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horse that bites

5K views 23 replies 16 participants last post by  valleychick2121 
#1 ·
How can I stop my horse from trying to bite people, almost everytime we walk out to the pasture he gets a additude and holds his ears back and tries to nip.I have only had him for a week, I know where he came from the other horse( not him) use to always bite the other horses.I have tried smacking him on his nose and he seems to get the message, but I don't like hitting him.Someone told me to get a whip, what do ya'll think.
 
#3 ·
You have to hit him--slap his muzzle with hand or crop. You say you don't like to hit him--but horses show their displeasure and dominance with their teeth. Smacking him a couple of times won't mean that you must be smacking him all the time forever. Show him that you are boss--that ALL people are boss--and, and he will stop biting, and the smacking will stop. A physical assault from a horse requires a physical response from you--reasoned, in proportion, without losing your temper...but a physical response. He's big, he outweighs you--you need to get his attention.
 
#4 ·
i hate hitting too-it just feels wrong-but i agree with above he is bigger and could injure you easily. ground work and lots of it and NO hand feeding ever with a bitter. someone on another post talked about the correct hand position to smack him after a nip so he doesnt get head shy or hand shy-??maybe they will respond
i would not use a whip-as with dogs the response from you must be immediate.
 
#5 ·
If you hit him slowly he ll become smarter and faster so it s not a good idea. When he tries to bite you, you can kick him over the hoof which is very sensitive and also a blind spot or you can pick up your elbow so he will hit on it by himself. With these actions he will think "ohhh, when i try to bite i hurt and i don t know from where."

These methods may sound silly. My mare bites and one day she cut me off a piece of muscule from my arm. Luckily, she didn t cut the skin. After that, I searched a lot and found this methods and some more(I don t remember them) and believe me they have helped me a lot....

I hope they may help you too...
 
#6 ·
You can also give the horse an elbow instead of smacking him with your hand if you're in the right position. I think I agree about the whip--he might start biting only when he doesn't see the whip. When you give him an elbow of smack him--get mad, shout "no" like you mean it in a loud voice, give him idea that he's crossed the line and made you angry. Think of the lead horse out in the field who pins back his ears and looks nasty and snakes his head around to get the point across--you need to do the equivalent with your body language. Once you establish dominance, the need for the displays will cease.
 
#7 ·
Another thing you can do is make a show of hitting him. Come at him like you're going to take his head off. You don't have to hit him that hard, and you may not even have to hit him...the action is often enough to get the message across. If he pulls up at the action, he knows he's done wrong and knows what's coming if he does it again.

Also remember to come down off the anger immediately. When he responds correctly (Crap, I've done something wrong), pet him with the same hand you threatened him with. It helps him understand that the act wasn't random, there was an action that lead directly to it, and also prevents him from becoming headshy from that hand.
 
#9 ·
thanks everyone for the advice. I do smack him as soon as he tries to nip and I yell "NO'' , I think he gets the message.Yesterday after I smacked him on the nose he turned away from me,but didnt give me his hindquarters, I was more like facing his side.If it ever stops raining here in Fla. I will be able to do ground work, I think I'm going to have someone come help me,since I dont know exactly what I'm doing.( I am new at this) does anybody know someone down here in Fla. that can help me out ?
 
#11 ·
you can always bite him back. HARD. I've done it before. I works, grab the muzzle and bite back. I only did it because the mare bit my hip and brought tears to my eyes... I'm still kind of shocked to this day that I did it, I just grabbed her muzzle and bit down... But let me tell you, that mare NEVER bit me again.
 
#12 ·
I agree. Just dont forget to punish him WITHIN 3 SECONDS of biting. Otherwise he wont know why youre punishing him. i also read an interesting article

"The last thing to cover is what to do if the horse has bitten you.
A bite is when the horse opens his teeth even a fraction of an inch, and either bites you, your clothes, the air, or is aimed in your direction. When a horse bites you, you should consider it an act of war. He just declared war on you. There are a few rules to follow. Number one is you have three seconds to retaliate. If three seconds have passed since he bit you, just be prepared for the next time. There is no place in horse training for revenge. With the three seconds in mind you want to convince the horse that you are going to kill him. You want to get angry enough that you convey the thought that the horse just made the biggest mistake of his life. That's how serious biting is. I know of people who have had the muscles in their arms ripped out, and I know of someone who has been killed by one bite from a horse. If you are within the three-second limit, you are allowed to yell, hit, scream, roar, kick etc... You are not allowed to hit the horse with anything above the withers that could put his eye out, and you also don't want to hit him with something that could break the skin. No one can ever hit a horse as hard as another horse can kick him. So, the goal is not to cause physical pain but, to convince him that he almost made a mistake that cost him his life. We want to scare him to death! Once he's convinced, he won't try biting us again."

from http://www.infohorse.com/hilton.asp


i have the same problem with a falabella at my stables...
 
#13 ·
Equine's article is 100% on the money.

You are dealing with an animal that is over 1,000 lb and in many cases much more. The horse has some innate rules that it follows and you must play by those rules and use those rules to your advantage. Your horse needs to learn respect and fall into the proper pecking order. If you don't have the courage to "retaliate" as he expects, then you really should consider getting a goat. Biting is one of the very worse things a horse can do to you because it happens so quickly and can be so devastating not only to you but to anyone who comes within reach.

Beating a horse is cruel. Overreacting is incorrect. Prolonging the punishment is counterproductive. It needs to be the proper response and one that your horse understands.
 
#14 ·
Heh... I have no idea if this actually works, but it sounded cool in "the Black Stallion's Filly".

She was a really bad biter, so he put a hot potato up in his shirt, right where she'd normally bite, so that when she bit down on him, he would make sure she bit the hot potato, burning her mouth some. She hurt herself when she bit down on his "arm", while not being hit at all, decreasing any chance that she'd become head shy.

I have no idea if it would actually work... but it sounded pretty cool and smart in the book...
 
#15 ·
FutureVetGirl said:
Heh... I have no idea if this actually works, but it sounded cool in "the Black Stallion's Filly".

She was a really bad biter, so he put a hot potato up in his shirt, right where she'd normally bite, so that when she bit down on him, he would make sure she bit the hot potato, burning her mouth some. She hurt herself when she bit down on his "arm", while not being hit at all, decreasing any chance that she'd become head shy.

I have no idea if it would actually work... but it sounded pretty cool and smart in the book...
Sounds good, but one question. How did "He" keep the potato from burning his arm?

So many folks here have said that a horse learns through actions to establish the pecking order and I could not agree more nldiaz66. Not only is biting dangerous, it also shows no respect to you as the alpha which is the role you need to establish with your horse.
A smack to the nose, a pinched nostril, a kick to the hoof. Whatever action you decide works best to deter the dominant display from your horse needs to be instant and consistant. Acompany this action with a loud, abrassive noise like a verbal, rasping "HAAAAAAAA-HA-HA" .You have about two seconds inside of which to react to a horses bad ground behavior. Anything past that and the horse may not know what the action was for. This is not cruelety, this is horse herd behavior. The horse will respect you in the long run as its leader, the alpha.

Each response shoul be metered to the horse bad behavior in speed and force. Never lose your temper.

I had a new to me horse who would bite. When smaked for her efforts she would then pin her ears as she returned to attempt to take a serious bite. This resulted in a thumb and forefinger pinch and twist to her nearest nostril fast and hard enough to cause her to squeal, then turn and leave. Today I can walk into her stall, or up to her in the pasture to rub her muzzle, stroke her forehead, clip her, whatever I need or want to do and she accepts it with a kind calm eye and no bad behavior. She will actually rest her chin on my arm and go to sleep on the ocassion where I simply stand there and stroke her forehead. She has accepted me as her alpha, she respects me and I her. The point here is be consistant. What some folks may view as cruel the, horse will view as normal behavior by which the herd dominance is established and the the Alpha (You)elected.
 
#16 ·
"He" is Henry Dailey, and the way he kept it from burning his arm was that he had a sponge or something there.

But like I said... it was something from a fictional book, and that does NOT mean that it would actually work. I just thought it sounded kind of inventive.

But I do agree with what you said (Harley Heaven). You need to assert yourself as the alpha. If a horse (dog, cat, or any other animal) sees you as weak, they'll take advantage of it. In herds, the alpha mares will punish the young colts for various deeds. It takes a while, but they learn. And by punishing, it's not "tsk tsk... you know you shouldn't do that..." in a crooning voice or something. It's by biting the colt, kicking the colt, or anything else to show him that it's not appropriate behavior. Would you call a horse out for "cruelty" when it's teaching? Or do you only call a human out for doing the same thing (that's a lot kinder on the horse than the mare would be).
 
#17 ·
I actuallly turned one of my horses into a nipper by offering too many hand fed treats. As soon as we realized what was happening the treats stopped immediately. Twister was following me on the leadrope and I had turned our direction so I was just a fuzz in front of him and I heard the distinct snap of his teeth and felt the graze of his muzzle on my elbow. I didn't even think, I reacted with an open handed slap to his muzzle...I didn't aim, I didn't look, I just puffed up and swung my hand around and made loud,sharp, swift,hard contact. He instantly dropped his head as to say...OMGOSH....I'm SORRY! It only took one really good smack and he hasn't tried it again. In fact he will drop his head to me now when I go to let him out. As if he is offering his forelock for a scratch at my waist level.
 
#18 ·
FutureVetGirl said:
Heh... I have no idea if this actually works, but it sounded cool in "the Black Stallion's Filly".

She was a really bad biter, so he put a hot potato up in his shirt, right where she'd normally bite, so that when she bit down on him, he would make sure she bit the hot potato, burning her mouth some. She hurt herself when she bit down on his "arm", while not being hit at all, decreasing any chance that she'd become head shy.

I have no idea if it would actually work... but it sounded pretty cool and smart in the book...
I read something like that except for she used like a hard-bristled brush and taped it to where her horse would bite... to me it sounded easier than a hot potato. :?

p.s.. Is the other way i typped ok to use? PM me or type here..
 
#19 ·
I have been told to hit, slap, or do something, but trumb it off after ward. This tells the hoss that I am the boss but no hard feelings and everything is OK. I was checking my horse's feet and he tried to bite me in the rear but I caught him before he did it. And, hit him squarly in the jaw, I was bad and walked away. I got about twenty feet away. Then I returned and whap it off. He started to follow me out of the field. Horses feel their need a leader.
 
#20 ·
thanks anyone for the advice, he is doing much better, i tried smacking him in his nose, but he started getting headshy, so i quit, i got i tree branch, that worked, smacked him on his butt,made him walk, then come back to me.he has improved 100 %, no more nipping in weeks, not even trying.So I think i also need to say when i first got him i was a little scared of him, :oops: he had already bit me once and i knew how it felt, so anyways I'm over my fear, but still very aware of whats going on.Now we been doing lots of ground work. :lol:
 
#21 ·
so glad to hear it is going better! sonny bit me in the back sunday (fatty pad on my waist pretty nasty bite from big boy=) he was going for my pocket-i think =i forgot a carrot piece-tell ya what==== i HATE hitting animals BUT= i squeeked and his head came up and his eyes got big and he knew it was coming and he took the smack on the nose. I groomed him very lovingly later and did not give him his carrott!!! i bled for 2 days small bleeding but bleeding.
it comes from me hand feeding i know it does-even tho i only give his carrot before i halter him and after he is back in his stall now i think i am creating a monster-so will take all this info from this post to the barn with me and read it every few weeks.love sonny but **** my back hurts!imagine if it had been my fingers
 
#22 ·
yeah going alot better, the only time he bit me was at the old owners home, he left teeth marks in my wrist for a day didnt break the skin, lucky me... but let me tell you it HURT for a long time.I have never stopped hand feeding him, he only gets treats every now and then, he has never tried to bit me after taking a treat.
 
#23 ·
My horse Twister never tried to bite me when I was giving him treats or afterwards...it was those times when he must have thought I should have brought him a treat!

He is just as happy with the treats on the ground or in his feed...I still get to feel warm and fuzzy for giving him something special and he doesn't get to give me the "shakedown" for more.

Some horses...like my Dumas can be hand fed. Dumas has never ever even offered to act like he would bite. Like he knows the evil horse eating monster will get him for the very thought of biting. I didn't train him not to bite, someone did tho! :P
 
#24 ·
Everyone had some great advice. I give them a hard tap with my elbow if Im leading or will give them a punch in their nose.

I've had some very aggressive horses while feeding trying to bite me and i throw the bucket at them, make them run around, then wait until they come to get the feed and stand there the entire time. If they show aggression again, the same thing happens to them. My lot I have now all move away when its time to feed and walk behind me. I can sit there scratching them and talking to them while they eat. Its a favorite time of day for my to bond with the pasture horses.
 
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