Question: I have a 2 year old Rocky Mountain filly. This might seem kind of gross but I was cleaning up the paddock that she was in, nature called and I had to have a pee. She sniffed the spot afterwards and then rolled in that area. What was she doing??? I have had this filly for a little over 8 weeks.

Question: I have a dominant mare and I will be getting another horse soon. Can you give me some tips for introducing them to one another? Thanks for your time.

Answer: Introducing horses to one another can be quite a scary experience for a new horse and its owner, especially if the horse is just plopped straight into the herd with no introduction. Not only does this pave the way for a stressful time for your current herd and new horse, you are more likely to have a horse experience some type of injury, whether from another horse or a portion of the fencing. Allison Rogers wrote an interesting article for EQUUS magazine, which you can access through this link: Introducing a New Horse to the Herd.

Additional information from mare’s owner:

I wrote to you about the 7 yr old that runs circles in her paddock. She is kept in the paddock about a 1/2 acre. She is not ridden daily. Her diet is grass hay. She is an only horse at this time. We are getting another horse in a week or so. However, the last time she was put in with another horse she ended up kicking him pretty badly, so I do have concerns about that. She is a dominant mare, however she has done well with other horses in the past. Thanks for your help.

Question: My 7 year old mare will run laps in her paddock for up to 15 minutes. What is going on with her?

Answer: Without some more information, it’s hard to say. First of all, is your mare confined to a stall for the majority of the day? If so, she may simply have a lot of excess energy. Additionally, is she put in a paddock away from other horses? If so, she may also be exhibiting stress at being separated from her herd or favorite buddy from a nearby stall. Does she get ridden daily? If not, again the answer may be that she simply need more exercise than she’s getting being in a stall most of the time. Even though horses spend the majority of their day grazing and dozing when out in the pasture, they are still often mobile. Is she on a high energy diet? Whether the high energy is coming from really high quality hay or from a concentrate (grain or pellets), this could be contributing to your mare’s behavior. It is not uncommon for a horse to run a lap or two around their paddock and give a buck or two when first turned out after being in a stall for most of the day, but it sounds as though your mare is running a bit harder than most. If you could email me some additional information, I’d be happy to try and give you further insight.