popping horse on the nose.. good or bad?

When I go to put the halter on my horse, sometimes she will bite at me a little and lately I have popped her on the nose for doing it. Just curious if that was the right thing to do or if there was a better way to go about breaking her biting habit.. ?

In a sense yes.. I myself will kinda take my middle funger knuckle and poke her on the side of her mouth and then go about doing what I intended to do without making a big fuss over it... If you pop her in the nose it may cause her to start throwing her head up to avoid you. Try first getting her to drop her head and then put the halter on.

Good Luck....

Is she actually biting at you? Aggressive or playful? How old is she?

I've known people to have success with grabbing the horses muzzle and rubbing it briskly. Apparently it irritates them and they learn not to nibble. Just be careful with "popping" her on the nose, you don't want to end up with a head shy horse. But I don't think you have to worry about it too much IF your reaction is well timed and an appropriate punishment.

She is a 2 y/o. It is not a very aggressive bite, more of an 'I'm irritated that you want to put that thing on my face' kind of bite. I only pop her right after she bites and continue working with her. After the pop though, she certainly seems to not want to work with me because I was rude. I will stop popping and try your suggestions. Thanks

Good luck, let us know if it works.

Yes...the trick is to be well-timed. I have tried the vigorous facial/muzzle rubbing with my mouthy gelding, but oddly enough he liked it. Perhaps I wasn't rubbing vigorously enough? Lol With him, the biting is more of a game, as he flips his head up immedietly after so I can't pop him. But the last time or so he tried this I swung the leadrope at his face and smacked his nose with it, and he hasn't bitten me again...nor has he turned head shy.

His first and last real bite, he landed a good chomp on my arm and I now have a rather large and deep bruise. I'm not going to tolerate it. I think that particular bite was an issue of respect, so he is not allowed to be mouthy, playful or not. It took me bopping him in the nose and I wouldn't think twice about doing it again.

You are doing the right thing in letting her know this is not acceptable behaviour with humans, thin-skinned delicate weaklings we are, as it has a chance of escalating as she gets older.

Let us kow how it goes.

I have had Chopper for three years now. He was a stud up until age three, and the first time he tried to bite me was the last. He got a sharp crack across the muzzle and we went about our business. That was when he was a year old and he hasn't tried it since.

I think all it takes for most horses is one good crack, and they learn. Little pops here and there tend to be just a nuisance, and so does muzzle rubbing(which Chopper loves). The more you pick pick pick at a horse the less likely he is to respond and the more likely he is to get desensitized to it.

Horses do not think in those terms. They are flight animals, and think in terms of action and reaction. A 2 year old that nips will become a 10 year old that bites if it is allowed to continue. A child that was just repremanded for something may sulk for a moment or two but the discipline was appropriate.

If a horse of any age goes to nip, you have 1 or 2 seconds to correct it and a bop on the nose with the hand that he just went to bite is totally appropriate. Going at him yelling and making him think that he is going to die is also appropriate. You can not harm a horse the way they kick and bite each other but it must be immediate, once, and over. Continuing to hit the horse is what causes problems.

No pop - SMACK her. It has to have meaning behind it.

Watch how horses play. Nip, nip, nip until one gets tired of the game. The tired horse will be aggressive in the return and the game ends.

You don't see horses nibbling on the alpha mare in the pasture. They know better. When I have a youngster nipping at me, I make them believe their lives are at risk. But I do it within a 5 second span, and when its over, ITS OVER.