Why Do Horses Roll?

Learn More about Horse Behavior in My Free Mini Course, Understanding Your Horse in 7 Days. Click Here to Join in on the Free Course: www.crktrainingblog.com/under...

[@elizabethbohannon4589]

Mine rolls every time I take her into the arena. We don't have a pasture for our horses, so we turn them out into a paddock where the ground is pretty hard. When I take her to the arena for lunging or other ground work, her favorite thing to do is get down and have a luxurious roll.

[@geniemedford9200]

I think that my horse rolls for all the reasons that you have stated! I have observed the same thing. Loved listening to your thoughts!

[@fburton8]

Rolling is infectious: one horse rolling can encourage others to follow suit, leading to... rollfest! (Re: Why do they do that? I'd love to hear your thoughts on "licking and chewing".)

[@tracymcelroy9668]

My guy went down to roll while I was riding! 😮😊 he was very gentle but that I feel is not a good habit to get into.

[@gailfreese3849]

I always thought it just about itching. I've observed a horse going down to roll with a rider on which I always thought was the itching thing.

[@stellathompson4582]

My horses rolls when I’m riding her, I’ve done everything I can to figure out why I’ve checked her saddle and her saddle pad, I’ve massaged her, working on getting her adjusted, I let her roll before I ride, I’ve checked for bugs and oil spray down with fly spray, It could be stress but she doesn’t dhow any signs of stress when I’m riding. She also never gives me a Warning of when she’s going to roll while I’m writing her no pawing, No putting her head down, not even gathering her back feet. She just drops. I’ve been trying to do as much research as I can and I don’t get many answers. If you know of anything that could be causing my girl to roll I would appreciate all the advice!

[@VerySleepyHedgehog]

Thank you guys for your horse tips I'm about to start volunteering at a horse rescue and this is helping me understand a lot beforehand

[@leealexander3507]

The mares I haven't paid enough attention to their habits outside what is or isn't normal baseline behavior each, their physical and mental conditions and which ones might become aggressive toward the stallion before breeding. The stallion is my personal horse so I pay significantly more attention. He rolls very happily and wriggles around on his back in a way that tells me it obviously feels good to him. This is something he will only do when he feels safe and relaxed. He also rolls, preferably in mud, in order to create a barrier between himself and flies if the fly spray isn't quite getting the job done.

[@silverkitty2503]

Rolling I've noticed just before i go into the field early in the morning. But by the time i walk up it's usually over. Then we play chasing until i catch them :) Plus i think they like to roll in the same spot as their buddies. horses i know who are buddies will roll in the same spot ..but if they don't like each other they won't roll in the spot of the horse they don't like. You only share a roll spot with a buddy. If they don't get on with a certain pony they won't roll on that ponies spot. LIke they don't want the scent on them if they are not friends. THis was a place with a lot of horses though 0ver 40.

[@AppyDancer]

My grey leopard appy mare is 19 yrs old and has always loved to roll, loved to be dirty! She rolls for sure after every ride but also after she's been rained on. I even let her roll in the snow if she's gotten a little sweaty on a ride in the winter. We live in Alberta, Canada and our snow is usually very dry. After she rolls in it, she's almost completely dry again. Then I can put her blanket back on and she's good.

[@algypsy17]

Our horses live outside day and night, they love to roll in the mud in winter and in spring they often roll to get rid of itchy old fur. When wet by rain or in summer after a shower, yes they will roll and get dust on them. Some do it after a sweaty training session. They all love it :-)

[@ap4MULTIGAMES]

She deserves so many more views and likes. Its a really great channel! : D

[@MisterKelisi]

I agree. I think it's a branding issue. When referred to this channel I had trouble finding it... I couldn't connect or easily relate "CRK" to horses.

[@rebeccalynn3092]

Our horses always rolled right after they ate, so I thought it somehow aided in their digestion. One horse used to fart often as he rolled, which contributed to my belief. He did seem to get rid of gas that way, and he was susceptible to colic. It didn't help that we had a neighbor who, come to find out later, was feeding him grass clippings from their lawn mower. So please don't feed your neighbors' horses. It could cause them to colic.

[@ktsven6452]

I think it would of been beneficial to include when rolling can be a bad thing or a sign of distress. For a colicking horse they roll to relieve the pain but it can lead to twisting of the intestines

[@233lynx]

Horse: I just wanna scratch that itch on my back. Human: Possible reasons for such behavior, part 1:

[@JennaFromal]

I have one that ALWAYS rolls after a ride, one that always rooks after he is let out of his stall, and one that rolls frantically when being annoyed by bugs! One behavior I wonder about is why do some horses paw their front leg while eating? Out of six that I currently have, two lift and paw while eating, and the other four do not. I have always had at least one at the barn that does this-but wondered why they do it! Thanks Callie!

[@amyrobins7917]

What about a horse that never rolls? My daughter's gelding is a healthy, calm, bombproof quarter horse with no health issues, but he has never rolled no matter how long we turn him out. Most horses we know can't resist a freshly groomed arena. Not this guy! Wondering if there may be an underlying issue we should look for or is it just his personality?

[@rubenllanasjr1676]

I’ve noticed that my horse likes to roll in this one certain spot (very loose dirt) after a ride and after I’ve rinsed him off. Thanks for the great info. He’s white and the dirt here is red. Now to figure a way to keep him clean 🤔

[@keithtaylor6069]

Thank you

[@michaelgaghan7602]

Also after a feed, something to do with digestion

[@henriquedutrao]

Hi, I live in Brazil. today after I removed the halter from my horse it started rolling on the grass. I put the halter on it and pulled it for a few meters, then turned it around and removed the halter and it rolled on the grass. I did this twice. Both times it rolled after I took the halter off.

[@roudogg]

My two crazy rescue horses love to roll right next to me when i am working on ground or just sitting on the ground. Couple time's i have been working on the ground and then hear behind me, thud followed by hooves flapping around my head as they are rolling.

[@gabygonzalez8623]

when i am cantering my horse tends to put his head really low, what can this mean?

[@user-kt6fq7kk1l]

My horse I rode rolled after riding. He and I did well so I felt it is happy rolling

[@SteffieB]

Tilly always rolls after I hose her off - like yesterday when she was sweaty even though we took it easy because it was the first hot day. She hates to be dustless! One weird behavior that I’ve noticed in a couple of geldings we have in the barn is the flappy lips thing. Do you know what I’m talking about? A horse that will point his nose and shake it up and down so fast that his lips flap? It’s hilarious. I suspect it’s for attention, but how funny to see in action. I wonder if non-domesticated horses display this.

[@louiselincoln]

I wonder if they sometimes roll for an extra layer of insulation...I notice our horses seem to roll more in the winter months when straight out to pasture. Or maybe it's something to do with camouflage/ scent? We thankfully don't get many biting insects or horseflies in my part of the UK but I certainly agree that rolling might be an instinctive protective measure. I would love to learn more about how to help children socialise with horses, they often seem a bit intimidated by their size! Any tips gratefully received. Xx

[@qewerka]

When I was little I used to ride often and one time I noticed in stall when we were about to ride a horse that he was some sleepy or something.. And when we were in paddock I was on his back and I noticed he was somehow slow and just not as usuall and then he just rolled with me in a dirt. I still dont know what happened :D

[@shirleycooper2048]

Sounds like ur reasons r correct. I really do wonder why they get to a body of water, paw at water for a bit, then roll.!?.!??

[@lucymorganeq6050]

yeah mine rolls after ive ridden and hosed him off, also after fly spray

[@zerefxgaming8618]

When the horse rolling, there is impossible when he get up from rolling and his leg suddenly get hurt?

[@giddyup9852]

Mine always rolls when they have been worked and are sweaty or after a bath. Here’s a strange behavior I’ve Never seen a horse do. I have a horse with maybe a dark past. Not sure. She’s afraid of ropes but when I finally get one on her halter (after I’ve put on the halter) she twitches her lower lip. She doesn’t do it before she’s tacked up. Only after the tack is placed on her. She’s a gentle horse with a racing past. That’s all I know. We had a guy beg us to take her and she had very long hooves. We had compassion for her and thought we could make her happy. She’s very timid but sweet. She’s a mystery. She seems bothered by people all the time. Doesn’t even enjoy being brushed. It took us a while to get close to her. Poor thing.

[@jujubeethatsme]

Thank you for taking care of her. Poor thing.

[@taylorcooke3775]

Story of my life.....

[@michelekanefsky7511]

Really fun info! What about snorting? It’s like I’m walking around a little dragon hahaha!

[@leealexander3507]

Depends entirely on what kind of snorts. Do you by any chance have an arabian or half Arab? They tend to snort quite a lot.

[@michelekanefsky7511]

He’s a quarter horse very smart & curious 😊

[@leealexander3507]

@@michelekanefsky7511 Nearly everyone in my area has quarter horses. A lot of them quite nice and very athletic. Right now we are housing an entire stable of racing quarter horses who are very different from the western working horses people keep for riding and showing in that they have a lot of thoroughbred in their pedigrees and of course tend to resemble them quite a bit. What do you do with your quarter horse? Does he or she snort when anxious or when relaxed? A calm relaxed type of snort is a sign of contentment.

[@michelekanefsky7511]

Lee Alexander we are training for Western Dressage. 🤠 He has snorted in all situations; anxious, relaxed & when discovering new objects. It could be a part of his personality 💁🏻‍♀️ He’s fairly new to me 6 mo.

[@leealexander3507]

@@michelekanefsky7511 My arabian has a snort for everything. It seems like some horses use it frequently as a form of self expression. Cowboy dressage does look like a lot of fun. We play around at it in the arena although, like you, I have a long way to go with training in order to do an entire course. Is your horse fully trained or in the process?

[@aimeebibletruth]

After snack

[@emmafawkes2034]

FIRST!!

[@dreamingoflongdistance1602]

I believe rolling is a sign of happiness. I worry when my horses *don't* roll...

[@christieevans1886]

Need beans? I have enough to make a friggin horse roll! No I actually don't have drugs. It's a back scratching. It's a giant horse weight back scratch.

[@rebeccalynn3092]

If you really desire to feed a neighbor's horse, try a carrot or two. That shouldn't hurt, or a handful of nearby grass. One apple should be fine, but no mounds of grass clippings, or too many apples. It can cause gas to build up (colic), and this can kill them if it gets bad enough. We rescued one horse from the kill pen. He was half starved when he first arrived. Our neighbor almost killed him with a mound of mower grass. I got rather upset with her and told her to stop feeding my horses - "no more grass clippings or bags of deer apples! I'm out here at 3 am trying to walk the bloat out of them."

[@lucymorganeq6050]

[@mybatteryisalmostdead]

Because they can

[@taters7844]

My horse rolls when I lunge him either in the round yard or arena

[@itsawildlife5502]

Didn’t see 1 roll

[@jlf1309]

Horses are meant to be in the wild in a herd. I've noticed that the light colored horses roll to keep their skin safe from the sun. I believe they roll when they are being pestered by flying insects. Yes! They love to roll after a bath! 😅

[@liseouellet413]

Why does a horse roll in sand with a ridder on them?

[@dalor4906]

Think my horse is rolling to let me know he wants to end the training session.

[@michaelgaghan7602]

Horses also roll due to collic