This isn’t something I’m trying to fix necessarily, I’m just trying to understand the behavior. Why does my 5 year old paw when he eats his grain? He honestly gets so excited, it’s like a dog wagging his tail while eating…it’s like a subconscious response. Does anyone else’s horse do this? He will literally paw the ENTIRE time he’s eating his grain.
Did you ask him?
I had one who did this and I always felt that she was just excited about her food. She was starved when I got her and that behavior plus other overblown reactions to meal time have disappeared, but it took a few years. In addition to the pawing, she would gallop over to the fence if she thought there was any chance food was involved, start talking and pacing the fence. These behaviors are not weird for horses except that her reactions were way exaggerated compared to the other horses, who would mosey over and look interested. I keep her and her companion supplied with constant delicious alfalfa and she has finally realized that what is coming into her feed tub is the same as what’s already in there, so she now has a calmer reaction to feed time. In fact, the last time I fed the girls carrots, she held back for a while. That would not have happened a few years ago.
I have one that does this every meal. She was starved when I got her with horrid teeth. She is all better now but never lost the habit.
Mine paws while waiting for grain, during eating, standing at the gate waiting her turn to come in. Not really sure she is excited to get her grain or not, just not patient. No one else here paws on a regular basis, inside or out, for her to copy their behaviour. However! I am ready to put pawing chains on her because I want this habit gone. She started after weaning, turned 3 last Wed. I want her standing still, calmly eating, not waving legs around. She is wearing a light shoe on her favorite foot, after wearing it down very short.
I’ve got one that does that…has her whole life. I gave up and put a mat down where she stands to eat. The colt in the next stall started to copy her…but I put a barrel and a highway cone where he digs and he has stopped…the filly keeps on digging and eating!!
“Nom Nom Nom Nom,” yes, have had a few who did this. Put a rubber mat under the feed bucket.
Cowboys don’t like pawing and will put a soft hobble on them especially if they do it while tied.
1 Like
I have one who gets very anxious at feeding time. She can’t stand that she’s the 3rd in line (mere seconds after over the wall dumps of feed to #1 & 2). She sometimes paws but more often just holds one leg up really high. She even sometimes drools while waiting. She holds that leg up while she eats. I did get her from a rescue, and before that she was in a neglect situation, but not extremely underweight.
2 Likes
One of ours hold his foreleg up waiting for the feed. I will admit I think it is cute. It actually means it takes longer to get his feed as he goes over there to hold his leg up. I bring the feedbin here, so he then has to put the foreleg down and come here. The same places each day
If they paw before feeding. Turn around and walk away while they paw, only turn and walk towards them when they are not pawing.
1 Like
Mine swoops his one front leg in the air while eating but generally doesn’t touch anything, just waves it around!
1 Like
My guy paws at mealtimes. His dam did also. When I met him on day one, about 8 hours old, he was pawing while nursing.
He does it less once he is eating, probably not at all anymore. But he still does while waiting for his grain (while nickering and squealing). We don’t discipline him, just wait till he stands still and quiet for a moment and then we dump his feed. So now when we walk up to his bucket he has learned to stop and stand.
Years ago, in my previous life, our race filly wouldn’t paw but WOULD KICK while eating. Grooms made sure everyone knew - Don’t stand behind her while the feed’s around…
No food, no kicking. She was just that way.
1 Like
My TB did this, plus the holding the folded leg up high.
He just loved his food. Not a rescue and (I don’t think) ever starved.
One time I quietly put carrots in his manger when he was asleep on the stall floor.
Next day he was asleep standing up with his head resting in his manger, just in case carrots appeared magically again.
He was a lovable sensitive doofus.
8 Likes
interestingly my stallion has always pawed at his food pan, and his kids do too, there dams do not and foals exhibit the behaviour before they are tall enough to see dad do it in his stall so not a copying behaviour.
1 Like
:lol::winkgrin::lol: Dang!!! You owe me a keyboard!! That’s funny!:lol:!:lol:!:winkgrin:!:lol:
The horse I had as a kid did the same thing. Pawed until the grain was given then held his leg up, tightly curled, while eating. It was his left leg, IIRC.
Once he was done eating, he’d firmly stomp the raised hoof to the ground as if to signal he was done. He was quite the character, lol!
1 Like
As a breeder, I find it 100 percent learned behavior. Mare dies it, foals learn it and retain it.
1 Like
My 5 y/o mare would paw and paw when I fed her in a ground pan… since I got her a feed bucket at chest height, no more pawing 
No idea why
I had wondered that about my gelding…but then I was finally able to buy his dam. She does not paw. However, the foal she had a few months after I bought her also paws while eating. She didn’t learn it from my gelding (her half-brother), as he was not on the farm when she was born or those first few months of her life, and she practically came out of the womb doing it! No others on the farm with her pawed for her to learn the behavior from.
I have a full brother and sister who do the “wiggle leg in the air when impatient” thing. As with others, they don’t touch the ground, just wave. Mom does not do it.
Never a problem in practice. When I am mounted, I just shift my weight towards the waving leg.
