bathroom habits

[Corrie Dunn]

is there a way to train a horse to go outside his barn stall. My first horse never goes in her stall, but my second one seems to think it is to go in like a bathroom. Is there a way of training him?

[Barbara F.]

Wow Corrie, I have never heard of a horse not going in their stall!

Horses go in their stalls for two reasons - one is the obvious, which is that they are locked in there. Two is that the scent of their own "stuff" makes the stall their own and marks it as their own secure home. I would not try to change or discourage this instinctive behaviour, and with horses' sensitive digestive systems, I would never encourage a horse to wait and "hold it in". Just get yourself a good, solid muck rake! :)

p.s. You will notice that when you turn your horse out they will sometimes go from poop to poop sniffing to see who has been in the paddock before them, so poop plays an important role in their lives!

[Corrie Dunn]

Thanks for the info, I did not know that. My horses have axcess to outdoors at any time they want. We just have rooms added to the back of the barn for shelterit's about 10ft x 16ft each . My female horse who never goes in the barn, sleeps in hers, she seems to make a nest and sleeps laying down most of the time as you can see where she sleeps. I'm not sure what my male does, except poops in his. I do not make them hold it. Thanks again for your info.

[Barbara F.]

Wow, I think my horse would LOVE to be able to go in and out as he pleases! Well, in that case, maybe you could encourage your horse to venture outside after he eats (if he gets fed indoors). That's very cute about your mare making a nest. Sounds very cozy!!

[Corrie Dunn]

It amazes most people.They tell me horses sleep standing and I say she also makes a nest in her barn, she is very clean,she is a quarter/thoroughbred a little high strung, my other horse is a hanovarian he is a very quit relaxed horse,but big. Love them both.My friend her horse goes outside too.

[Linda Weldon]

I have the opposite problem with my horse...he doesn't poop while being ridden. This has caused some pretty, let's say 'interesting' moments in the show ring when he wants to go but can't. The struggle 'to go' but 'not to go' is hilarious,
and will usually will get him eliminated from the ribblons from that class due to his contortions and lack of forward impulsion. In the almost 16 years I have owned him, he has pooped maybe 3 times under saddle and almost given me a heart attack in the process while doing so! I think my screams of 'good boy, good boy' must make people think I
have gone completely bonkers! LOL!

[Maryann Kleynendorst]

My guy will not go while moving. Stops dead, hunches his back groans, dumps and then carries happily on. I have tried everything to keep him moving but no luck. Came to a dead stop on the trail once, the horse behind him couldn't stop in time, crowded up against him and Jazzie happily crapped in the riders boot. Another time at a schooling show he stopped right in front of a jump, turned sideways to it, hunched his back, groaned lustily while crapping, picked up the canter, circled and jumped the fence and carried merrily on. Gotta love these guys.

Maryann

[Tracey Smith]

I've tried unsuccessfully in the past to "change" where a horse goes and finally gave up....they are who they are and it's just not a battle that for me is worth fighting.

I have two mares (an arab and a TB) that share a large double paddock so they can be inside or outside at their choosing. When in there together NEITHER ever poops inside, but each mare has her own "potty corner" in the pen. It's easy to tell whose is whose as my arab mares poo balls are petite and tiny and my TB's are HUGE....my stepson calls them dinosaur eggs!

However....should I take the arab mare out of town for a weekend to a ride or even for the day...the TB Mare poops like crazy INSIDE!!! It's GROSS when I get back, but I think that's her way of showing she's worried about the arab mare.

Funny though, my arab mare is the alpha and also my competition horse so she KNOWS she's the queen bee....so if I take the TB mare away for a day or whatever...no poop inside....she's a neat freak!

I just find their habits funny and let them be who they are.

[Cindy Jeffery]

I found my morgan stallion was fun with his poop. He did the sniff and check thing but when it came to his own stall he always had his corner where he would stack his poop like a little mountain. One day after noticing this curious behaviour I wondered what would happen if after cleaning his stall and changing the bedding if I put a small amount of another horses poop in another corner of the pen......yup your right...he went right over as soon as he got in and pooped on that spot where the other horse's poop was. I found this hilarious......so I thought I would give it a try with the weanlings, there were 2 of them and they pooped everywhere in their stalls including their feed bins and buckets and I had enough. So, after cleaning their stalls I swapped a small pile of poop with each colt and it was amazing when I put them back in immediately they pooped on the phantom intruder's pile and did so till the next cleaning. It was a very interesting experiment. They sure are hilarious individuals.

[Corrie Dunn]

that sounds like something I will try. Mind you now that it is cold outside it is so much easier and faster to clean his pen as it is inside and not frozen, where as out side it is all over the place and frozen and takes so much longer to clean up. I will try one spot with my other horses poop to see if he will just go in one spot. Will let you know if it works. thanks

[Dolores]

Horses can be trained to go where we want them to but it does take real commitment to the training process.

I think some horses like to go inside because then you'll remove it.

As mentioned on another reply, they also like to go where someone or they have gone before. Stallions like to make piles, mares seem to like "clean" areas that have been gone in before.

Geldings are sometimes less particular. That's not because they are less trainable. It's because people don't usually pay attention to these things.

I'm training a guide horse right now and her potty habits need a good deal of control. That said, it is not healthy for a horse to "hold" it too long. 2 hours without stress seems like the right time.

Like people who will get diarrhea when stressed, horses will "go" more often when even a little stressed. So, take that into account too.