Many people have horses who paw and they wonder why their horses do this. The answer is actually quite simple – YOU GIVE THEM ATTENTION FOR IT! Yes, it’s true. If your horse is pawing and you tell him to stop – you are actually reinforcing this bad behavior. It’s like if you tell a kid to stop having a temper tantrum and they keep going and get even louder – the reason they are doing it is because you just gave them attention for that bad behavior. The same is true with your horse. The more you yell, hollar and scream at him the more attention you are giving him and the more energy you are putting into that behavior. It doesn’t matter whether or not that attention is negative – it’s still attention.
So, how do you stop them you ask? This answer is simple too – Ignore them! Yes, simply ignore the fact that they are pawing and eventually they will stop. This is called extinction training. If you don’t give attention for the bad behavior they eventually figure out that it’s not working to get your attention and they will stop doing it. The same is true for the temper tantruming child. If you ignore the child while he throws a fit in the floor he will eventually stop because that tactic no longer gets attention from you. If you want your horse to stop pawing while you saddle, while he is standing tied, etc., just keep going about your business and completely ignore the fact that he is doing it. Better yet, let him stand tied and completely ignore him while you do something else, like restack hay bales or clean your tack. Of course you want to remain in view of your horse for safety reasons, but do something that keeps your attention away from this bad behavior and the horse will eventually figure out that this tactic just doesn’t work any more.
4 Comments
March 24, 2008 at 4:15 am
Hello, What if he paws while you are riding??
March 24, 2008 at 12:57 pm
If your horse paws while you are riding then you need to keep him moving. Do some tight circles, rollbacks and other little maneuvers (they don’t have to be fast) and make him work for the chance to stand still. He’ll soon figure out that’s it’s a lot easier to stand still than it is to work.
September 2, 2008 at 2:42 am
I don’t know if you have heard of “My Shoez” (www.myshoez.com) as a way to keep your horse from pawing when you aren’t riding him. They worked really well on my horse that used to paw whenever I tied him up. I am trying to get the word out about them because I think they can really help people who have horses that have pawing problems. Anyways, visit the website if you want to know more about them!
October 16, 2009 at 6:13 am
Ignoring did not work with my horse, as he paws even when I am not around. In fact, he rarely paws when I am around. I do not run and give him attention when he does it either. He is causing lameness and is even showing navicular changes because of the behavior. I am purchasing myshoez tomorrow. I would have done it sooner, but I am just finishing his paddock which will separate him from his pasture mate. You do not want to leave myshoez on when they are with other horses, as other horses may force them to run away from food or force them to move away quickly if they are the less dominent horse. This could cause undue punishment for the horse. When I called the company, they recommended that the horse is kept separate from other horses while the shoez are on.