Tri-Tronics^®, Inc.

P. O. Box 17660

Tucson, AZ  85731

support@tthorse.com

1-800-808-8423

ARTICLES & EDUCATION

Pawing

Horses normally paw from frustration or impatience. They may be impatient if they feel they are not being fed quick enough. They can be frustrated by many things; being left behind when a pasture-mate or neighbor is taken out to work or being tied for any length of time. Some horses will paw so fervently that they almost seem unaware of their surroundings.

The negative results of pawing depend a lot on what surface the horse is pawing. They may paw an object such as a horse trailer, a fence, a gate or a feeder. These items can be expensive to replace or repair and can harm the horse if he gets his leg or hoof caught. They may dig deep holes in their stall or paddock that constantly need to be refilled. Pawing wastes energy, which can lead to poor performance. Pawing also results in abnormal hoof or shoe wear and many horses will lose shoes from pawing.

This is an easy habit for the ViceBreaker^® to stop. The horse can be corrected from a distance so that he does not associate the correction with the owner. It is important that you rule out any medical reason for pawing such as colic or lameness before using the ViceBreaker^®. One caution is that it is not recommended that the ViceBreaker^® be used while the horse is tied. If the horse were to become frightened he may set back if he were tied firmly to something. Unfortunately some horses only paw while they are tied. We recommend that for these horses you use an extra long lead rope or lunge line and loop it instead of tying it off firmly. The horse will think they are tied and should still paw. For more detailed suggestions on how to use the ViceBreaker^® for his habit, please refer to the Training Suggestions in our Owners Manual.

As with many bad habits, pawing may be a sign that your horse is unhappy with his environment. Please read our Factors page to better understand why horses perform bad habits. Also read our Tips page for suggestions on how to improve your horses lifestyle so that he will be less likely to pick up a bad habit.