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Discussion on Won't pee anywhere but home!
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Member:
Qh4me
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 20, 2006 - 11:08 am:
Hi all,
Not sure where I should have posted this, but thought here as good of place as any. And please forgive me for the topic, but need to find out if others experience this too.
I have a 3 year old that has a problem with peeing when not at home.
As a yearling, we took him to the breeders futurity, and we were there 3 days. He pooped but never pee'd. On the 3rd day, and his last class which was lungeline, he was very uncomfortable, and you could tell he wasn't quite right. One of the others showing said to me, your guy seems to be a little off today. I agreed, but other than being a little off, he was fine. All his vitals were good, he was still eating and drinking, just not quite himself.
We loaded him in the trailer, and headed the 6 hour drive home. When he got into his stall, he peed for about 10 minutes.
Recently, he went away for training and for the first week, they were concerned as he didn't seem to pee much if at all. Eventually, he went, and he was soon back to himself.
Now that he is back home, We have been at shows the past 3 weekends, and every afternoon, he starts "hanging out" and gets a little edgy and uncomfortable. As soon as he gets home, he barely gets in his stall or pasture, and he pees for a very long time.
I am sure this isn't very healthy for him, especially if he is on long hauls or at weekend shows.
Why will he refuse to go unless he is at home!
Anyone have any tips on trying to get him to go! Or is he just shy to go in public 
I wonder if I bag some of his shavings from his stall and take them with me? Maybe that would make it "smell like home"?
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Member:
Vickiann
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 20, 2006 - 2:06 pm:
Can I relate to this one, Shawna! One of mine peed in the horse trailer only ONCE in his life on a night we had been gone all day and set off home after a nighttime parade about 10:30 PM (and I think part of the reason he did go then was out of sheer terror when the weld on the lower stallion portion of my trailer's horse divider broke loose and was swinging around!) For years I the horse camping for days at a time and on long rides, and he would pee in the portable pen I kept him in, but only during the night time when no one was apt to see him, and NEVER out on the trail (and not too frequently either) He was gelded at about 3 years of age and experienced complications, and I've always wondered if that is part of the reason he is so shy and nervous about being DrOpped down in public. For years I took him out on trail rides and he would NEVER go out on the trail. When my friends and I trailer out for riding we often stop for lunch on the way home while the horses stand in the trailer eating hay. This horse would wait until we got home and then pee, as you said, for a long period, and of course the odor would be very strong and the urine very concentrated. I've known of other horses that hate to pee in stalls and will wait all night and well into the morning if shut in, until turned out before they will go. After I had been riding this horse 10 - 11 years he finally peed on the trail one day (he is 15 now) I praised him profusely. It still took a very long time before he repeated the behavior. When he did the next time, I gave him a treat and praised him. Now he pees as needed, and I give him a treat when he does! He doesn't take advantage or try to make extra stops. Some people put lots of deep shavings in their horse trailers to encourage their horses to pee there. Personally, I hate it when horses pee in my trailer but I would rather they did that than NOT pee at all! At some shows there are fenced areas where you can turn a horse out, and I would sure look into that as something to try. And certainly it would not hurt a thing to make the stalls at a show as much like his at home, to make him feel comfortable and encourage normal (peeing!) behavior. I hope yours doesn't have to get as old as mine did before he learns it is good to pee when he has to go!
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Member:
Canter
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Posted on Friday, Jul 21, 2006 - 8:25 am:
I think some horses don't like to urinate where the urine might splash back on their legs (hard surfaces). With my mare, when I bring her in to ride, I always toss her in the stall for a few minutes while I get my tack out. If she doesn't pee in there, it's guaranteed she'll go in the arena (sand and rubber mix), but if I take her directly outside to ride, she'll hold off until she's back in her stall while I put my stuff away. I think Vicki nailed it: provide a place for your horse that's as similar to home as possible, with deep soft bedding and you might find your horse more willing to go.
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Member:
Sonoita
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Posted on Friday, Jul 21, 2006 - 11:54 am:
I can not wait for Dr.O reply. My horse is sometimes that way and he never DrOps at least not while I am around. This can not be good.
happy Trails,
Wanda
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Member:
Corinne
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Posted on Friday, Jul 21, 2006 - 12:15 pm:
My horse is a bit modest as well. In fact he too never DrOpped around me except on rare occasions....and one that comes to mind recently was a few weeks before we moved in June. I had some of the base kids and there Mom's out to meet him and have their picture taken on him. The entire hour they were there posing for the camera he was let down....I even threatened to get some soap to clean him but he wouldn't suck it back up. Needless to say I don't think any of those pictures will be on the mantle, sent to Grandma's or used for show and tell about what I did on my summer vacation!
But seriously it seems to be to be sign of relaxation at least with my horse....he is constantly let down at his new barn (which he loves) and around kids he is so sweet and docile like a puppy who lets little ones pull on their tail but doesn't bite. It's as if he knows he has to relax around them and it's a reflex to relaxation.
As for peeing....mine goes after a ride but doesn’t discriminate between the isle way and the stall....kind of wish I had that problem. LOL
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Member:
Djws
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Posted on Friday, Jul 21, 2006 - 4:09 pm:
Biv will pee when someone whistles! Beau was the same way. Doesn't matter when, it does matter where (he always looks for a soft surface where there's no splash like Fran says).
Both of these guys are Standardbreds. When the horses win a race, they have to be drug tested-(blood and urine). The track staff will stay in the stall (spit box) with them until they urinate. They catch the urine speciman (to be tested) in a cup attached to a long broom handle. The staff continually whistles! Horses that aren't trained in this manner, are sometimes in the "spit box" for hours-seriously!
Most farm personnel that raise Standardbred foals will whistle when they see a foal urinating. As they get older, they whistle, praise them, and some, give them a treat for "doing their deed". A form of "imprinting" I suppose you could say!
I never knew this until last year.
I used to whistle for Beau, and Biv, to come into the barn from the pasture. They would stop along the way to urinate. They were so competitive, that I often wondered if they were
"comparing"!  Finally, one of the trainers explained the "whistling" teachings to me.
When Beau was in the hospital, they wanted a urine sample from him. The vet tech got the specimen cup, I whistled, he urinated! The student doctors were amazed. I just let them think he'd do anything that I asked!
To this day, if I whistle to get someone's attention, Biv will stretch out and PEE!
My dad is not a horse person. When he visits (and brings a friend), he always asks me to show people how my boys will pee on command. He gets a kick out of it, and I get embarrassed!
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Member:
Image
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Posted on Friday, Jul 21, 2006 - 7:24 pm:
lol! I have the opposite problem with my 6 year old QH mare. She will only pee IN the stall...drives me crazy sometimes...her stall is always wet because she could probably fill a 5 gallon bucket everytime she goes. And yet her 1/2 sister (9 year old Paint mare) hardly pees at all. I worry about her sometimes but she has been that way all her life. Their 18 year old mamma is right in the middle with normal quantities. Hmmm.. I like the whistle to pee cue. I just might have to work on that! lol
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Member:
Vickiann
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Posted on Friday, Jul 21, 2006 - 8:49 pm:
When my youngest Arabian horse came to me he would run back from pasture turnout to pee in his stall when he had to go! When I began taking him out for trail rides, putting him into the trailer guaranteed he would pee there. As he grew more accustomed to trail rides he learned to pee before I put him back into the trailer for the ride home. Horses are very smart!
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Member:
Quatro
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Posted on Saturday, Jul 22, 2006 - 5:38 pm:
Levi, finally went on his first trail ride this season. The other 2 horses peed happily on the ride. Levi got off the trailer, ran to his stall. Of course I was worried, that he wasn't going out to roll, or be happy to be home. Sure enough, A happy sigh later, he had peed, then trotted off to join the others.
hope it does not become a problem
suz
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Member:
Erika
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Posted on Saturday, Jul 22, 2006 - 11:35 pm:
I swear I thought I posted this already...I envy those of you with horses who won't DrOp in public..the app gelding I grew up with was famous for "DrOpping" every time we took a relaxed walk through the neighborhood.
Imagine my pre-pubescent mortification when all the kids would run out to laugh and point at his big, PINK, number! At this point, a brisk trot was called for...
Erika
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Member:
Amara
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 23, 2006 - 3:31 pm:
erika, you think you were mortified... my draft stops to pee in the streets of downtown fort worth at least 2x's each night we're out working... on friday and saturday nights no less, in full view on crowded city streets in front of a busy crosswalk... and he is a FULL FLEDGED draft horse, if you know what i mean...*LOL
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Member:
Kthorse
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 23, 2006 - 4:02 pm:
I have one of those who pees all the time in front of people cars whatever. His is always hanging. Even when I ride sometimes he has it swinging in the breeze. I have to move a little faster so he puts it away. The first time I saw this I was riding and I looked at the shadow and I am thinking what the heck is that? I looked down and low and behold there it was. I used to get worried and think something was wrong with him. But its just his little habit. Sometimes I wish he would be a little shy. No modesty at all.
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Member:
Mrose
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 23, 2006 - 5:48 pm:
Katrina, at least he's just peeing. Those of us who have stallions have to be aware or what our boys are doing and be ready to correct them as they can "hang out" for other much more embarrassing reasons...even in a class "line-up," or while you are discussing what a great stallion they are to a breeding prospect! Most embarrassing!
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Member:
Kthorse
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 23, 2006 - 7:09 pm:
Sara, I know what you mean I grew up on an arabian stud and did most of the stallion handling as a teen into my 20's. Most embarrassing. Actually they kept it away better than my guy. Its out swinging even when he doesnt pee. Its always out. 
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Jul 24, 2006 - 7:19 am:
Hello Shawna,
I like the bagged shavings with some urine on them as a stimulus to urinate.
Perhaps you can teach him to urinate in the trailer at home then this could be transferred to when you travel? Or the idea of associating the urination with a sound at home as in DJ's post then playing the sound as you travel. I think with time your horse will grow out of this. The last 2 ideas require that you can identify specific times your horse prefers to urinate at home so that you can associate it with something you can carry with you, is this possible?
DrO
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Member:
Qh4me
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Posted on Monday, Jul 24, 2006 - 3:02 pm:
Hi all,
Thanks for all the ideas. I will definitely try the bagged shavings from his stall to stimulate him in the trailer. And will maybe work on that whistle trick too!
Again this weekend, we were at an all day show and no way he would go. I bedded very deeply with shavings in the trailer, and put him in there, but he still wouldn't. I will try ones from his stall this weekend and see if that might get him to go.
I had friends over this weekend, and when i brought the horses in from the pasture, as soon as I put them in their stall, my 3 year old spread and pee'd, then my new foal did the same thing, and I have noticed lately, he seems to pee every time my 3 year old does.
I hope that doesn't mean he is going to learn this habit from his big brother 
On a side note, for all you guys that were mentioning about horses just DrOpping for no reason.
I noticed last year at the Quarter Horse Congress, that during the gelding class, there was a bunch of geldings that had DrOpped.
I was very fortunate to be sitting right next to Ted Turner (one of the top Halter Horse people) and he was coaching one of his students from the stands, and he started twisting his cheek. I looked at his student, and she took her fingers and started twisting her geldings cheek, right near the corner of the mouth, and up "it" went.
Sarah, you might be able to use that trick and it doesn't make it too obvious what you are trying to correct!
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