does it take alot of trust for horses to let you lay beside them?

S

skewbald-mad

Active Member
Sep 20, 2007
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fife, scotland
as title really, im always surprised at how relaxed kaiser is when he is laying down and i go into the stable with him, he doesent bother when i lay next to him, leaning on him,

yesterday when he was in because of the horrendous weather and slippy field, i was sitting with him for about half an hour, having a good play, the game was how hard can we bite mummys boots without it going thru to her feet;);):D:D:D

i just wondered because when a horse is lying down it is at its most vulnerable so thought it might take alot to let someone come up to them, and let them come down to them, if so then kaiser must really trust me, and if not then ive got a big head for nothing:D

and heres a complimentary photo of the cutie in question having a wee rest

kaiser009.jpg
 
I'm not sure, but I would think they would have to trust you to let you be alongside them at their most vulnerable. If you were a lion in the wild they certainly wouldn't stay put! They must trust that you are not going to harm them.
Mine lets me sit with him when he's lying down although he usually pulls a grumpy face as if to say 'bog off I'm having 20 winks & you're disturbing my peace!'. The colt on our yard on the other hand loves giving you kisses while hes snoozing & would happily let you sit there all day.x
 
thats what kaisers like! must be a colt thing? he loves having someone to give kisses too and loves it when you blow gently on his nostrils, another fun game of ours! i think its good for our bonding too
 
Well it's either trust or a bout of colic. Ha. For a horse to let you lie down with him, I think they'd have to be trusting of humans in general. For a horse to only let one particulr person lay down with him and not anyone else, then that could be a trust issue. Clay has let me lie with him in the field and in the stable, as did my first pony. My first pony wouldn't let anyone other than me near her when she was lying down, but then i was the only person that had every handled her/ picked up feet/ridden her/groomed her/loaded her. We had a bond that was unbreakable. IMO anyway! Clay however is a *very* trusting horse and i think he'd let any Tom D*ck or Harry come and sit next to him! Haha :)
 
I don't think it has anything to do with a special bond as far as Joy is concerned. Just that she has to know you aren't going to bother her.

Joy was always laid out in the fields last year and my youngster would always go and give her a snuggle as would I.

This is just one of the numerous pics!

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My old horse used to sleep on me! Id snuggle up in the corner of his stable with his head in my lap and he'd lie his head across me and go to sleep. Sometimes he'd whinny in his sleep and twitch, and his ears would move and his eyes would roll, so he was pretty deeply gone.
When he woke up he'd sit up and look at me with a look of bewilderment. Sometimes Id tug his mane and he'd lie down again and go back to sleep, and sometimes Id move and lean on his shoulder and he'd curl his neck round me and doze.
Several times Ive sat cross legged on his back / tummy whilst he slept, reading a magazine :p. I used to groom him as he lay down too, and it was very useful to plait him up whilst he lay down, ready for pony club!
I think it is a trust thing. When I first got him he used to get up everytime someone looked at him. I was the only person he'd let sit with him, he'd get up for everyone else really. Was hard to get photos because people had to sneak up to take them or he'd jump up!
Jack I saw lying down twice - and both times he leapt to his feet when he saw me. But sadly we didnt like each other all that much.


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xxx
 
When the vet came to licence Andy he was lying down in the field (Andy, not vet). Took a good 15 minutes to persuade him he wanted to get up! It certainly wasn't down to a bond then - he's never met that vet before. Vet reckoned it was a testament to his chilled, laid-back personality... I'd be inclined to think that too (we are talking the original Mr Pipe&Slippers here!)

I think when horses are happy to lie down with people it's probably an indication that they are at ease with people generally.
 
I think Gord is one woman horse! Well I like to think he is!
He is so easy for me in every way (other than loading!), but I have heard all sorts of stories about his wild behaviour when others have tried to do things with him. TBH i think these are totally exaggerated, and mostly made by people who already have 'issues' with him!
He will get up if anyone else but me goes in his stable UNLESS he is absolutley fast asleep or has colic! :p
 
When Jackson arrived last year, he had a bad experience involving vets and his feet... We had a few months where I worked to overcome this, but he still wasn't too keen on them being trimmed (although generally Ok with them being picked out).

We got to the stage during the spring where if he was having a snooze when I got to the field, I would whip out my wee sanding block and give him a pedicure. He rarely even opened his eyes for it. He is also quite happy to be sat on while lying down (which was how I worked out he was now happy to be ridden ;)). I would ask him to get up while I was on him, but have never been convinced that it wouldn't put too much strain on legs and back... If anybody knows one way or another, I'd love to hear :)
 
i think it all depends on the horse really. I think theres probably a small trust issue though, as its already been said that they are quite vunerable laying down. This was the horse i used to loan for 2 years. He was 26 at this point and although could get to his feet rather quickly, he really couldnt be bothered:p, i love this pic and this is what i would like me and Mary to be like ( long way off that yet:rolleyes:)

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i think, as others ahev said it shows trust in humans.

both jerry and tiffany woudl jump up if they saw me sneaking in whilst they were lying down, but now they are fine with me pottering about when they are down.
 
Those pics are gorge!
Its a lovely thing to have an animal trust you like that being they horse, cat, dog, lizard, anything

Lovely....:):):)
 
Yep I think he must have lots of trust in humans. Squiggy is a real people horse and I've got a few photos of her lying in the grass in summer out cold!!
 
Mine is fine to let me go up to him if he is sleeping in the field (though usually he hears me or sees me and jumps up and comes over to me - he has to be quite fast asleep for me to have to go over to him), but I have only seen him lying down in his stable once, when it was so stormy he couldn't hear me coming down the gravel drive - he usually jumps up as soon as he hears me and looks expectantly to get out!

On one occasion he was fast asleep in the feild, and I wanted him to get up early, for a show. I couldnt get him to move, and thought that there was something wrong with him! Eventually the mini shetland came and bit his bum (very usefully!), and Oscar got up. he was absolutely fine - just was being lazy!
 
Katey and Polly love it when we go upto them when they lie down!
 
one of the liveries did tell me that he went up to say hello to kaiser, and he was laying down, he couldnt resist going in to say hello and kaiser never budged, so im glad its not just me that he trusts, he is generally a people person (unless your trying to give him his vaccs - poor vet;))
 
ferg will let you sit next to him when he is laying down! Dont have any pics only does it when no one is with me!! (so no pics of me with him!)

Ferg has a very large in this pic!
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Crikes - I get scared to death each time I catch one of mine lying down - one track mind - COLIC!!!!!!

Saying that though, the minute they see me they leap up for food anyway so little chance of any lying down pics with mine
 
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