MEET THE EXPERT
BEN CURNOW is a lecturer in equine practice at the University of Liverpool’s equine vet school at Leahurst. He has a special interest in equine dermatology.
MEET THE EXPERT
CATHERINE WENSLEYGREEN is an equine behaviourist, based in Gloucestershire. She has recently set up an equine buddy service for horse owners struggling with their horse’s behaviour. Visit stridingforwardtogether.com
IT IS CERTAINLY frustrating. Having just groomed your horse and let him out into his field, the first thing he does is have a roll, covering himself in dust, or worse — mud.
Rolling may seem like a very basic and easy to understand part of equine behaviour, but scratch the surface and there’s a lot more going on than might be imagined.
There are many varied reasons why a horse might roll, and even good logic as to why he might choose the muddiest patch in the field to do so.
Herd dynamics
The first and most obvious reason that a horse rolls in the field, according to horse behaviourist Catherine Wensley-Green, is that rolling is a combination of massage and grooming to the equine.
“It’s their way of having a bath. It’s
