Why do horses paw the ground before they lay down and roll?

Question

my gelding always paws the ground and then sniffs where he pawed. sometimes he'll lay down and other times he'll move on until he finds the "perfect spot". why does he paw and what is he looking for?

thanks

ayshaya

Answer 1

hes looking for a soft stable ground he feels comfortable laying on and sniffs to see if another horse has been there before

Answer 2

I think they test it to make sure it's soft and the "perfect spot," just like you said. My horse tends to wiggle her upper lip in the dirt as she walks, and she only paws when she's almost sure that she's found a good spot for rolling.

Answer 3

They try to soften up the ground before they lay down. My horses always paws and sniffs until he / they find the perfect spot. I notice on hard ground, it takes them longer and they paw more before they lay down. But times like when we go to the beach, they lay down almost instantly, limited pawing needed! :)

Good luck!  

Answer 4

to make sure that the spot he wants to lay down on is safe and suitable. and then some horses do it because they saw another horse do it.  

Answer 5

Now, if you were your gelding, would you want to scratch your back on hard dirt and small rocks? He's digging up the softer dirt so it feels better. He's looking for that "perfect spot".

Answer 6

Im going to tell you the old cowboy explination for that which was told to me by my grandpa and hes the old cowboy type. hope u know what i mean. He always said it was like the horse was making a bed. like a dog will kinda roll around a blanket before he lays down to sleep the horse is doing te same thing i also think its to kinda know what the horse will be laying on as far as rocks, mud, sage brush, things like that. i think also to give warning that they are in fact going to lay down and you might be in the way or other animals might be in the way. we used to have a really pain in the rear horse and when he was tired he would start pawing the ground and try to lay down with you on him I HOPE YOUR HORSE ISNT DOING THAT CAUSE IT WAS HARD TO BREAK THAT OLD MARE OF THAT BAAAAAAAD HABBIT!!!

Answer 7

have you ever watched a foal or young horse approach something new? they use their mouths and feet to explore new things  and find out about them - is it edible? is it hard? might it hurt me? A horse paws the ground before rolling for the same reason. horses are Prey animals and so are very wary, even if a situation might seem familiar to you or i to a horse it might seem very different. Lying down puts a horse in a very vunable position so it has to make sure that it makes the right choice. Basically to paws the ground to make sure it is stable (i.e. solid and not going to collapse), soft enough to lie on and also that there aren't any objects there such as rocks or sticks which could hurt it.

Answer 8

One of my horses would paw till he found the spot that was soft enough.  Then he would roll.

I have never seen one that sniffed after pawing.  Maybe he is looking for the smell from a mare.  LOL