think is is necessary to transition into a bit less bridle.
jackie”
One thing, after reading the comments I need to say, some horse behavior we think is cute is sometimes really bad and even dangerous.
We must learn thier language first -not expect them to learn ours language and expectations right away. Kicking a stall? Very bad habit for the horse. Potentially damaging his tendons, ligaments, hocks and feet. Very bad on your budget when one day he breaks property. And bad for other horses if they pick up the habit.
Bum in your chest? Very dangerous. We are not a scratching posts! One day a horse can knock an unsuspecting people scratching post over. It’s very disrespectful.
Horses have pecking orders. Some of these “cute” behaviors are like Them throwing up the middle finger and lowering you to the bottom of the ranks. Yes – bottom. (Pardon the pun)
Jenny”
“My mare was once a wild mustang. She came into my life pregnant. Her 16’2 buckskin son is almost 6 years old now. When I come to feed etc. they meet me by their corral fences, side by side, and stretch their heads out for me to kiss their noses. They know the word “kiss”. Sometimes my mare will kiss me before she begins eating her hay! I give them hugs and kisses all over their bodies as they feed, and never have they shown dislike for the affection. As I muck out my mare’s corral, she’ll often back up until the back of her back legs are touching the front of the wheelbarrow. She wants me to scratch her butt, which I do since she doesn’t have a tree to do it on. Affection is a big part of our relationships!
Jeanie”
“Darryl here. In response to Jennifer’s query,since I am really still a novice I am not sure about bum scratching.I have a 16.2 T/B X Q/H MARE who is 7y.o. and I got her at 14 months of age. I do my initial greeting with a deep mane massage( almost hard fist clamping to duplicate the effect of another horse nibbling her mane).She gives me about 1 minute at this and then she will walk forward and present her bum to where my hand is for ” the bum rub”.
OK OK OK I know that a lot of people my class this as disrespectful and putting you in harms way.Therefore I ALWAYS stand facing forward with my leg up against her rear leg, make sure I don’t have any dog or cat around or another horse that may startle her for safety reasons.Just the other day on dusk my red cattle dog was with me when I was doing the bum sratch and sure enough when the bitch went into the mare’s no sight rear zone the mare gave a little 1/4 kick.
Doing the b s builds trust from your horse and I incorporate a little anus touching all for future medical/vet needs.The trust level increases ( I feel ) with every session.Initially I started out with small sessions at feed time, twilight and after dark.This are the crucial times in a wild horses survival and with your own horse this is when they let their defences down and trust YOU to be their GUARDIAN.
After dark is when I like to do some of my homespun whispering .Another little trust developing thing I do is to back up against the horses chest with their neck/head over one of my shoulders.This zone is a very personal space for a horse and once he allows you there ,trust increases.The test here with trust is when you feel the full weight of the horses neck and head on your shoulder and its pulse is nice and slow and powerful.
If your horse backs away when you are initially backing in to its chest I used to to do little foot shuffles to keep in contact – this is all part of keeping ‘your energy level’ low as to not excite or stress your horse.
I am still working on that 18 Y.O. Q/H mare who is explosive with this technique ( someone really damaged her mentally).
So scratch away and always access your horse EVERY time you greet him/her.
Darryl”
“I have a mustang gelding that used to turn his bum to you in a quick turn when you got close to him showing complete disrespect. I started making him work when he did this by using the halter/lead rope to make him trot off or walk off repeatedly until he stops and keeps his head to me. I just shake it at him and make a shshsh sound. He has completely stopped the quick turns of the bum after just a few lessons. This also worked on getting a halter on him better. He knows if he walks away, I will make him work until he allows me to walk up and put the halter on. Oh and I do this out in the pasture, not in a pen.
Julie”
I don’t think I could ever tire of your tip, thoughts and comments. Big thanks to everyone. Please keep ’em coming.
Horse whisperering give away here.
Best
Al & Claire
I’ve been in the company of horses for sixty-five years and the one thing I have learned is each one is an individual and needs to be treated as one. There have been things I’ve done to or allowed from one horse that I wouldn’t think of doing to or allowing from another.
Keep in mind when you allow a particular behavior from a horse, could someone else handling him in the future misinterpret the behavior as negative and punish the horse. If you’re certain you will always be his handler, it doesn’t matter.
I was told it is disrespectful to groom or be in my horses space when they are eating. I believe whats true for one horse is not true for all. I pay very close attention to my horses body language, I have learned over time what they enjoy and what they do not prefer, as they have learned from mine. My horse like their bellies rubbed when they are finished eating. I found this to be very relaxing for them. I love to see their eyes droopy and them licking their lips. This is also very relaxing for me. I have never been to a therapist, probably because I live with horses. When I am working with them, I reward them with scratches in their favorite places and soft talk. When I get not so good behavior, they do not get the scratches, but I still do the soft talk. Sometimes you have to pay close attention for the try, if they try but do not understand what I want, I don’t push them because they will only get frustrated and may remember it as a bad experience, so I let them know I appreciate that they tried and try to find an easier way to show them next time. I do not pretend to be a professional, far from it, we continue to learn from each other. I only know what makes me and my horses happy. Suzie
How did you go about having your older Mare put down?
I love all the tips and comments. Having grown up with horses, my Dad always taught me to have respect, to be calm and never be loud and aggressive in my attitude. I am almost sixty and I still hold the firm belief that horses like humans come in different packages and personalities and each one needs to be treated accordingly. Some are so quiet one can trust a newborn with and others are so strung out it seems they feel a gust of air is going to kill them. We as their guardians have to learn their messages and treat them accordingly and teach them what we want and expect from us. For me it takes four main letters and they are a constant in my life – QGPT – QUIET GENTLE PATIENCE TIME. With those four things one can be rewarded with a lifetime of trust and love – what more can a girl want from her horse? 🙂
Thank you Suzie for your kind horse focused communication. It is reassuring knowing horse whisperers are out there making the world a better place for a few lucky and magnificent creatures without human ego in the wings just waiting to make the animal wrong and handler right! -Stefne
My stallion doesn’t want to be fooled with when he’s eating but the mare and fillies don’t mind.
I have a large pony (about 13 hands) she is so awsome. She has been rubbing her mane and tale until its really needed to be cut all the way down her neck. Does that mean she needs to be wormed?