Equine Behavior Q & A: What's With the Stomping?

Why does my horse stomp one foot while she eats?
—Amanda

Foot-stomping is often a sign of frustration or anticipation, Amanda. You will often see this behavior around feeding time. I capture the behavior and teach my horses how to stomp on “cue.” I can astound friends and neighbors as I ask my horse to add, subtract, or answer yes-or-no questions with foot stomps!

More questions on horse behavior:

- I ride my mare 5-6 days per week. She lives in a paddock adjacent to two other horses, and they touch and groom each other over the fence. However, she is never turned out in a pasture with other horses because of the rules of her stable. Is this enough social contact for her?