So i have a quarter horse and he is only 5 and bites people so much! :shock: i dont know what to do. when he bites me i give him a little smack and he will stop for a couple minutes then try again. Even if I am just trying to pet the side of his neck or something he will try to bite me. I think its mostly because he's a baby and half the times he is biting he's just being playful. But he has bitten me pretty hard before and it really hurts! Everyone wants to pet him because he is just sooo friendly but i have to alwaysss tell people he bites.

What are some suggestions to do to try to make him stop?!

 

1. He's not a baby, hes 5, which makes him an adult horse.
2. Biting is not playful. Ever.
3. That bite that "really hurts" can VERY quickly turn into a bone crushing bite. They have powerful jaws.
4. If he is "friendly" but still bites, then he is taking advantage of you. You need to stop babying him and take over the situation. I am guessing he has done this for quite a while. It needs to be stopped like yesterday.

There are many ways to stop a biter, but like others have said, you need to be willing to actually STOP the behavior and not half-heartedly either. Your priority needs to be stopping the biting, and not worrying about whether or not you are going to hurt your baby.

 

A "little smack" is the problem - you are not correcting him in a meaningful way, in fact it becomes a game to him. At 5 he is NOT 'a baby' and this behavior can not be taken/accepted as 'play'.
Your post reads rather "touchy/feely" - before I offer any sort of advice, are you open to using actual physical correction or not?

 

Agreed. One REALLY good smack with your fist will wake him up. You are forgetting how big your horse is.
Pretend that you are a cat who "owns" a human. Your human keeps biting you. You have tried little kitty love taps, but he won't stop. FINALLY, you pull out your claws and slash him a good one. Bet he'll stop.

 

Stop giving "a little smack" and give a hefty jab with your elbow right as he goes to bite you. You need him to know that he needs to cut it out NOW!

Running into a pointy elbow when you go to bite isn't much fun.

 

ohh okay i'll try that thanks

 

As already stated, at 5 he's hardly a baby so stop referring to him that way. He was obviously a bad mannered foal who was allowed to mature into a bad mannered adult horse. :?

Slapping him only means it's a game to him. He bites, you slap, and he comes back in to bite you again.

He needs to know that it's not acceptable, and for that you're going to need to physically correct him, not give him a half hearted slap and a squealing, 'Oooh, stop that!'

Some people carry tacks in between their fingers so when a horse comes in to bite, they get the tacks instead. I'm not advocating that, but I've heard it can be very effective.

Your body language and voice are also going to play a big part. You can't cringe or squeal; you have to be forceful and very confident.

 

Years ago we had a horse that liked to bite. For him, it was definitely a game, and it had been inadvertently encouraged by his previous owner...playing slap and tickle. We got the horse for a song because of his biting habit.

It took a while, but we finally were sure we had broken his nasty habit. No hand feeding - period. No treats, no grabbing a handful of grass to give to him...nothing. When he tried to bite, it was full on war - a stout fist to the snout, yelling, screaming...made him move his feet, and keep moving them. It was almost funny to see the shocked look on his face the first time he tried it. And the second. And the third. After that, the nips became fewer and fewer.

Didn't have him very long - sold him to a young kid who wanted him for youth rodeo. Saw him every once in a while, but as far as I know, the horse wasn't biting any more.

Your horse's habit is not one that you can fix easily or quickly. However, it's a very dangerous habit. One you need to stop as soon as humanly possible before he bites the wrong person, which could land you and/or your parents in some serious hot water...

 

I hate biting! I think you have good advice here.

When I have a horse nip/bite me -- for about 3 seconds that horse thinks he is GOING TO DIE! Then it's over until next time.

If you aren't strong enough, or if you're "picking" at him .. it will only get worse..

He needs to think he is going to DIE ..but quickly and decisively...

Good luck.

 

he is still a baby because he just turned 5 a couple days ago...
i do not squeal a yell in a very stern voice and i actually do hit him hard. when im brushing him a have the crop with me and every time he tries to bite i smack him with harder each time...but he doesnt care. He is so stubborn.
I dont give him food from my hands because i know that that wil make him bite even more lol.
now because i do hit him in the face so much because he is always biting, he is really head shy and has good reflexes and knows that the second he even opens his mouth i will hit him...but he still tries to bite -_-

 

I don't care if he is five and two days or five and 11 months - he is not a "baby" in this situation because even the youngest of foals can be taught proper bite inhibition.
Your insistence on defending his babyhood speaks volumes, imo, about why you are having a problem correcting the behavior.
No one has said you need to "hit him in the face" - in fact I would advise you to stop doing so as you are already seeing what that is leading to - now you have a problem horse in two areas, biting and head-shy.

 

He needs a good STRONG wallop every time he does it. It shouldn't take more than a few times for him to get that it's not acceptable.

 

and i never ever just let him play bite

 

This is a game to him ... he's not taking you serious..

I had a filly like that. She wouldn't do it to me because she thought she was going to die .. but my husband couldn't handle her without her biting and then pulling away before he could smack her.. his timing sucked and she got over on him all the time!

Really, though, he's not taking you seriously .. he needs to be worked over..

I know it's frustrating.

 

Then what should I do?

 

He IS play biting ... a horse could rip your arm (or your face) off if he were serious...

This is a game to him. Bite.. see if I can avoid the smack. Colts do this together all the time ... He's playing you.

 

Let me ask you a questions, have you ever watched a herd in the field? I mean, just sat and watched the way they interact with each other? I have. Guess what happens when an arrogant mouthy youngster bites a dominant adult? An EXPLOSION. Kicking, squealing, chasing, that youngster KNOWS he is in trouble! None of us are advocating "beating" your horse, but you do need to realize that no matter how the problem became as big as it is, it will continue to progress until he takes a literal chunk out of someone unless you stop it now. Did you know that in many states if your horse bites someone you can get slapped with a hefty fine? How terrible would you feel if a 7 yr old child came up and wanted to pet the pretty pony and he took a few fingers off? I don't mean to sound harsh, but this is a huge problem.

At 5, your horse is not a "mature" animal, but he is definitely not a baby anymore. Think about it in these terms, do you think a 13 year old kid knows more than a 5 year old kid? That's what you have, a teenager. And just like children, if you make excuses for him saying he's just a baby he will end up a little monster.

 

okay well im not trying to use his age as an excuse, i have asked many people they told me hes a baby BUT thats still not good.
Then what do you think i should do?! I need him to stop because well there are alot of little kids in my house....im the oldest of seven so...yeah but they know they arent even allowed near the horse.
Also about the fine, i wouldnt be fined or sued or whatever because i have this sign that is required to have in new jersey and as long as i have this sign , if anything happens i cant get fined or sued or however u spell that.
I AM TRYING AS HARD AS I CAN to stop him from biting

 

I don't like to hit a horse in the face, but I have for biting. It sounds like your guy needs more than that.

I know I have been leading a horse that reached over and nipped me .. I will yell "HEY!" very forcefully, turn and lay the leadrope across his chest 4, 5 times (hard) as I'm facing him and backing him away from me as fast as I can get him to go. It has to be aggressive and forceful .. YOU are in control... and you are letting him know his behavior is UNACCEPTABLE... PERIOD... For about 5 seconds or so. Be careful not to lose your temper and go too long .. Short and Decisive.

Then I calmly turn and start leading him again.

If he nips again .. repeat .. fast and decisive ..

This has worked for me in most cases.

 

You need to hit him hard enough that he actually moves his feet away from you. I work with "babies" (and by babies, I mean weanling and younger), and I have ninja reflexes. There's the "block", which is putting up your forearm against the side of the face, usually followed by a "cheek bop", when I take the fleshy part of my palm and hit them against the fleshy side of their cheek. And then I have the "jab", where I use the point of my elbow into the side of their mouth. It helps if you have perfect timing, where every move collides right when they start to go for you. Each of my movements is hard and decisive, then I continue to do what I'm doing. If the horse still persists, I'll cheek bop them into a compete circle until they're running away from me. Now my reflexes are so attuned, it just comes naturally and I often mistakenly do it with other people's horses.

 

So this is just a suggestion. I do not know your horse but this worked for me when hitting did not.

My horse used to bite because he was, gasp, BABIED by his previous owners. He would try to nip about every three seconds. I tried whacking him in the head, circles, poking him, whacking him with a crop, you name it, I tried it. It really did not help anything.

The only thing that helped was ignoring him, well kind of. A trainer put me onto this, and he said when he attempts to nip, don't look at him, don't stop when you are doing, simply throw your elbows (think flap like a chicken). Do not pay any extra attention to him. Once you have his face away from you (which is you flap hard enough he will move his face away from you) continue doing what you are doing. He will quickly get sick of his game, because you give him no extra attention and he keeps hitting himself on your elbow (or so he thinks). This fixed my little dude in about a week flat, with steady improvements each time I worked him. Plus this method causes no head-shy results, since the horse thinks he is bumping into you, and not you hitting him.

Try that out and see if it helps.

 

So this is just a suggestion. I do not know your horse but this worked for me when hitting did not.

My horse used to bite because he was, gasp, BABIED by his previous owners. He would try to nip about every three seconds. I tried whacking him in the head, circles, poking him, whacking him with a crop, you name it, I tried it. It really did not help anything.

The only thing that helped was ignoring him, well kind of. A trainer put me onto this, and he said when he attempts to nip, don't look at him, don't stop when you are doing, simply throw your elbows (think flap like a chicken). Do not pay any extra attention to him. Once you have his face away from you (which is you flap hard enough he will move his face away from you) continue doing what you are doing. He will quickly get sick of his game, because you give him no extra attention and he keeps hitting himself on your elbow (or so he thinks). This fixed my little dude in about a week flat, with steady improvements each time I worked him. Plus this method causes no head-shy results, since the horse thinks he is bumping into you, and not you hitting him.

Try that out and see if it helps.

to do this, you have to watch him out of the corner of your eye, though, because you have to flap at him the second he reaches to bite. timing is everything.

one question here. Does he bit at all times, or only during tacking up? if he is biting at tacking up/down, there could be something that is causeing him pain, such as his saddle or the bit or ? and being ridden is very unpleasant for him, so he is trying to tell you something. not that I condone the biting, but sometimes the horse is trying to say something and we should be aware.

 

I had a gelding once, when he was a youngster - he started biting and he rarely missed his intended target. That is just not funny. I will not smack a horse of mine in the face or anywhere else. I carefully lodged horsenails between my fingers and held them in place by making a fist, I did not move my hand...the decision was his to make contact. It took all of 2-3 times before that "game" was over. It sounds "cruel", it is not. They learn just as quickly and by the same means to not mess with cactus.

 

I had a gelding once, when he was a youngster - he started biting and he rarely missed his intended target. That is just not funny. I will not smack a horse of mine in the face or anywhere else. I carefully lodged horsenails between my fingers and held them in place by making a fist, I did not move my hand...the decision was his to make contact. It took all of 2-3 times before that "game" was over. It sounds "cruel", it is not. They learn just as quickly and by the same means to not mess with cactus.

Question being, how do you know what his next intended target will be, so that you can be sure to have the studded fist conveniently there for him to chomp on?

 

It took my gelding biting me hard ONCE for me to get the message across that biting is NOT acceptable.

He would nip and I would slap and it became a game...very similar to what you're describing. One day, when he was still a stud colt and still hadn't had much handling (I think I'd had him for two weeks and he hadn't been handled much prior to that), we were walking down the road and all of a sudden I had a 15hh, 1000lbs colt latched onto my forearm by his teeth. No provocation, no warning, he just *WHAM* bit me and held on. I reacted on pure instinct. He was latched onto my right arm, so my left fist came around full force in a rather nice left hook and caught him on the jaw. He let go REAL quick and looked at me like "What the heck?!" Let me tell you, though, he has NEVER bitten me again. If he even looks like he's thinking about lipping me, he gets popped in the nose (lightly now, because he knows what will happen if he does actually bite) and told "Don't!" in a very stern voice.

 

that is kind of an amusing image. not trying to make fun of you, but I get a chuckle when I imagine you holding up nail studded fists like a boxer, "put 'em up! Just you try it now you lil'******!"

 

oh okay i will try that and hopefully it will work lol

 

Hunter was just like that when he was two and actually bit my trainer on her little love handle. I have never seen a hporse go backwards so far and so fast. He used to try and bite when petting him, at his stall window etc. Well he has gotten so much better (just turned 4) except when tacking up. I used to have an ill fitting saddle and he still doesn't like it when I am initially tightening the girth. I am usually always aware of him when doing up girth and usually he does a half hearted turn of his head and moving his lips. Three weeks ago I wasn't paying attention and he bit me on the back (first time he actually got me) My reaction was an immediate swift kick to his belly and and very loud aggressive yelling. You shoulda seen the look on his face (he used to come right back at you when you corrected him). Since then he hasnt even tried the half hearted move, but I know I have to be aware still.

 

He's been allowed to get away with it for so long it might not be easy. Might be a lack of respect issue. My horse bit another pony right in front of me for no reason. I immediately acted like a mother punishing her "teenager", both physically and verbally. Boy was she embarrassed. You should have seen the shameful look on her face. I've never had to break bad on her so it shocked her. She then was all over me for forgiveness. All horses need consequences for bad behavior every time. Be consistent 100%. If my horse thought she only needed to respect me and nothing else that day, she sure learned that wasn't the case.

I watched the whole thing unfold and that 11 hand pony did nothing to provoke that bite. My horse is dominant over her in the pasture as far as pecking order but when I'm around, herd cra* takes a back seat when Momma (me) is around. I'm in charge of every horse in the barn when their owners aren't around and they damn sure know it. As the old saying goes, if momma ain't happy, nobody's happy. They know not to piss me off.

I'm the same person who gives all the horses out there the most love and attention as I am there every day

 

If you're in the right situation running them backwards hard and fast seems to work. BUT it has to be hard and fast slow backups are no good. As has been mentioned good HARD pops with the lead rope on the chest should work, or shaking the lead rope hard (if you're using a rope halter)

 

Oh it was fast lol

 

Well, I have a smartarsed pony I lent out this summer to a lady I'd taught fundamental natural horsemanship to. He was a bit bitey when cinched and I didn't give it much mind. He came back to me last week (actually I had to go get him as he wouldn't load for my friend). What a naughty, bitey, disrespectful little devil he was. He was in a round pen when I arrived to get him and when I entered the pen he kinda turned his back to me like 'kiss my ***!!' Did he get a whack round his round *** with halter and rope!! He very quickly faced up! Lots of issues. Bang! Bang! Bang! He knew I meant business and very soon knew who was boss in this herd of two!!

I worked with him in my round pen yesterday. The biting issue really concerned me as this little horse is a great wee horse but biting is soooo dangerous and I needed to nip this nonsense in him real quick. I'm teaching my grandchildren and some others and my horses 'have' to be safe.

BTW, the biting has stopped. I taught all who handle this wee guy how to handle the issue of biting because he will go to the 'weakest link'
I use Clinton Andersons method so worked along those lines yesterday. Today, a whole different attitude. One thing he would not do for my friend was to go through water. I kinda thought that that might have been solved by gaining his respect again and, sure enough, this afternoon when my friend rode him there was no issue walking through water!

I really appreciate the advice given in the stickies in training in this forum. I've really learned some knew stuff.

 

Just git one of those steel mesh "shark bite proof shirts" and let him bite whenever he wants to. Because it'd be awful to hurt his feelings by disciplining him