Nipping??? What do I do?

I have a 13 year old QH mare. She nips when I cinch her up. There isn't anything pinching her. Any ideas about what I can try? Also when I ride her she always runs into the shelter and stops. What am I doing wrong? She will either run into the lean-to or the side of the shed and just stop. She goes from a walk to a trot to a dead stop and she won't respond when I pull back on the reins or try to turn her. I use a snaffle bit. Help!?

You need a riding instructor not an internet forum. As far as the biting you can search the forum for the dozens of other biting threads. All the advice is pretty much the same.

My TB started nipping at me a while ago when I tightened the girth (I got a new saddle and it didn't fit) so we got a saddle fitter out, got it adjusted then we got a chiro and massage therapist to come look at his back.

He is all fixed now thanks to those few simple things.

Kevin is correct on the riding part.....you need to get assistance from a trainer/instructor before you and your horse get hurt.

As far as the horse being cinchy, many horses get uncomfortable when you tighten a cinch. It's not necessarily about being pinched (although an ill-fitting saddle can lead to cinchy behavior), but it's often about the confinement of having something strapped around your stomach and tightened. It's like someone tightening a belt around your waist. Make sure you are tightening your cinch slowly and in stages. When you first put the saddle on, tighten the cinch slowly and only enough to keep it from falling off. Walk away and let your horse get used to it. Come back and tighten it a couple of inches then walk away. You might have to tighted 4 or 5 times before you ride, but take your time. I have gelding who has been cinchy ever since I bought him. He has never tried to bite me, but he bites at the air. I take it slow and easy on him and he has improved considerably.

For the cinchy behaviour: I agree with ridehorses99 -Just keep it only as tight as you need it at first and gradually (very slowly) increase the tightness after moving her around a little and put on the rest of your tack. Then she will not expect it to cut off her air right away!!:) The same thing happened to Pro when I got him and didn't know very much about horses and what I was doing (he sure taught me quick that it's not ok to just tightened up the saddle all at once!!).

When your riding her and she runs to the shelter I would make it a very uncomfortable place to be...

Has you always had these problems with your horse or did they just come up? How long have you owned her for?

How fast are you cinching her up? Lots of horses I have worked with are nippy because the owner cinches them up too hard and fast (which I don't blame them for nipping in this case) .. as someone as mentioned already cinch her up slowly and move her around and gradually cinch her up several times before you actually get on. It will usually fix her behaviour if you stop winding her and give her a chance to adjust to the tightness a little at a time.

I have not always had these problems with her, the nipping yes but not the running to the shelter. That seemed to come about when the gelding we are boarding came here. I do not cinch her up fast, she even tries to nip when you just set the saddle pad on her back.

She might have a sore back as well and that's the only way she can tell you. She's saying please don't put that big heavy thing on my back, I hurt....I would suggest a equine chiro to have a look at her and see if she has any physical issues, rule that out and go from there. That might explain some of the running off to the shelter as well..

It sounds to me then like she has zero respect for you. Go back to ground work, because as far as she's concerned, she should be riding you and that thought process needs to change. Get yourself in control of her feet in a round pen, as well as respecting your space.

I would agree with the others. Getting into the round pen and practice flexing from the ground then on her back. Get her used to doing a one rein stop. As for the nipping it's as the others have commented. Good luck : 0 )