Add me to the list of one who has seen a horse fake
lameness to get out of work. I worked with a very smart, calculating type
Arab gelding.(smarter than the average Arab for those Arab owners who feel they
are all smart) There was a guy who exercised some of the horses with me,
and this horse did not like him. He would head out on him, and the horse would
do a head bob, grade 3 lame. He'd come back, and put the horse away,
saying he was lame. Next time, horse would again do it, but some times on the
other leg. When I, or his owner would get on him, he'd not do it. But he
could really buffalo this guy, and knew it. He'd fake feeling "sick" too, going
really, really slow on the way out, dropping his head down, dragging his toes
along. He thought the horse was tying up. But I'd get on, and he was
cured.
Many people believe horses do not have the ability
to reason as such. That is fine, they can believe it. Doesn't really matter I
guess to me, but I have seen them do reasoning, like faking a lameness to get
out of work. The above horse should have had a job as a trick horse. lol
He sure tricked Scott.
