The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

What do you do when a horse bites you?

49K views 46 replies 39 participants last post by  Delfina 
#1 ·
Because I just say "Ow." :?

I see a lot of horses get smacked in the face over nipping. Some do it to be naughty, but some do it just because they're mouthy... then I see the horses that are getting a nice scratch and they start to "groom" you back, but some people, as soon as they feel those teeth or the lips wiggling, they'll backhand that horse's muzzle without missing a beat. I was always taught to never strike a horse in the face. I'll pinch their lips slightly as a warning if they are play-nipping, and that seems to work.

Anyway, what do you guys do?
 
#2 ·
At the barn I ride at the horse I ride is very nippy. If she just pins her ears and opens her mouth "her name is dixie" so I just say in a stern voice "Eh!" or "Dixie!" and that is usually enough, but the time she did make physical contact I was shocked and just didn't do anything (mistake) I asked my trainer and was told if a horse makes physical contact with you make physical contact back. I didn't the next time she bit me I yelled "Dixie!" and made a huge movement with my arms she didn't do it again so far me that was enough.
 
#3 ·
But the ear-pinning-teeth-baring biters are the aggressive ones. And they are dangerous! I would definitely "bite her back". Yet I just can't smack a horse in the face... just how I was taught, and I can't bring myself to do it. I'll pinch, but not smack
 
#5 ·
I couldn't bring myself to hit my horse either so if the yelling and flailing arms doesn't work then would try (instead of face) when she turns to bite you put your elbow up so she hits your elbow that way you are not hitting her she is hitting you and it is her fault.
 
#6 ·
With my mare, especially because she is so sensitive, I won't touch her face at all. If she is just getting a bit too mouthy, I too just kind of pinch her lips a bit, and on the couple of occasions that she's actually tried to bite me, both because I was messing with an injury, and she's still unsure about people, I will smack her on the chest or the shoulder, but never the neck head or nose. I also don't smack as hard as I can, a swift tap is enough for her.

My first horse used to bite for whatever reason, and his previous owner would wheel back and punch him in the soft part of his nose, so he started making a game of it, bit the human dodge the fist. He was definitely dangerous because he would take hunks of skin, because he was trying to get in and out quickly, which meant that he grabbed whatever he could. So obviously smacking him just made his biting worse, and made him head shy. It took me 3 years, but I basically just ignored him. He wanted attention, he learned that biting got him attention, so I took that attention away from him. He bit me, I just walked off back to the tack shed, grabbed another brush or whatever, walked back and continued grooming him, and wouldn't even acknowledge that he'd bitten me. At first I definitely wore THICK clothing, but as time when on, he got more gentle, and finally he just stopped one day. I still wouldn't trust him enough to knowingly and willingly turn my back on him and focus on someone else when I was in his reach, but he finally had learned that he wasn't getting any extra attention from biting me, so he may as well stop, and just act nice.
 
#9 ·
My horse got a slap in the face onc, it was more a reaction because it hurt like ******, just straight across the muzzle, he walked away offended whilst i stopped my hand from bleeding and got butterfly stitches on the bites and he never bit me again. the last horse that bit me i cracked across the rump with a dressage whip, he was so stunned he didn't bite for month and then he went to try it again saw me lift the whip and changed his mind. neither of the horses were mentally scarred. We have to remember that even though we want to eb kind and all-natural all of the time, horses out weight us, out power us and can sometimes be downright nasty things. as my grandfather once said, damn the day horses work out they are stronger and bigger than us. we have to be proactive and assertive in our approach to them or they'll walk all over us, i've seen horses drag people across paddocks with their teeth because people never taught them not to or corrected them when they did, because it wasn't "that bad" now they either have scarring or muscular issues in that arm, i've seen this happen 4 times. I take horses misbehaving very seriously, biting is a massive no in my barn as is backing up to you, striking and walking all over you. We have to be cruel (to an acceptable extent) to be kind both to ourselves and to the horses, because one day you may have to sell it and no one wants a horse with habits like that
 
#11 ·
Hmmm, depends on how they act. If they are mouthy, nippy or just being playful I just say "no" or push them away. Usually that is enough. I don't mind the horse lipping or licking or even using his teeth as long as it doesn't hurt. Sometimes they don't realize that it does hurt and you have to tell them seriously or they don't take it seriously. A firm no.

If they are biting, being mean and challenging me I shall defend myself. Usually a slap to the neck gets to them becasue of the noise. If they get a hold on me, sorry I will slap what I can. Slapping is the best way I'd say, it makes a lot of noise but doesn't hurt.
 
#12 ·
If a horse is trying to be mouthy or playful, and he keeps wanting to nip at you, boredom is also a factor. The best advice that I have been given is to just annoy the horse back. If he starts trying to get all up in your space, rub your hands over his eyes, all over his nose. Soon enough, he's gonna say 'hey, that's annoying, I don't want that,' and turn his head away from you.

A lot of people, wether they realize it or not, ag the horse on. If you always stand close to the horse's head so his muzzle can find your shirt, what do you think is going to happen when he gets bored? Horses are like babies, they always have to put things in their mouth that they smell and are interested in.

As for an aggressive horse, people ag that on too. John Lyons says the best thing to do with a biting horse is give it love. When a horse is dubbed as a 'biting' horse, of course no one wants to get bitten, but people will poke at it with sticks, yell at it, hit it in the face, so it only learns to be more aggressive. John says to just stand by the horse where it can't bite you and love on it, so it learns it doesn't have to bite you (he goes into a more detailed process, I will have to borrow that tape again) lol.
 
#13 ·
I've always believed the best method is to 'bite' them back by nipping them on the neck with your hand, simply because that's what another horse would do!
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#14 ·
Because I just say "Ow." :?

I see a lot of horses get smacked in the face over nipping. Some do it to be naughty, but some do it just because they're mouthy... then I see the horses that are getting a nice scratch and they start to "groom" you back, but some people, as soon as they feel those teeth or the lips wiggling, they'll backhand that horse's muzzle without missing a beat. I was always taught to never strike a horse in the face. I'll pinch their lips slightly as a warning if they are play-nipping, and that seems to work.

Anyway, what do you guys do?
Bite him back! :lol:
 
#15 ·
My mare was getting very teethy, and pining her ears, every time I would touch her. So one day when she was really aggressive she got an upper cut. I socked her hard. She hasn't ever come at me with her teeth again. She has snapped at me a few times since but hasn't needed full out punches. Just a wack does the trick. Now she has been very well behaved since her discipline. No aggression is needed cuz she knows that I am the boss-NOT her!
 
#16 ·
My little mare knipped at me one time when i surprised her with a tightening of the cinch. She didn't mean any harm. She was just startled. I told her I was sorry, and then I was slower in cinching her, giving her a chance to readjust her mind to what I was doing. Never had an incident cinch. :lol:

It's a "getting to know each other" relationship. Sometimes yu gotta do the upper cut thing. Depends on the horse and their attitude.
 
#18 ·
I usually smack the snot out of their nose if they try to bite me. Daughter's stallion tried to bite me once, but I couldn't get to his nose, so I grabbed the lead rope away from her and ran full at him. He had to back up nearly the full length of the pen. The look on his face was priceless, he was so shocked! He hasn't tried to bite me but once since then. Second time, I did get his nose. Hard. I can't hit nearly as hard as a horse can kick, so I don't pull my punches. I haven't made him head shy, either.

I just can't have a biting horse on the property. I have five grandkids that live here with me, and I don't want anything to happen to them. I have a friend who had a pony that nipped - they thought it was cute until the day he nipped off four of her daughter's fingers...
 
#19 ·
I was told once when I 1st got my horses, that if you are a woman, and you have male horses, you know they "accept you" when they nip/bite you in the breast. Well, I don't know how true that was, but both my geldings bit me in my left breast! It was a quick surprize "Gotcha!" nip & they have never got me since. (Mustang got me in 2005 when I got him & the Appy when I got him)

They have been "mouthy" to me since then, but I recognize that they aren't being malicious. I usually treat them like I do my kids: raise myself up, look right at them & with a stern voice "OI! I don't THINK so! You know better than that!" Usually does the trick. If not, then they meet my elbow or get a quick rap (kinda like a flick of the wrist).

My mare is way too laid back & even when we were treating her medically when her leg was sliced open, she never nipped or bit.
 
#20 ·
Their nose gets introduced to my fist, that's what. A horse will bit me once and he will never, EVER, consider it again. Biting is incrediably dangerous and I will not allow someone else to be in danger because of my horse's bad habits.

A nippy or mouthy horse I will discourage with an elbow or pinching the nostril. My filly was getting pretty nippy, so I stopped hand feeding and kept my guard to discipline her immediately. The issue being she started grabbing at clothing and half strangled my friend once who was kneeling to check her leg. She got a couple slaps to the nose before she wised up, having neccesitated me to increase my force when pinching wasn't working.

I have zero issues clocking my horse if and when s/he deserves it. I refuse to own an animal with dangerous habits. Risking my own safety is one thing, risking the safety of others is a unacceptable.
 
#21 ·
I hit them in the nose with whatever body part i can! and i do it without missing a beat or even looking at them. theyre nose ran into my elbow!!!
haha thats funny that i found this thread today because m moms horse bit her today and then someone at the barn laughed and said 'BITE 'IM BACK!!' and we all started laughing, but in reality, thats what you should do (ok, maybe for healths sake, dont use your mouth!) but if a horse in the feild nips the lead horse they will get a boot, or bite, sooooo, the rules shouldnt change just becuase the lead hrose walks on two legs and rides them.
 
#22 ·
Most people are afraid of mouths in general.
Maybe it is a throw back to when we were running away from the lions.

I have to work with all my horses and do regular inspections of the condition of the inside of their mouth and so handling of that area is very comfortable for me.
I would encourage horse owners to explore the idea of becoming more familiar with the mouth and it's parts.
A horse will allow your handling of that area with the right approach for regular exams and even simple de-worming.

This allows you to be aware of small abscesses in the lip/gum/tongue area and a tooth that is giving trouble to your horse.
It allows inspection for proper bit fitting also.

Biting is reduced in many cases with handling.
 
#23 ·
This happened to me the other day... or I should say it almost happened.
There was a 3 y/o Oldenburg gelding in the indoor following me around while I was working the other day. The hallway to the front of barn goes along the arena, so that's where I was walking and that little sh!t waited until I walked past him before he pinned his ears and tried to take a chunk out of my arm. He got an elbow to the face.
I will not hesitate to hit a horse if they're trying to bite me.
 
#24 ·
I have 2 horses, i have worked at many lesson barns in the past, with biters, kickers, .blah blah blah...any horse that has bittn me that was NOT mine, i bite back, if its my horse, they get smacked in the face, (not hard) but enough to realize they screwed up, i know your never soppost to smack a horse in there face, andthat is the only time i will, Breeze bit me once when i first got him, popped him right in the nose and that was the last time he has ever even tried, let alone made contact, and he is not the least bit headshy,
gemini bit me when he was 7 months old...same thing..POP. he freaked, and has never bitten anybody ever again. he is not head shy now either,..
 
#25 ·
If a horse tries to bite me they get a firm pop in the nose with my hand. End of story. After that I've never had one try to do it again.
 
#27 ·
I had this happen yesterday with my new and first horse, a gelding. Thankfully, the farriers assistant had just given me a talk about ground manners and cutting out the treats as my guy was all over me trying to get me to produce the treats that were in my pocket. So, after we finish, I am there talking to my neighbor and pushing him back from me and he put his teeth on my arm -- didn't bite down, but I felt teeth. I puffed up like a guy about to get into a fight, fixed my eyes on him, yelled NO! while slapping his shoulder, and just about backed him up through the whole pasture. He had a look of of awe -- like "damn, she's not such a sucker after all".

He's a good boy overall, and I am certainly more of a lover than a fighter. But, reading these posts made me feel like I was right to rise up in righteous indignation. And, I don't think he'll ever do that again :)

On that note, I have my horse at home and am not convenient to a trainer and am still looking for a horse trailer, so that we can go to a trainer. In the meantime, I would like to start a program that will help me with things like ground manners -- is Parelli the best bet? Any suggestions for good program for an adult beginner looking to increase my knowledge of horse behavior and something I could do with my horse where we are both learning and becoming better partners? I want to make sure that I don't take a good horse and turn him into a bad one by encouraging bad habits, if that makes sense.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top