Horse thinks it's a dog!

[kofihorse]

I have recently acquired a Miniature Shetland x and he has some odd quirks of behaviour!! I have seen him occasionally sitting down in his bed like a dog but this afternoon when he did it, he cocked up a back leg and proceeded to give his personals a good licking! Maybe this is totally normal for a tiny equine? It's very amusing to see.

[roo]

I have a mini too and he sits on my lap given the chance so youre not alone! I also have a horse who spent his first few years living with sheep so he has some very odd behaviours too.

[kofihorse]

Roo - do you find it really hard not to treat yours like a dog? Mine is so little that I am sure I could pick him up if I tried and he is so cute and cuddly that I find myself ruffling his ears which are at just the right height when we're walking along - I shan't let him read this thread else he'll be sitting in my lap,too!

[jor]

Now theres an idea, a mini shettie to control the grass in my front and back garden thats too wet to cut....could just see neighbours faces now, they look quite bemused when i ride my highland up and leave her in front garden whilst I nip to the loo now!

I remember the shetland we had when i was very small used to come in the house if we left the door open and would 'curl' up on the settee next to the dogs, I dont think he was a mini but he was a small standard shetland, though looked big to me...
he was also known to eat dog food and drink the dogs water, he even once emptied every cupboard in the kitchen looking for apples, my mum went mad.
Oh and he once ate a branch off the christmas tree after breaking the side gate and coming in through the front door!
Shetlands hey? Whod have em?!

[thelwell]

i have my sec a at home on the lawn some times was so funnie last year as i had left the back and front door open for a though draft you should have seen the look on the person who lives next door when she walked throu the house to go out the front was so funnie she thinks shes a dog she can beg sit and used to play dead but she spoilt that one as when she was on her back she used to waft her front hoof about begging lol

[wildrover]

When your dog starts thinking its a horse, then its time to start worrying .....

[fin]

Well, mine thinks he's a dog...he growled at my friend's goat, pounced on it, tried to get it by the back of the neck to shake it! I was mortified. So was the goat! Haven't noticed any other canine behaviours yet, but I might warn the postman not to take a short cut through the field just in case....

[kofihorse]

Oh yes, Finn, mine likes to "kill" buckets and plastic bags, pouncing on them and shaking them around till they are totally "dead" - he has also told both real dogs who is the boss by nipping their bums!!

[Persianhorse]

Horses are the greatest natural mimics,they pick it up from older horses.
If there is no horse present they pick it from othere animals even from a dog and this is natural if we know the horses well.

[beckie]

Kofihorse, my welsh/arab gelding is fat! and he does the licking privates with one leg up as well! very funny to watch as he balences!
i also have a shetland who has no canine behaviours yet but, as I told her, she's supposed to be stuck on some rock off scotland chewing seaweed and laughing at the wind. She just looked at me really weirdly and farted!
my jack russel rex yaps at Deej (cobx) and you should see him run when deej goes after him!

[circusdancer]

fin said:

Well, mine thinks he's a dog...he growled at my friend's goat, pounced on it, tried to get it by the back of the neck to shake it! I was mortified. So was the goat! Haven't noticed any other canine behaviours yet, but I might warn the postman not to take a short cut through the field just in case....

That has brought back an awful memory! We were looking after a miniature sh*tland that attacked an elderly goat that we were also looking after. Said sh*tland had grabbed the poor goat by the back of the neck and was shaking it.

At the time, I was just attempting to put a killer rabbit from it's run into the hutch for the night. I had got one leg on one side of the run as I tried to go and help the goat, when the rabbit sunk it's teeth into my wellie and wouldn't let go. The goat was screaming, I was trying to shake my wellie off with a rabbit on the end of it, the dogs were barking at the upset, my sister was sitting in a wheelchair in the house screeching "what's going on"!

I rescued the goat wearing one wellie and one very muddy sock. Happily the goat suffered no ill effects and spent the night with Major and Pride (who happily washed her all over).

There is no danger of Major (miniature shetland) pretending to be a dog - he hates them!

[fin]

LOL!!!! I thought it was only me that had days like that.

I am a bit worried though--our friend has actually offered to take my temporarily homeless horse in for a month, but in addition to the poor nervous goats, and the other ponies, there are also chickens and sheep....

I know the farmers round here are prone to shooting dogs that worry sheep, but I'm not sure what they'd do about a large quarter horse! Poor thing, he's not very well socialised.....

[circusdancer]

Oh dear Finn! Of course, its a good experience for your fella but will you still have a friend after the temporary home?

BTW Major hates cats too - you'd like him! ;D

[fin]

Pony after my own heart!!! I did say if I ever had a shetland I'd call it Catfood though, so perhaps Major has good motives for not being a cat person. Or pony rather.

As to whether I'll have a friend left.....hmmmm. I am slightly worried about that too. But since it's either take the risk or have ned living in my kitchen I don't have much choice! He'd have a nervous breakdown if I put him on livery somewhere and it's totally impossible to get winter grazing hereabouts. He's going to be living in a couple of turn out pens for a while... hopefully he'll get used to the goats/people/horses/chickens and won't disgrace himself too badly!!! Fingers crossed