What is it with horses? Give them a wash or an extra good grooming and the first thing they’ll do when they get the chance is have a good roll, it’s almost like they do it on purpose to bug you! Well, they don’t...it’s just typical instinctive horse behaviour.
One reason horses roll is to self-groom. Wet horses LOVE to roll because it helps dry them out and fluff up the coat which traps warmth. Most racehorse stables have a special sandpit just for horses to roll in...the horses are led there after track work and a hose-off and they will almost always buckle their legs and plonk down for a good roll.
Rolling also relieves itches and helps remove shedding winter coats. Anyone who owns a grey can tell exactly where their horse has rolled by a left-over thick carpet of white hair on the ground (which birds love to pinch for nesting material!)
If you turn a sweaty horse loose in the paddock, the first thing he will do is get down and enjoy a vigorous roll, which helps dry the sweat and relieve pressure on his back that the saddle has left behind.
Another reason horses roll is that it reinforces their place in the herd’s pecking order, especially among young bachelor males. They will often play-fight near a favourite rolling patch...stamping their hooves, passing manure in a certain spot and generally establishing ‘who’s the bosss’ and this is usually followed by each horse rolling. The least dominant horse goes first and the top ranking horse rolls last, as though he gets to have the final word!
Horses sharing a paddock observe the same rules and will roll in the same pecking order day after day. If a new horse is introduced to the paddock, he will need to establish his place in the herd which in turn establishes his position in the rolling line.
Horses sharing a paddock observe the same rules and will roll in the same pecking order day after day.
Researchers in horse behaviour have also observed that one horse rolling often seems to trigger another horse to roll, much like how a person yawning will trigger yawning in another. They’re not quite sure why this happens, maybe the sight of one horse rolling reminds other horses that it seems like a good idea! Or maybe it’s so instinctive they can’t help themselves. Remember this the next time you try to stifle a yawn, which is darn near impossible.
Horses in the wild usually have established rolling areas near their water supply. The area has been rolled on so much that any vegetation has given up trying to grow there and a shallow dust bowl develops. The same applies to paddocks where there’s usually one or two favourite dusty/muddy rolling patches preferred by most horses.
Sometimes horses will try to roll when they’re being ridden. This doesn’t necessarily mean they want to get rid of their rider, but that they are just itchy or the saddle is uncomfortable.
A horse rising from a roll has to perform a complex athletic movement in order to stand up again. Getting down to roll is no problem, they just buckle their legs and let gravity do the rest. Getting up again is a different matter and takes a good deal of strength and co-ordination. First they roll onto their stomach, legs tucked beneath their bodies. Next, they raise their head high which allows them to straighten their forelegs in front and assume a sitting position. Some horses find this quite comfortable and are happy to stay there a short time but for most, it’s a brief pause before the most strenuous part, which is to forcefully throw their head forwards which in turn throws their weight forward and counter-balances their bodies enough to lift the hindquaters into a standing position. This feat is almost always followed by a vigorous body shake, which is quite spectacular in dry weather when your horse disappears in a could of dust! (Incidentally, this dust can act as a sunscreen, offering some protection against the sun bleaching the horse’s coat, so don’t rush to brush it off).
Rolling varies greatly between horses, there’s even an old wive’s tale that the more a horse rolls from side to side, the more valuable they are.
A rolling horse is fun to watch, as they wriggle around on the ground with their legs in the air! Some horses are able to roll from side to side without standing up; others will get down to roll on one side, then stand up and get down on the other side to roll. Maybe high withers make rolling right over uncomfortable, or maybe the horse just isn’t athletic enough.
Of course, rolling can be a sign that all is NOT well, as in the case of colic. Advice has long been given that you should always walk a horse that has colic, to stop him getting down to roll, which can twist the stomach.
Not so!
The latest research has shown that that if a twist is involved, it has usually occurred before the horse ever tries to lie down and roll.
When a horse with a stomach ache tries to roll, he’s only attempting to relieve the pain. It’s okay to let him lie down if he wants to but not to thrash about, as this only uses up energy. It’s similar to a person having severe stomach cramps...the last thing they feel like doing is walking endlessly around! It’s much better to lie down and assume a position that might reduce the discomfort.
So if he wants to lie down, let him, as the more energy he uses, the quicker he may go into shock, which is a common cause of death in colicky horses.
The sooner a horse gets treated for colic, the better his chances for recovery. If you delay calling the vet by walking the horse around for hours first, you may be literally walking him to death as if surgery is required, even a couple of hours can mean all the difference between success and failure.
The next time your horse rolls, instead of despairing about how dirty he’s getting, stop and observe how much enjoyment he’s getting from it!