Why Do Horses Grunt?

[TamaraC]

I have noticed lately that my horse "grunts" or kinda sounds like a "groan" when he moves. Maybe it has something to do with his sore foot.
But even when I ride him, he makes a funny noise which is more like a "grunting" sound

[virtuallyhorses]

Its just the same mechanism as when you bend\sit\get up as you get older (or so I'm told) - its usually an involuntary noise made when the diaphragm, lungs are relaxed and muscles involved in movement force air past the windpipe causing a grunting sound. With horses its often seen as a good sign, that they're relaxed, and there's even an old proverb about grunting horses.

[TamaraC]

Originally posted by virtuallyhorses
Its just the same mechanism as when you bend\sit\get up as you get older (or so I'm told) - its usually an involuntary noise made when the diaphragm, lungs are relaxed and muscles involved in movement force air past the windpipe causing a grunting sound. With horses its often seen as a good sign, that they're relaxed, and there's even an old proverb about grunting horses.

Ok...my riding instructor said that when i ride him, its just because he is relaxing with me and enjoying himself too. No other horse i've ridden has done this though.
What's the proverb??

[Silver1]

Mear doesn't grunt when I ride her, but then our longest ride has been barely half an hour...

[Bebe]

Bebe grunts a lot when I ride, usually when we're warming up or cooling down and occasionally when she's working properly through her back.

My instructor and Bowen lady both said it's her muscles letting go and relaxing and the grunt is an involuntary reaction. The grunting when asked to work hard is probably due to effort though!

I find it quite funny as sometimes she sounds a bit like a hippo!

[TamaraC]

Originally posted by Bebe
Bebe grunts a lot when I ride, usually when we're warming up or cooling down and occasionally when she's working properly through her back.

My instructor and Bowen lady both said it's her muscles letting go and relaxing and the grunt is an involuntary reaction. The grunting when asked to work hard is probably due to effort though!

I find it quite funny as sometimes she sounds a bit like a hippo!

Yea, when he does it when I ride, it's usually when we are warming up, just walking around. I have never asked him to work hard, we havn't gotten beyond a trot yet! lol Well it's good to know he can relax with me aboard :) Because he dosn't do it with anyone else. lol i thought i may have been fat enough to push the air out of him ;)

[sozzie]

The welshie I ride grunts all the time, I thought that she was telling me she's had enough!
Next time a ride her I'll check when she does it to see if she is relaxed or in a mood.
I can appreciate the reference to the noise a Hippo makes, it sounds more like that than a pig sort of grunt.

[western]

Mine does that when he is in his pen or when we are riding . He always snorts too when we are warming up. I think that its nothing to worry about , its just something that horses do .

[Waikato Valuta]

My horses snezes and grunts every time we trot when warming up. Then he gets over it and is fine. it's a bit weired.

[IrisSilverMoon]

Chance the horse I jump grunts everytime he has to take a jump, like it's soooooooooo hard to take a two foot fence...:rolleyes:

LOL...he's just lazy and it's his way of saying that it's hard work, once he gets going i don't think it's that big of a deal for him...lol, but it's the getting him going that's the tough part...;)

[kathyt1]

A horse I used to ride would only grunt if she was happy and listening to you according to the instructor! I saw lots of people ride her and she would make no noise if they were not getting along, but would grunt if she was behaving herself:o

[Waikato Valuta]

I've notice that. Yesterday when I was ridding my horse we had a few good times and a few bad times.

When he was going well he would strech his neck down and seneze but when I was having problems he would stick his head up and not make a sound.