In my March
Review I mentioned that some pigs have appeared close to the road on one of
our hacking routes. Basil was really
unsure about going past them the first time and we crossed the road so that we
weren't so close. I wasn't sure if it
was because of the noise they were making pushing their bowls about but since
then I have found out that many horses are afraid of pigs.
Basil
actually passed them more calmly the second time we went that way so I am not
sure he is actually afraid of them. I am
confident that he will get even better too!
I
expect that most horses are unsure about them because it is unusual to see
them. Cows and sheep are quite often in
the fields but pigs are a more unfamiliar site.
If horses saw them every day they probably would get used to them as
Basil is.
Pigs
do smell different and often make plenty of noise either squealing or
grunting.
They
are quite nosy too and so, unlike sheep, often come up to the fence or hedge to
watch a horse go by. They often run up squealing and grunting in groups. This
is obviously going to scare a lot of horses.
In the
wild the tusks of a mature boar could cause serious damage to a horse's legs
and tendons. Perhaps this is part of the reason, pigs are carnivores and would
in the wild many years ago have eaten horses.
I don't think they hunted them but an injured or trapped horse would
have been a tasty meal.
A seriously big pig in the U.S.
A
horse's survival instincts are still very strong (see my Horse
Psychology blog) so any unusual smell, sound or sight will make them nervous
initially. Some horses will get more
confident, some won't, it depends on their temperament. Basil does get better with time and exposure
to these things and many horses are the same.
Did you see last weeks video? Horse Lifeand Love
Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE. Look out on Wednesday for 'My Hacking Essentials'!
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Until next time!
Jo
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