The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Roxy on November 10, 2011, 10:35:04 am
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Horses are known for not being fond of pigs. My ponies had never seen pigs until they moved back home a few months ago, after being away at grazing 5 years .....,but walk past ours at the side of the track we have to ride up, And at the end of our lane, there has always been 2 big pigs and a litter - big and black, and lay in the mud, right by a gate we have to get off and open - so quite often the pigs suddenly stand up out of the mud and come to the fence - so to give our ponies their due, they are good about pigs in general.
BUT ....yesterday afternoon, I rode along the lane, turned up the bridleway, and my Dales mare started to act a bit strange, stopping and starting, and sniffing into the air. Then she stopped and would not go back or forward, and the horse in the paddock alongside us, started to run round. Nothing there as far as I could see, pushed her on, tapped her with the schooling whip ....nope, not going!! Suddenly, I saw something black and large hurrying along on the track the other side of the horse paddock, a giant black pig, and it was heading towards the track I was on. It had obviously come down the track I was riding on, from its field, and then turned up the other track towards the farmhouse (where the pig owner lives). My pony must have smelt where the pig had been and thats why she stopped!!
So there I was, my pony by this time had seen the pig, the other horse was galloping round, and the pig was coming down the other track making delighted oinking noises now it had freedom. I looked round for help - at least in gettng the pig off the track so I could get past with my frozen to the spot pony - but no one. Only house nearby is owned by a lady who, I could imagine, would be terrified of the pig, and even my pony, so no use asking her to even hold the pony while I sorted the pig (or tried to!).
Pig by now was at the fork of the two tracks, so could either head towards me (the way it had come) or go forward and onto the lane (which I needed to use to go home!) Anyway, I saw it toddle off and choose to go into the lane, I urged a very reluctant pony to head the same way, praying pig did not do a u turn. On the lane, I turned left, but looked right and no sign of the pig. Lets say we went home at a very fast trot, me looking behind to check we did not have a pig on our heels, and trying to keep an eye on the grass verge ahead in case it had turned in front of us, and was lurking somewhere,.
The two big pigs are always getting out on the track and the lane. They seem to be good at breaking out. Not sure what breed they are - big (very big) black, with very long snouts?
That was not among one of my nicer rides out, and hope we do not meet it again ;D
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Sounds like your pony did really well.
There's a pig farm at Barry and Smokey gets a bit spooked even if they have been spreading pig manure on the fields - he can smell them but not see them. ::)
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Yes, the smell is enough to upset horses sometimes. We have a big intensive pig farm just up our lane - thousands of pigs reared there. Never see them, but they squeal a lot, and oooh, when the big tanker goes up for the manure, the smell is awful. The villagers complain no end, as the smell lingers for days!!!!
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Oh Roxy - close one ! Glad your pony was okay though.
Here's a photo I was sent by a lady who bought one of my pigs
Who says horses & pigs don't get on ;)
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Thatis a lovely pic
Sally
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Well I never thought I would see a pig and a horse together like that......
What a lovely sight :thumbsup:
my ponies were always spooked by them .... just goes to show,.....
Old dog new tricks......
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Just this evening I've been visiting someone with Kune Kunes who live with a pony. Pony likes the company, pigs love the pony - even try to get up on its back!
Another holding nearby has a number of horses and couple of KKs - and they share the paddocks without any problems, too.
My Fell gelding is ok with Meg - he gave her increasingly insistent lessons on not chewing his wellies! She learned! but the mare has not settled to the idea; I stopped trying as Meg was pregnant.
The piglets love everyone, and want to be in on everything, so now the young calves are used to piglets around their feet... ::)
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The piglets love everyone, and want to be in on everything, so now the young calves are used to piglets around their feet
;D
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we have a bridleway going through ours, next to the pig paddock, they always run up to say hellowhen the horses go by....... :o
Mx
(when we first came, one of them complained to the council about them being there.........to which they replied nowt they could do!)
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I see plenty of passing horses on the lane, stopping and snorting, they can smell our pigs. Owners are tapping them with their whips, and wondering what the problem is. Pigs are behind the hedge, so cannot be seen - but the horses can hear and smell them.
I do warn horse riders if I see them - worry that some horses may spook and take off because of my pigs!!
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I am working with Blue to get him used to pigs, he still sometimes stops and refuses to move for a few moments but then with soft voice encouragement he walks by being praised for his braveness.
I have found that he can deal with most things after a lot of exposure and time to adjust his head
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Isn't it stange that my mare goes past my pigs, passes the big black pigs ok, but because this one was not in his usual place, she did not like it!!! I have noticed though that horses passing my llama spook the first few times, then get used to his running up and down the wall, but a few never like him, no matter how many times they go past.
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That's such a nice pic.
I guess a lot of it is down to familiarity.