Peeing in the aisle

[Proffie]

I have a 12 year old OTTB gelding that I’ve owned for 6 years. We recently moved to a new barn where everyone crossties in the aisle for grooming and tacking up. The previous places I’ve boarded him either had you tack up in the stall or had a dedicated grooming stall. The aisles here are cement.

Since we moved here in July, my horse has, literally 100% of the time, peed in the aisle. Sometimes before we ride, sometimes after. Doesn’t matter if he’s been in his stall prior to the ride or if I bring him in from turnout.

His stall is average size – no smaller or larger than he’s used to. There are rubber mats and lots of shavings. He does pee in his stall too, I’ve seen the shavings. He’s turned out about 8 hours a day on grass. He’s super healthy and well behaved, shows no signs of stress and seems to have adjusted to the new barn.

I guess I don’t really mind cleaning it up (like my mom said – if that’s the worst habit he has…), but it just seems so weird! He NEVER pees while I’m grooming in a stall or in the dedicated grooming stall at my last barn. Why would he purposely pee on cement?

[aquabrwn]

I have nothing of value to add, but super interested to hear what others have to say! I’ve owned mostly mares and have never before had this issue… but my new horse is also an OTTB gelding and he often pees after rides (especially in the evening - I think he probably really has to go!). As you said, obviously not a horrible issue… but would love to figure out if it’s possible to train him out of this habit

[Stitch_In_Time]

My mare did this when I moved her to a new barn. She went from being in her stall all the time (the reason I moved), to being turned out 12-14 hours a day. I don’t know if she just decided to hold it until she was in the barn or what??

Luckily the cross ties were near the barn door, and there was a large squeegee to clean it up with. Hosing was out of the question since is was February and the temps were in the teens!

I have since moved to another barn and she has completely stopped this habit. She still gets lots of turnout, but I either tack up in her stall or in the wash stall. I don’t know what it was about the aisle way that made her want to pee??

[Cruisesmom]

I had a gelding that did the same. We tacked up in our stall, and untacked in the stall. A lot easier that way, no one would complain, and I didn’t have to make a shavings mess in the isle.

[IPEsq]

I’ve known horses that do this. Can’t tell you why. I would just tack/untack in the stall.

[mvp]

It’s a smart horse who pees before he is asked to work. And I believe some race horses are taught to do this, usually with a whistle.

You might try bringing him into his stall, holding him or tying him (so his attention is on you) and whistling. Tell him where and when you want him to pee. I have trained horses to do this and it takes some time— and some timing-- but it works.

And OTOH, tell him not to pee on the cross ties. When he starts to “assume the position,” sharply make him stand back up and put his penis away.

If you want (and depending on how bad you think he has to pee), immediately take him to the stall for the pee-when-I-whistle session. If he doesn’t pee, that’s his loss. But you are clear about where he does and does not get to pee.

I don’t think this will be a hard problem to fix.

[otisrider]

I boarded my OTTB at a barn that had a row of cross tie stalls with muck buckets in between. My guy would pee frequently after riding but you could put the bucket under him and he’d peei in that solving the clean-up problem.

[TwoSweetPeas]

I rode a horse for a while that would do this. If I left him on the ties alone for one second to grab something I forgot in the tack room, I’d come back and bam, he would have peed, pretty much without fail, even if he’d had a long break in his stall before getting pulled out to tack. He would never do it if I was tacking up in the wash stall, where it could just go down the drain. He has a bit of a goofball personality and I think he thought it was pretty funny to watch me clean it up.

[Highflyer]

[QUOTE=mvp;8320006]
It’s a smart horse who pees before he is asked to work. And I believe some race horses are taught to do this, usually with a whistle.

You might try bringing him into his stall, holding him or tying him (so his attention is on you) and whistling. Tell him where and when you want him to pee. I have trained horses to do this and it takes some time— and some timing-- but it works.

And OTOH, tell him not to pee on the cross ties. When he starts to “assume the position,” sharply make him stand back up and put his penis away.

If you want (and depending on how bad you think he has to pee), immediately take him to the stall for the pee-when-I-whistle session. If he doesn’t pee, that’s his loss. But you are clear about where he does and does not get to pee.

I don’t think this will be a hard problem to fix.[/QUOTE]

Racehorses are trained to pee AFTER the race. Because that is when the drug testing is, and the faster they go the sooner they leave the test barn.

[Mango20]

Some horses train themselves to pee, or develop a habit. All three of mine have peeing rituals. The small pony will pee in my front yard every time you want to lead him up to the horse trailer. The pony and my older mare pee as I’m preparing their dinner. My other mare holds it until she is let out. She was getting in the habit of peeing in the pony’s stall on her way out, but I’ve successfully gotten her to leave the barn and pee in the taller grass next to the manure pile instead. It does seem strange that your horse would like to do it in the aisle, as they generally like a more absorbent place to go. If he were mine, I think I’d just start grooming/tacking up in his stall instead.

[Stitch_In_Time]

[QUOTE=Mango20;8320892]
Some horses train themselves to pee, or develop a habit. All three of mine have peeing rituals. The small pony will pee in my front yard every time you want to lead him up to the horse trailer. The pony and my older mare pee as I’m preparing their dinner. My other mare holds it until she is let out. She was getting in the habit of peeing in the pony’s stall on her way out, but I’ve successfully gotten her to leave the barn and pee in the taller grass next to the manure pile instead. It does seem strange that your horse would like to do it in the aisle, as they generally like a more absorbent place to go. If he were mine, I think I’d just start grooming/tacking up in his stall instead.[/QUOTE]

It’s funny you mention peeing at meal time. About half the horses at the barn where I board will pee when the BO starts giving hay before she grains them.

I also used to ride a horse that we joked was litter trained. He would only pee in his stall. It was a big problem at shows because he would get cranky when he had to pee. We tried giving him time untacked in the horse trailer, but he wouldn’t go in there either. Its a good thing they were small shows close to home, I don’t know what he would have done for an overnight show!

[Wonders12]

I would start by giving him a routine.

If he’s on more turnout now, it’s likely related to him not liking to pee during turnout. When you bring him in from the pasture, put him in his stall for a few minutes while you gather up your tack. This gives him a chance to pee and a chance to drink.

Then, after riding, bring him right into his stall. If it’s convenient enough, take off his saddle and bridle in his stall, put those away, halter him, and bring him into the aisle to finish grooming.

I know you said he will do it even if he is already inside, but giving him a routine will probably help a lot.

I do not like to punish a horse for peeing. But keep a close eye on him when he’s in the aisle, and when he starts to think about it, quickly bring him into his stall. Most get it eventually. Some take advantage and pretend to pee in order to get a break in their stall.

[lachelle]

We have a gelding at our barn who will NOT pee in his stall. Won’t pee anywhere in the barn at all. Will ONLY pee on grass.

My gelding, on the other hand, does not show such discretion. He pees in his stall, in the aisle, and ALWAYS on the ride home in the trailer. He LOVES peeing on rubber mats. I think it has something to do with him picking up the habit of peeing in the trailer on the ride home. I boarded at a barn that had a rubber mat where the cross ties are, and without fail he peed there after every single ride.

Both of these horses, however, ALWAYS poop when we take them to the wash stall or put them in the cross ties. Sometimes my horse will poop 2-3 times in the cross ties while I’m tacking him up. I think he likes the sound it makes and likes when I stop fussing with him and have to go and get the muck bucket and clean up after him.

:lol: horses…

[Mosey_2003]

Keep a bucket with you and catch it.

[SaddleUp158]

My mare has a habit of peeing after every ride. Regardless of if it is in a stall or in the aisle. I joke that she will be a drug tester’s dream at shows!

[Hilary]

One of mine used to pee in the trailer. Even if I only went 2 miles, she’d pee. We were randomly selected for drug testing once at an event after waiting for an age and she didn’t go, I suggested driving around the parking lot. She was loaded int the trailer and that didn’t do it. Vet didn’t go for it. he ended up taking blood so we could leave. At the end of the driveway I got out and checked - she’d peed. She liked to go on the go, I guess.

[runNjump86]

[QUOTE=SaddleUp158;8321063]
My mare has a habit of peeing after every ride. Regardless of if it is in a stall or in the aisle. I joke that she will be a drug tester’s dream at shows![/QUOTE]

You would think but sometimes those are the ones that clam up and won’t go no matter how long you wait! Something about having a person in the stall makes them go “Yeah this is weird…” :lol:

[SaratogaTB]

My 9 year old OTTB started doing this when I cross tie him a few months off the track. He gets very relaxed while I’m grooming him and peeing comes next. I have a bucked to catch it so its not messy and that takes care of it.

[trubandloki]

I too have a mare who did not read the part of the horse manual that says horses do not like to pee on had surfaces because it splashes them.

Thankfully it is not in cross ties.

She chooses to pee under the over hang, which has no bedding and has mats, instead of using either her stall, which is well bedded, or the paddock itself which is sand.

[crosscreeksh]

Tack/untack in his stall or keep an empty muck basket handy and catch the discharge!! My TB will gladly pee in a basket…keeps his stall dryer!!
Anything you do to discourage urinating is probably unhealthy!!