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Discussion on Filly urinating on hay
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 8, 2007 - 2:34 pm:
I have a 7 month old filly who wets her hay. I don't know that she aims for the hay particularly but every day I put out the hay she wets it down.
She has a water trough in her stall she can access 24/7.
I am concerned that she is eating this hay, which she does.
Any ideas of why she would be so weird? Thanks.
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Member:
chance1
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 8, 2007 - 2:49 pm:
Lori,
My 3.5 yo gelding does the same thing and I know it's on purpose. He also eats it and doesn't seem any worse for it. Go figure? I'll be curious to hear from others and Dr. O. Ruth
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Member:
liliana
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 8, 2007 - 3:54 pm:
Hi Lori,
My horses do it too, at first I thought that it was because some of them had spent most of their life tied up, but now I think that is to say "is my hay clear off" a bit like dogs and cats do! Some times they also poo on it. What a way to season it for flavour eh!
I wonder if it means anything else, I'vw come to think that it is a normal thing they do, like dogs eating horse poo, have you noticed!
Liliana
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Member:
kthorse
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 8, 2007 - 5:48 pm:
I think they do it because of lack of splash back, dont know if its true or not. 
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Member:
boomer
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 8, 2007 - 7:10 pm:
Ick, just the thought of it makes me gag. I've caught mine do it once in a while, drives me nuts..
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Member:
sswiley
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 8, 2007 - 10:52 pm:
My babies have always done it. Of course when they grow up they seem to stop. Even it there is a bunch of deep bedding in the stall the babies always used to go on the hay.
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Member:
freshman
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Posted on Friday, Feb 9, 2007 - 3:35 am:
I also wonder if this could have something to do with a preference to urinate onto an absorable material that does not allow the urine splash onto her legs. Is their a bed of shavings in her stall avaliable for her? If the ground is frozen in her paddock and she really doesn't like any splash, she might see the hay as her best bet.
Could also have something to do with whatever particular instinct that horses have that compells then to urinate in a freshly bedded stall, particularly when the shavings are left somewhat piled up. This was a favorite set-up when I used to do drug testing at shows. Whistling is pretty useless, but the a pile of bedding does the trick.
Of course, I don't know why you filly seems to regard hay in this same manner. Perhaps you could try bedding the stall very deeply or with fresh bedding before feeding if it is not already. Might encourage her to urinate in the stall instead of the pile of hay. Silly filly.
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Member:
ellab
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Posted on Friday, Feb 9, 2007 - 7:50 am:
You could put up a manger or hay rack.
EllaB
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Friday, Feb 9, 2007 - 8:48 am:
She did the same behaviour in the summer regardless of whether she was out in the field or in the corral.
I didn't want to put the hay in the manger because even tho the hay is clean by this time of year it is so dry it is as if it is dusty.
Confining the hay to a box means she will inhale the dust.
I am going to try putting the hay in different little piles, at least I can minimize the soaking.
Also, someone suggested it is somehow connected to 'marking'. She is the first baby I have had since I was a teenager so I don't know if it is typical of babies.
Her mom certainly doesn't do it.
Thank for the ideas.
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Member:
nitro
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 27, 2008 - 3:07 pm:
We have a 13 yr old quarter horse gelding and just brought home a 12 yr old Appaloosa gelding that urinates on his hay. We had never heard of this before, let alone seen it done before. My guess is that he does this to prevent his legs from being splashed. I can't stand that he does this. Have any of you found out the "REAL" reason for this "pissy" behavior???
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Member:
babychop
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Posted on Monday, Jul 28, 2008 - 11:43 am:
Ugh, I brought a 14 year old TB mare home who did it & she showed my Anglo-Trak mare (who'd always peed & pooped outside her box) and then she picked up the habit & I haven't been able to break her of it since. That was several years ago. It's maddening.
I've had a friend tell me to lock her out of her box until she pees and then let her in which is fine if you're home all the time! She also pees in her straw now which she didn't before. I try to catch her outside her box when I show her food & sometimes she'll pee where she's standing (out of excitement?) - this is the mare that produces big ropes of DrOol if she has to wait more than a few seconds for her food.
So far, no solution & I've also heard that once they start they don't quit. UGH!
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Monday, Jul 28, 2008 - 12:23 pm:
I don't think it's the splash thing, I have a mare that goes on the hay outside too. And I have a gelding who will hold it for 12 hours if stalled over night and the first thing he does he goes to the manure spot and goes, and goes and goes.......
The mare had a rough start in life and I think it's a security issue.
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