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> On this thread .....
> Does anyone have any tricks to make them stop?
> Jen

I have been lucky to never have to deal with a horse that paws but I have 
occasionally noticed that my horse will BEGIN to exhibit some unwanted 
behaviour when he had not done so before.  My first thought is always that 
it is *I* who have done something to encourage the unwanted behaviour, 
usually by unintentionally rewarding it.  For instance, if I ask my horse 
to do something, and he does it, and I reward him within 2-4 seconds, he 
may not associate the reward with the behaviour I asked for but he will 
also not associate it with something else.  He may not understand what he 
did that earned a reward but after I have rewarded him for exactly the same 
behaviour a few times, he will get it.  However, if I wait 5, 10, or 15 
seconds to reward him, there is no way he will associate the reward with 
the positive behaviour.  Instead, it will be associated with whatever he 
was doing at the moment I rewarded him, like maybe stamping to rid himself 
of a fly.

We have all known at least one horse that acts like a jerk at feeding time. 
 We believe the reason for this behaviour is that he WANTS HIS NOW. 
Sometimes we feed him last, make him wait, or maybe not feed him at all to 
punish his bad behaviour.  Of course, these tactics never work.  But stop 
to consider.  What if the horse believes (because you have slowly taught 
him) that obnoxious behaviour is REQUIRED to get fed?  Viewed in that 
light, that the misbehaviours are PART of the feeding ritual, you can see 
immediately that there is virtually no punishment you can deliver that will 
stop your horse's behaviour.  HE thinks he must do it to get fed.  The only 
way to break this habit is to feed him only when he doesn't expect it.  The 
way to prevent this pattern is to not feed at exactly the same times every 
day.  Many trainers tell us horses like the reassurance of a regular 
schedule.  That has not been my experience.  It is the trainer or the 
stable owner that likes a regular schedule because it is easier and 
convenient.  The horses could care less.  Horses in pasture do not put 
their heads down to graze at exactly the same time, or even remotely the 
same time, every day.  They eat when the spirit moves them.  And we all 
know that horses in pasture tend to be much less stressed or squirrelly 
than horses kept in stalls, you know, the ones who are fed on a regular 
schedule :)

Most horses who paw when they are tied have been rewarded for that 
behaviour.  How long do you think it would take to stop a 5 yr old child 
from throwing things if every time he did his mother gave him a candy?  So 
if you want your horse to stop, you have to stop rewarding him.  Easier 
said than done :)   How depends on how ingrained the behaviour is.  If not 
well developed, you can tie him, ignore the pawing, and as soon as he has 
stood still for 10 or 20 seconds, praise him and untie him.  Gradually 
lengthen the time he is tied.  He will forget pawing.  If he is practically 
neurotic about it, you have a much more difficult task.  Substituting a 
desired behaviour is probably the easiest way to go.  Teach your horse to 
stop moving on a lead line at a certain cue.  When he has learned that the 
cue means "Stop moving", tie him and wait.  As soon as he paws, cue him to 
"Stop moving" and when he does, reward him immediately and end the lesson. 
 Gradually lengthen the time between his responding to the "Stop moving" 
cue and the reward.  BTW, many use treats as the reward.  I prefer to use 
my voice and hands.  Those have the advantage of never being back at the 
house, never running out, and besides, my horses LOVE to be touched and 
talked to.

I hope this helps.

Here is a link to a short article titled "Superstitious Behaviour in 
Horses"... and no, it is not about black cats or going under ladders, 
though both are mentioned :)

http://www.animalnetwork.com/horse/detail.aspx?aid=3238&cid=52&category=


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