Advice on dealing with a grump!

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LouiseG

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My horse has started being a little bit grumpy in his stable. I put his headcollar on to groom him etc, and he needs his headcollar on when being tacked up as he likes to spin around and generally take the mickey out of me if I don't so as a rule, I put it on for most things I do with him in his stable.

If however I go into his stable and ask him to move away from me to either skip out, or to put his rug on he sometimes puts his ears back and narks at me. He's only 5 and thinks rather a lot of himself at the minute. He's very cute and cheeky and generally has a lovely nature.... apart from this!

What would be the best way to give him into trouble for this behaviour? It's usually when he is eating his haylage to be fair so I can understand why he'd be irritated, and I try to respect as much as possible that his stable is his space and when he has his food I leave him be, but I also dont expect him to grump at me when I need to go in for a specific reason so would like to nip this in the bud now!

Thanks very much for any replies! :)
 
My 5 year old is a very nicely mannered horse but I would always put a headcollar on him and tie him up to tack, groom or rug up. Saves any misunderstanding. YO makes the horses stand back when putting in forage or haynets up as nothing worse than a horse grabbing it when you are trying to put it in. Think the only horse on the yard that doesn't get automatically tied up is my 24 year old mare because her manners are impeccable and she would never be rude! young horses will try it on, so to speak, as they grow and test boundaries so I would simply tie up.
 
I always do to groom, rug and tack up, it's the occasions that I need to go in and actually have to ask him to move away from me that he sometimes has a grumpy moment so in those instances I'd really like to know how to correctly tell him off for that so that he knows that behaviour isn't acceptable?
 
My filly was dangerous in the stall when i first got i actually ended up putting cross ties in for mine and her safety so that i could grom an rug without being bitten / kicked / trampled on she soon settled and became much more handleable and slowly went to just being attached on one side and then not at all. Always make my horses take a step back when i open the door to put buckets in or anything good basic manners and stops any ideas about bargin out past me. If am working with a horse who is stropy with food then i remove all food whilst i groom and rug and then they have it back when am done.
Cross ties are a cheap simple soloution and prevents any injuries and once they reaise they can't spin round and nip they usually give up pretty quick.
 
When you go into your stable and you need him to move how do you ask him? Are you clear in your instruction in asking him to move over? When you handle him with a head collar on can you ask him to move his hind quarters over easily?

Will be watching this with interest to see the replies...

My boy is a grump too but he has been like this since i got him at 9, he's 13 now...

He will try to nip your jacket sleeve when being rugged and if not in the mood for being groomed will also try to nip, (when i say nip i mean ears pinned back, mouth open, swinging head round) its the stable door that is the "problem" though he is very defensive and pulls faces as you approach and enter the stable and when you leave the stable and turn your back to walk away you can hear teeth chomping where he goes to "bite" you...

He isnt any different either if he is tied up outside the stable he will still try to nip, i wouldnt like to say he would never bite but he has a boundry with me in that a stern "NO!" means he's too close, when i rug i use my elbow to protect my space around me and at the stable he will back up when told.

I'm not sure why he behaves like this... he is bottom of pecking order in the field so i dont know if its his way of trying to establish he wants to be higher in our pecking order or if he is just a crabbit git!! It doesnt stop me from doing anything with him though, if i go into stable and need him to move over a touch on the quarters and he will step over and stay over, same with backing up if i need him to step back...
 
Kazjaz.. Interesting that yours is bottom of the pecking order. I'm getting the same behaviour from the 20 year old I ride. He's also at the bottom and will get away from his food for everyone except the baby Arab. With humans though he's a terror. Teeth bared, ears back and threatening front hoof. I'm working on it but he's been like that so long I'm not sure I can make any difference. I find that if I ignore and stay quiet that he behaves a bit better but he certainly knows when he's got me on the retreat.
I think it's because he's gotten away with it for so long and addressing it sooner might have made a difference.
 
I growl :D Big Ears has taken to parking her bum by her stable door to stop me from getting near her with a bridle and saddle, because god forbid, that means we're going to have to do some exercise!

She also fidgets when I do her girth up. So I growl some more at her. It's pretty much my answer to everything with her. If she's going to be a grumpy mardy arse, then so am I!
 
He is generally only a grump if he is eating his haylage at the time so it is probably food orientated. When I go into his stable he usually greets me and has no problem with taking steps backwards when I ask him, and I always ask him to take a step backwards when I go in with his feed and haylage.

It is just when I ask his hind quarters to move around or for him to almost side step away from me. I do it by touching his side and saying "over", he always does it, he doesn't refuse, he just expresses his annoyance, and not every time! In a headcollar he is absolutely fine.

Just really trying to assess the best way to give him into trouble for the grumpy face or if I should just ignore it and carry on with my business. Sometimes I feel that by acknowledging it will give him reason to do it again, but if I ignore it he will realise that it has no effect on me, as long as it doesn't get any worse of course!

Such little menaces they are sometimes!! :)
 
The bottom of the pecking order thing is very interesting. Mine is very much bottom of the order and he's known as Victor Meldrew as he's a grumpy old man.

He's never done anything in 7 years but he generally looks very unhappy, sighs very loudly, swishes his tail and overreacts when I ask him to move - I normally only need him to move his back end an inch or two but he moves all the way to the other side of the stable and stares at me with an angry look as if to say "now look what you've made me do!"

He won't stand still to be brushed or have his rugs on and he lifts a leg if I fiddle with him when he's eating. I tend to leave him alone if I can, but if I'm in a hurry and I have to fiddle with him when he's eating I just ignore his behaviour and rabbit away at him and tell him "Put it down" which he normally does when told. The talking seems to encourage it to pass - I think I nag him into submission!
 
I like the idea of cuddling him into submission!! I will try that haha :) Sometimes you can actually see the disgust on his face... He is affectionately known as Dennis the Menace, such a character!
 
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