A Strange Question about Horse Behaviour

The wash stalls at a barn I go to have those large rubber skips (buckets) in the back corners for depositing any mess after grooming. MANY of the horses like to back up into them and put great effort into trying to put one or both legs into them. They seem to work at it and one horse will put both feet in and them happily stand there. Why do you think they do this?? No one can figure it out!!

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Permalink Reply by Natasha Sukorokoff on August 29, 2008 at 7:05pm

Do any of the horses in your barn have a problem with the water in the wash stalls? Maybe they're just trying to get away from the trickling feeling and saw the skip as a good barrier. That's just my guess, though. I'm no genius, but I know that my horse hates the water on her legs.

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Permalink Reply by Sue on November 4, 2008 at 5:39pm

My TB mare, Copie, likes to do this, too. She won't put her hind legs into a full bucket, but she loves to back up to an empty bucket, whether it is a wate bucket or a muck bucket, and slowly work her hind legs into the bucket. I thought it was a unique quirk in a very quirky mare which I always chalked up to being a bottle raised orphan foal. She also likes to 'shake hands' with her tongue. I think it is very dear, but non-horse people who get slimed by her don't always agree. :-)

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Permalink Reply by Barbara F. on November 6, 2008 at 3:59pm

That is what lots of horses in my barn do (not the sliming thing - the bucket thing:))
That is the best way to describe it. They slowly work both back legs into the bucket. I always thing one of them might frighten themselves, but they never do! What do you think they are doing - or trying to do?

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Permalink Reply by Susan on December 10, 2008 at 11:28am

Maybe they can't see what's behind them, so they're trying to figure it out by feel. It's a mystery to me too!

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Permalink Reply by Auzzie on March 2, 2009 at 7:11pm

thats strange, if they get there feet in do they just stand there?

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Permalink Reply by Barbara F. on March 2, 2009 at 8:28pm

I can tell you that the horses that do it at my barn sometimes just stand there with their leg or legs in the skip. They seem to be feeling behind them to find the skip then lift their legs along the outsides til they fin the top and then put their feet in it. It's so weird and I have no idea why they do it. Not all of them do it, but the ones who do start right away looking for the skip as soon as they get into the wash stall.

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Permalink Reply by Nancy McHardy on March 2, 2009 at 9:07pm

Maybe they think that if they are in the bucket they won't get washed down the drain...... maybe they feel safe? Some horses don't like to step into puddles, and they think they are avoiding the water with their feet in the buckets. Very strange......Just my thoughts !! Nancy