The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Horse pees when running. Why?

23K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  Indyhorse 
#1 ·
One of my buddies I barrel race with has a 3 or 4-year-old mare that will urinate on herself when she is running. The other day I noticed her peeing when she was just sidepassing. My friend says it's just nerves, and I heard someone else say it could be a busted gut. (???). I've looked it up on google and can't get a clear answer on why this horse could be doing this. Does anybody else have a horse that does this?
 
#4 ·
A 'busted gut' would cause death, not her urinating on herself.

I've never heard of a horse doing that. It could be nerves, but she could also have a UTI.

That would worry me, since it's so unusual. I'd have a vet take cultures and see if she has an infection.
 
#8 ·
Ironically, Shay-las retired mare did that all the time as well. Turns out, she has either a severe soft tissue energy or a potentially fractured vertebrae (unable to determine without x-rays which we can't get without driving to the next province). I assume the extreme pain of having a rider on her back likely decreased her ability to control her bladder as she was concentrating so hard on keeping those muscles tight.

She's 19 and now retired, but was ridden her entire life without a diagnosis. Everyone just thought she was "fresh" when she spent her time bolting and bucking.
 
#11 ·
Its nerves. My barrel trainer said you would see mares doing that all the time at barrel races. I have seen several mares do it at barrel races to. It seems to only happen to young mares.
Really? Are you sure? I have seen nervous horses, sweat, tremble, prance, dance, kick, roll eyes, rear, leap and hop, yet I have NEVER seen a horse urinate while doing these things. I have seen nervous horses stop in mid prance to wee and then carry on prancing after the wee. The only time I have ever seen a hirse wee while moving was an old, old horse who became completely incontinent and had to be put down not long after.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I am with Kiwi on this one.

I have a nervous mare. Sure she manures while she is flying sideways or trying to decide if the barn car will really pounce on her and eat her alive.

But she does not every leak urine or intentionally urinate even when totally freaking out.

I have spent more than a few hours at horse shows and I have never seen a mare urinating because it is excited.

I agree that your friend needs to discuss this with their vet.
 
#13 ·
Could be nerves, could not be.

There isn't ever really a definite answer to anything without a vet check. Maybe it is only nerves, but it could be something more serious.
 
#14 ·
Could be nerves, could not be.
I would think if horses urinating was a nervous thing then many more of us would have experienced a horse doing it.

It seems highly unlikely a horse would urinate when it is nervous as urinating normally puts them in a vulnerable position.
 
#15 ·
Dogs urinate when they're nervous, stressed, or over excited, not horses.

There could be any number of reasons why this mare is urinating during exercise, none of them good.

I sure as hell wouldn't be taking any chances if it were one of my horses; I'd have a vet out to look at the animal pronto.
 
#17 ·
100% agree. I think it's a dangerous road to call it "nerves" and say good enough. I've NEVER seen a horse wee on the fly like that. Manure, sure. But I've never, ever seen a horse not stop everything they were doing to pee. Even the gelding I had a few years ago, who was obsessed with his job as a trail-guide horse and would never stop without reason, would stop to wee, although he did often crabwalk a bit through the tail end of the wee. A horse peeing while running full tilt is surely a sign something is wrong. Horses are not dogs, they are not submissive urinaters. I'd have the horse checked out yesterday.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top