Question:  My horse will not poop on the trail — yesterday we started tacking up at 10:00 a.m., road for 2 and 1/2 hours, stopped for lunch,where he did drink out of a river, road home and 2 and 1/2 hours — probably total 6 to 7 hours — absolutely no poop.  On the way home he seemed very anxious and wouldn’t listen well, and I can’t help but wonder if he was very uncomfortable.  As soon as we
got back and I tied him up to untack him, he went —

I have owned him for 9 years and I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve seen him let go on a trail ride.  But most of his rides are only 2 1/2 hours long…

Is there anything that you would recommend that when going on long rides that I can give him or do to help him defecate on the trail so he’s more comfortable.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Answer: Most horses will defecate at least 6-8 times per day. Stress often causes horses to defecate more frequently, while dehydration and colic result in a lower frequency of defecation. Because you noted that you have rarely seen your horse defecate on the trail in the 9 years you’ve owned him, I will assume he was not dehydrated on this particular day.

That being said, most horses can be observed to perform certain behaviors at particular times each day. These behaviors range from eating, drinking, playing, resting, defecating, urinating, and others. Male horses, both gelding and stallions, are often seen performing ritualized defecation over top another horses’ pile or over top the spot another horse urinated. Stallions are also notorious for leaving stud piles (piles of feces where they defecate in the same place repeatedly at various spots around the paddock or along the fenceline). Additionally, males are usually more fussy about where they defecate while stalled. While most horses will defecate more frequently when under stress or during exercise, there is the rare horse that simply refuses to defecate while under saddle. Similarly, many horses will not urinate on concrete floors.

If you normally ride for 2 - 2.5 hours, your horse may not need to relieve himself during that time period. If he does have the urge, he has probably learned that you will soon be home, which is where he obviously prefers to do his business. If you are taking him on a longer ride, you might want to stop, untack him completely except for his halter and lead, of course, and walk him around, hand grazing him if possible. Most horses will go ahead and urinate or defecate if they need to and are given an opportunity to do so without a rider. He may prefer to defecate on footing similar to that of his paddock, so if the trail is hard and rocky try walking him through some grassy areas. I really can’t recommend giving him an enema or other intervention. I think your best bet to keep him comfortable is to make sure he’s well hydrated, and has the opportunity to have unfettered bathroom breaks. He may even need to be walked a little way away from the other horses for some “privacy”. If you think he’s suffering from a digestive disturbance from exertion, please contact your vet. Otherwise, good luck, and I hope these simple suggestions will help your equine companion out.