New Study Challenges Assumptions About Pawing in Horses

A study conducted by Cornell University has questioned established beliefs about pawing behavior in horses, proposing that it is more connected to discomfort during exertion than to boredom.

The research focused on 41 Standardbred racehorses, chosen because trainers reported concerns about this particular behavior. The horses were housed at the New York State Fairgrounds for training and kept in box stalls featuring dirt floors, with daily exercise routines of 30 minutes from Monday to Saturday.

Observers monitored the horses twice a day for 62 days, recording activities such as pawing, weaving, drinking, lying down, or standing. The analysis revealed that 58.5 percent of the horses exhibited pawing at least once, representing nearly 9 percent of their overall behavior. The results indicated that neither age nor gender of the horses affected the likelihood of pawing. Interestingly, the horses were found to paw more frequently in the afternoon following their exercise sessions, whereas this behavior decreased on Sundays when no exercise was conducted. This finding surprised researchers, as pawing is often linked with boredom and inactivity.

Pawing was particularly noted during afternoon observations, occurring two hours before mealtime, suggesting that the behavior is not driven by food anticipation. According to the study, these observations imply a comfort-seeking intent behind pawing. The researchers postulate that post-exercise soreness could explain the increased pawing in the afternoons. Additional theories include that horses might paw to create depressions in the ground to alleviate pressure on their feet or counteract surface irregularities. The study further mentions that trainers refer to this behavior as 'digging,' indicating they perceive it as a purposeful action.

Future research involving time-lapse video recordings may play a key role in validating this hypothesis. Katherine Houpt, one of the study's authors, emphasized the need for a larger group of horses and a motivated team to further investigate these findings.

This research is detailed in the paper titled 'Pawing by Standardbred racehorses: frequency and patterns,' published in the Journal of Equine Science in October 2014. The findings aim to contribute to a better understanding of horse behavior and the welfare implications it carries.