It is true horses do not have paws but they can develop the annoying and destructive habit of pawing.

Some horses paw at stalls because they are excited about being fed. Other horses paw the sides of their trailers when they are feeling nervous about being transported and some horses paw out of boredom. A few incidents of pawing are meant to be challenges to their owners and horses have been known to paw vehicles as a sign of dominance and an issuance of a challenge.

It's not hard to pinpoint the reason for your horse's pawing. If it is only occurring when he is transported, it is a nervous reaction. If he is pawing in his stall only at dinnertime then you know he is just being over excited about eating. If boredom is the reason your horse is pawing, then a little more interaction between yourself and your horse is in order. A final factor that is rare but does occur on occasion is that your horse may be pawing to tell you he is in pain. The pawing is an acting out of the animal simply trying to relieve pain.

If your horse is pawing, first let an equine vet give your horse the once over to rule out any physical malady that is causing the pawing. Then look towards the situation of your horse's pawing. Many horse owners reward pawing without knowing it. The horse paws and kicks over a feed bucket and the owner decides the horse is hungry and feeds him. You just told your horse to paw for food.

Lots of attention, repeated praise for not pawing and do not reward pawing with food will greatly lessen your incidents of pawing. Give your bored horse more exercise and interaction and you should also see the behavior lessen to the point it eventually stops. The key is to be constant and consistent with your horse and you will have a perfectly trained companion for life!