I have an 18 month old curly-QH cross. He can be the sweetest puppy dog like colt you've ever met but he can also be a little terror. I got him gelded about 6 months ago and I was hoping it would be an easy fix to some of his behaviors but that doesn't seem to be the case. He loves chasing people around the field, running and rearing up at you, biting every once in awhile, and he has started trying to just fall over every time you pick up one of his hooves. I got him at 6 months old and I halter broke him right away and he took to it super fast and he had no problem letting me pick up his feet or lead him around anywhere. Slowly these behaviors have started to pop up along with throwing fits while standing tied and thrashing around/refusing to move when being lead. He's out on pasture 24/7 and if I tried to put him in a stall I feel like he'd taking the whole barn down. I've ever dealt with something like this and I'm at a loss. I love this little guy and like I said he can be the sweetest thing ever but I can't ever be relaxed around him anymore. I don't know how to correct these behaviors and I don't want to wait for them to become worse. Please help!
What to do with my some-what aggressive colt
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Learn from the best.
Although this colt is younger than yours, the principle is still the same: He needs a blow to his ego and shown who's boss.
Pick up his legs with a rope so that there is nothing to lean on.
Let him lean then drop him.
As soon as he starts leaning, poke him hard with the end of the hoof pick.
Horses have three other legs to hold themselves upright. They don't need "help" from you.
Do not stall him. You can acclimate him to a stall or whatever, but keeping him in a stall will likely make his behaviors worse due to "cabin fever" - not having enough physical and mental stimulation.
Do not think of him or treat him like an oversized puppy-dog. He is not; He is a horse, one who will grow up to be ~1,000 lbs. (454 kgs.).
He can stop that "yesterday." Following at a respectable distance is okay, but not "chasing" or "running" after you, neither is rearing or biting. Carry a whip, a long one without a long lash (such as a driving whip). If he comes to you without you inviting him in or any faster than a walk, he gets whipped. If he rears up at you, hit him hard across those front legs or chest then back him up a couple of steps. If he even thinks about biting, he gets a hard hit and sent far away. All those behaviors he is displaying are dangerous and will become even more so the longer he does it and the bigger he gets.
Since you say that he "started" (as in he didn't before), there are three choices:
Pick up his legs with a rope so that there is nothing to lean on.
Let him lean then drop him.
As soon as he starts leaning, poke him hard with the end of the hoof pick.
Horses have three other legs to hold themselves upright. They don't need "help" from you.
These behaviors started slowly because he was just testing. As you did not correct these behaviors the moment they appeared, he kept on doing them and became more "comfortable" doing what he wants.
He needs some time on a patience pole/tree and taught how to give to pressure and be patient.
Is he out with other horses? The horse is the best teacher of the horse, and these young horses have a lot to learn!
Do not stall him. You can acclimate him to a stall or whatever, but keeping him in a stall will likely make his behaviors worse due to "cabin fever" - not having enough physical and mental stimulation.
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Agree with @BGnMe.
My question is what you are doing/have been doing when these behaviors come up. Either you're not reacting strongly enough, or else you're reacting too strongly and making the behaviors worse. I'd think hard about how you are responding and what his reactions are. He is either not understanding that you are correcting him, or else your timing is off and/or you're being too strong, so he's getting upset.
You got him six months ago, and had him gelded right away to help with behaviors. So he had bad behaviors then, apparently, but also he wasn't halter trained yet? You say he took to things really fast such as being led and having his hooves picked up. I'm wondering if you tried these things and considered him trained if he complied, but actually did not take the time to train him. If you just tie a young horse or pick up his feet, that doesn't mean he has been trained to not pull back or to have his hooves handled. Those things are a slow process that require step by step building on skills. If you tie a young horse and he thrashes around, I'd consider him not trained to be tied.
First a horse has to learn to give to pressure on the lead. Has he learned very well how to give to pressure every time, and get the reward of a quick release? Once he is good at that, my technique is to teach him that he will never be trapped and made to feel claustrophobic when tied. I either use a long lead that I just tie lightly onto a ring with baling twine, or else a tie blocker so if the horse pulls back it lets him move a few inches. I watch to make sure the horse learns that when he feels pressure he can step forward and relieve it, before hard tying the horse.
As the previous reply said, going into the field with him I'd always carry a lunge whip and if he rears up, sting him under the belly. Chase him away. I'd wonder why he has been getting away with things like chasing, biting and rearing more than once.
I'd also look at your technique picking up the hooves. Are you lifting the hooves low and comfortably, not asking him to hold the hooves for too long without a break, not twisting the legs out to the side when you pick them up? My technique is as @BGnMe said, if he starts to lean, drop him rudely so he realizes you're not going to hold him up. But also, if he starts to lose his balance or gets nervous, give him his leg back rather than struggling to keep it. It's better starting out to have a horse learn confidence than to feel trapped.
My question is what you are doing/have been doing when these behaviors come up. Either you're not reacting strongly enough, or else you're reacting too strongly and making the behaviors worse. I'd think hard about how you are responding and what his reactions are. He is either not understanding that you are correcting him, or else your timing is off and/or you're being too strong, so he's getting upset.
You got him six months ago, and had him gelded right away to help with behaviors. So he had bad behaviors then, apparently, but also he wasn't halter trained yet? You say he took to things really fast such as being led and having his hooves picked up. I'm wondering if you tried these things and considered him trained if he complied, but actually did not take the time to train him. If you just tie a young horse or pick up his feet, that doesn't mean he has been trained to not pull back or to have his hooves handled. Those things are a slow process that require step by step building on skills. If you tie a young horse and he thrashes around, I'd consider him not trained to be tied.
First a horse has to learn to give to pressure on the lead. Has he learned very well how to give to pressure every time, and get the reward of a quick release? Once he is good at that, my technique is to teach him that he will never be trapped and made to feel claustrophobic when tied. I either use a long lead that I just tie lightly onto a ring with baling twine, or else a tie blocker so if the horse pulls back it lets him move a few inches. I watch to make sure the horse learns that when he feels pressure he can step forward and relieve it, before hard tying the horse.
As the previous reply said, going into the field with him I'd always carry a lunge whip and if he rears up, sting him under the belly. Chase him away. I'd wonder why he has been getting away with things like chasing, biting and rearing more than once.
I'd also look at your technique picking up the hooves. Are you lifting the hooves low and comfortably, not asking him to hold the hooves for too long without a break, not twisting the legs out to the side when you pick them up? My technique is as @BGnMe said, if he starts to lean, drop him rudely so he realizes you're not going to hold him up. But also, if he starts to lose his balance or gets nervous, give him his leg back rather than struggling to keep it. It's better starting out to have a horse learn confidence than to feel trapped.
I very much agree with BGnMe. He's gotten himself an overinflated ego, and needs taken down a few notches.
Do you have access to a group of cold mares? If so, turn his lil fanny out with them, and let them take care of it. He will find out in short order they won't put up with his nonsense.
If not, then you have to do it. Keep in mind, there is no way you can hit him as hard as a mare will kick him. If he was mine, and he was trying to bite me, I'm going to spend the next 30 seconds making him think I am trying to kill him! I don't put up with that nonsense. Do it right the first time, and you may not have to do it again.
Kicking gets the same responses.
Again, this is where whip breaking comes in very very handy. Oh I know, folks don't like the name, but it's a very good process. Put the colt in a small round pen, or a corral. The reason for a small round pen is there aren't any corners for them to go hide in. But you use what you have. Put the colt in there, you go in with a stock whip. I prefer a stock whip as they are just a little bit longer than a buggy whip. Just start at the beginning. Ask him to move this way, stop, turn, then the other way. He ALWAYS turns to you to turn around. Anytime he turns his rump to you, spank it! If he kicks at you, burn that foot! Make it sound like a pistol shot. This way, they learn to protect their rump. They will always face up to you.
Work him about 10 minutes at a time. Then, let him win. Stop on a good note.
I have broke colts to lead with this process, and never had a halter on them. You are NOT abusive, you are just speaking to the colt in a language they can understand.
Plus, later on in life, there are any number of things that this can come into play with. Such as loading into a trailer. You can just lay the whip across their back, tap, and they will load. It comes in SOOOOO handy!
Do you have access to a group of cold mares? If so, turn his lil fanny out with them, and let them take care of it. He will find out in short order they won't put up with his nonsense.
If not, then you have to do it. Keep in mind, there is no way you can hit him as hard as a mare will kick him. If he was mine, and he was trying to bite me, I'm going to spend the next 30 seconds making him think I am trying to kill him! I don't put up with that nonsense. Do it right the first time, and you may not have to do it again.
Kicking gets the same responses.
Again, this is where whip breaking comes in very very handy. Oh I know, folks don't like the name, but it's a very good process. Put the colt in a small round pen, or a corral. The reason for a small round pen is there aren't any corners for them to go hide in. But you use what you have. Put the colt in there, you go in with a stock whip. I prefer a stock whip as they are just a little bit longer than a buggy whip. Just start at the beginning. Ask him to move this way, stop, turn, then the other way. He ALWAYS turns to you to turn around. Anytime he turns his rump to you, spank it! If he kicks at you, burn that foot! Make it sound like a pistol shot. This way, they learn to protect their rump. They will always face up to you.
Work him about 10 minutes at a time. Then, let him win. Stop on a good note.
I have broke colts to lead with this process, and never had a halter on them. You are NOT abusive, you are just speaking to the colt in a language they can understand.
Plus, later on in life, there are any number of things that this can come into play with. Such as loading into a trailer. You can just lay the whip across their back, tap, and they will load. It comes in SOOOOO handy!
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There must be zero tolerance of this type of behavior from now on. Period. No exceptions. Someone is going to get seriously hurt if this behavior continues.
If you're not comfortable fixing this, please seek out a professional who can work with him. The kind of training he needs requires precise timing and absolute consistency. This colt needs to learn that there are swift and severe consequences each and every time he even thinks about dominating a human being.
This not only protects any people who have to be around this colt for the rest of his life, but it is also an insurance policy for the colt himself. Well-behaved, mannerly, gentle horses are much less likely to end up in bad situations than spoiled, aggressive, dangerous horses. Better he gets some tough love now as a youngster than wind up with a bullet between his eyes or on the way to a processing plant later because no one wants to deal with him.
If you're not comfortable fixing this, please seek out a professional who can work with him. The kind of training he needs requires precise timing and absolute consistency. This colt needs to learn that there are swift and severe consequences each and every time he even thinks about dominating a human being.
This not only protects any people who have to be around this colt for the rest of his life, but it is also an insurance policy for the colt himself. Well-behaved, mannerly, gentle horses are much less likely to end up in bad situations than spoiled, aggressive, dangerous horses. Better he gets some tough love now as a youngster than wind up with a bullet between his eyes or on the way to a processing plant later because no one wants to deal with him.
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I think the best idea is @Zimalia22 ‘s if it’s possible. I don’t think it has to be mares, but put him out with horses who will line him out. I personally find any young horse 100% easier to deal with if they don’t think they are that important, and an older horse will be quick to teach them that fact.
Everyone else is right too. I don’t personally lay horses down like @wvfarrier, but I know those who do. I do however make a horse think hard about wanting to bite or kick me, and drop them if they try and lay down.
Everyone else is right too. I don’t personally lay horses down like @wvfarrier, but I know those who do. I do however make a horse think hard about wanting to bite or kick me, and drop them if they try and lay down.
A trainer friend of mine got in a colt with a really bad attitude. He thought he was God's gift! Plus, he had a mean streak.
Ed not only laid him down, but put a tarp over him and stacked loose hay on the tarp. Then he let the cattle in. They stomped all over that colt eating the hay that was on him. Ed left him that way for a couple hours. When he did take the tarp off, and let the colt up, Ed was his bestest good buddy! That colt saw the light.
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To put it another way, he is a teenager, and he is doing what all teenagers do, which is testing boundaries. Only, he is/will be a ~1000lb animal. You cannot treat him like a dog or a cat or a human. His size and strength mean that the things that work for a dog (eg) just won't work for him, at least not at this stage in his development. He can kill you completely by accident, because he doesn't respect you or your personal space, and if he acts up at the wrong time and he's in your space, you're going to get hurt--and if that were to happen, he would almost certainly be put down. No one is saying to abuse him, but for your safety, and his own safety, and the safety of anyone who might handle him later in his life, he needs to learn the rules. His mother would kick him if he behaved like this, not to hurt him but just to tell him to respect her. You have to do the same thing.
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That's honestly a disgusting way to 'fix' a horse.
I recently learnt about a world show quality trainer whose 'training program' includes laying the horses down, tarping them, and layering chains on top of them for hours. Either a 'bestest good buddy' show-ring ready horse stands up, or a trainwreck, emotionally-destroyed, program-failed horse stands up.
That's not training, that's torturing the prey animals that we consider our partners and friends.
@BGnMe said what needs to be said. He needs a consistent, firm handler to correct him from now on. If there is a particularly bossy horse available to turn him out with too, I'd do that too. If you aren't confident on being the one to correct his behavior, get a trainer out that is familiar with spoiled, naughty babies turned big horses, because that is what he is.
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I would never advocate that kind of treatment but laying a horse down is very effective. It humbles them. I used it on quite a few Impressive Bred horses. Some only take one time, others would take 3 or 4 times but it always works.
This was a horse that it was either cure him, or can him. I didn't say that I did what he did, just what he did, and it worked.
Extreme cases get extreme measures. in this case, it worked.
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I know this is a wandering of the thread, and I apologize op.
Now, I personally don’t really jump to laying anything down, and maybe one horse I should have, but that jerk went down the road instead. I wouldn’t care to see him again, but he did actually work out where he went.
Anyways, my husband has tarped two horses, both before we were married, and he does say it worked. Both were extreme cases, as @Zimalia22 mentioned. One was mean and the other a constant rearer. Unless one has the patience and determination of @knightrider , often horses like that don’t end up with a future.
I don’t know what there is about it, but for me I guess if a horse was an extreme enough case to need that type of treatment, I don’t want him anyways.
I know people who think every horse needs laid down. I don’t like a colt who’s been taught the trick lay down myself, although I know that’s different. I guess it’s like any piece of training though, and I’m sure we all have some different ideas about what should be done in a horse’s education. I know laying a horse down doesn’t hurt it, I just don’t do it.
Now, I personally don’t really jump to laying anything down, and maybe one horse I should have, but that jerk went down the road instead. I wouldn’t care to see him again, but he did actually work out where he went.
Anyways, my husband has tarped two horses, both before we were married, and he does say it worked. Both were extreme cases, as @Zimalia22 mentioned. One was mean and the other a constant rearer. Unless one has the patience and determination of @knightrider , often horses like that don’t end up with a future.
I don’t know what there is about it, but for me I guess if a horse was an extreme enough case to need that type of treatment, I don’t want him anyways.
I know people who think every horse needs laid down. I don’t like a colt who’s been taught the trick lay down myself, although I know that’s different. I guess it’s like any piece of training though, and I’m sure we all have some different ideas about what should be done in a horse’s education. I know laying a horse down doesn’t hurt it, I just don’t do it.
Absolutely find a reputable trainer who uses natural horsemanship techniques. At a bare minimum this horse should learn to stand. quietly (ground tied is ideal), back up, yield hind quarters, lift feet and hold, lower his head, walk trot canter on lunge, be led quietly, keep a distance and not invade anyone's personal bubble. This horse has become dangerous and he knows he can get away with it. If he is chasing and biting its time to stop what you are doing and get a good solid trainer. He also should be with older horses especially mares to teach him manners. I agree with the folks here who have recommended a herd and a professional trainer. He has no knowledge except what he is displaying. This type of horse ends up in the kill pen eventually after he gets older so nip it in the bud now.
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Yikes.
OP, you need to teach this colt his manners so that he doesn't wind up with someone like this moron. That poor horse could have easily wound up irreparably damaged from such an outlandish "method" for dealing with his behavior. That's 100% abuse.
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