Instructions
Make sure the horse is able to give to pressure. The horse must be trained to move towards the pull of the halter. In the event the horse pulls back, the animal is not ready to be tied.
Tie your horse in a safe place. The ring or tie-rail should be located in a place absent of harmful objects or clutter. Begin in its stall if you feel comfortable there. Train your horse in a safe area so you can quickly get things back to normal if the horse panics.
Increase the emotions of the horse to a point where the horse is about to start pawing. When your horse is about to reach its breaking point and begin to paw, you should decrease the intensity of its emotions. Consistently increase your horse's emotions to the point where it is about to paw, and then quell it. Increase this drill until your horse can undergo a heightened state of emotion, yet refrain from pawing.
Tie your horse up near a friend or relative, but remain close. Tie the horse for a short period (maybe 1-2 minutes). Then untie the horse and leave the area. Remember to untie your horse before the animal begins to paw. Repeat the process and slowly increase the time the horse remains tied-up.
When the horse has abstained from pawing for 15 minutes, briefly remove the friend or relative and then quickly bring her back. Don't take the friend or relative too far away or the horse may begin to paw.
Continue this method, gradually Increasing the amount of time where your friend or relative is removed from the horse so the horse learns to be comfortable on its own. Repeat the training over a number of days, but remember to take breaks. Gradually increase training to allow leaving your horse tied-up alone for a few hours..
How Do I Stop My Horse From Trying to Paw Me?
To stop a horse from pawing, one must understand why the horse is pawing. Horses commonly paw because they are afraid or anxious. Additionally, the animal may have been rewarded with food or drink after pawing and now hopes to gain a "reward" by exhibiting the behavior. Physical issues are possible if pawing is a problem, and potential health risks must first be ruled out. Behavioral issues must then be analyzed. If physical problems resulting in discomfort are not the reason for the pawing, a behavioral issue exists and must be rectified by retraining the horse's behavior.