>>> EXACTLY! So he's frustrated? Upset about the move to a new place, new faces, horses, smells?
With my mare, it's just something she does, like her "primal instincts" are strong. She doesn't do it a lot, but she does it a lot at feeding time as I said, like her instincts are telling her to paw and forage for food, even though her food is put in front of her in a "plate". I don't see her doing it with her hay...only with her pellets, which is sort of an unnatural way of feeding - but at her age, she needs some pellets for supplement. I quit thinking about her doing it ages ago, since it simply seems to be one of her idiosyncrasies. She's a pretty darned settled and dependable mare, so I don't worry, and she isn't as apt to do this as when she was young - and when I was dumber... I think any horse that has recently been moves has plenty of reasons for frustration. As you said, just being in a new place with new horses and humans is probably plenty. If he were mine, I'd keep watch, but basically ignore the behavior, and hope that it would lesson as he settles. I sure wouldn't try to stop it by reprimanding him, because if it is coming from nervousness or frustration, trying to stop him will likely only make him more nervous or frustrated. Of course, I'd do everything I could think of in the interim to help him settle too. I think of Tivar when he first came. He was very mouthy, and that was annoying. I was tempted to tell him to cut it out, because it was aggravating, but I didn't. Eventually, his mouthiness diminished significantly, until it was still just one of his minor, but very moderated, quirks. I haven't heard Janice say how he's doing with that quirk recently... Karen Thomas, NC -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.0.0/750 - Release Date: 4/6/2007 9:30 PM "The greatest enemy of the truth very often is not the lie- deliberate, contrived and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic." "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." ~ Arthur Schopenhauer [] The video every Icelandic Horse owner should have: http://IceHorses.net/video.html [] Lee Ziegler http://leeziegler.com [] Liz Graves http://lizgraves.com [] Lee's Book Easy Gaited Horses http://tinyurl.com/7vyjo [] IceHorses Map http://www.frappr.com/IceHorses [] IceHorses ToolBar http://iceryder.ourtoolbar.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IceHorses/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IceHorses/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
