Anyone /never/ hit their horse?

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Tickles

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A (non-horsey) friend was very surprised to see a foal being hit (smacked on the shoulder, we're talking abuse here!) at my yard.

Personally I no longer hit (slap/smack/use crop on) horses of any age. But I explained this was really quite common, the norm in fact, even with youngsters.

So, without wanting to start a debate on rights/wrongs (personal choice and circs are obviously important) I just wondered if there was /anyone/ else who doesn't ever hit their animals?
 
When I bought my horse she thought it was acceptable to grab hold of your coat with her teeth.

She did it a couple of times in the first few weeks, got a single sharp smack and a growl when she did it and hasn't done it since.

I would rather not have to smack my horse but neither is it acceptable for them to bite us. If they were that disrespectful to another horse they'd get a nip so why is it wrong for me to smack?
 
I try very hard not to hit my horses and it winds me up when i see other people on yard hitting theirs for no reason...couple of young girls did it and were asked to leave YO also hates it. However i will smack my horse either with a crop or hand on their shoulders if they are being bolshy/ dangerous which sometimes they are. I feel that they need to have that respect for the future and in the field if they barge the boss they would be bitten or kicked so thats how i show them im boss...they respect me once they have been told off. Except one who just needs me to deepen my voice and behaves impeccably...my favourite!!
 
I'm not opposed to giving them a smack if they are being rude, but I have never ever smacked my old mare in 10 years of owning her. She's such a sensitive flower and so very very polite that there has never been a reason to. I think she would have a heart attack if I hit her. I small growl makes here quake and go bug eyed with shock :D
 
I used to think smacking was acceptable....

Now i have my own horse i view it differently - smacking is not the way i disipline anymore!
I tend to act like a horse! (Much to everybodies amusment!)
This involves - turning my back on him, kicking out at him whether i ge him or not is a different matter, grabbing and pinching his skin(like a bite) etc
Im sure you get the idea...!

After 3 months of making sure i responded in this way - i no longer need to! He watches my body language - much like he would another horse :D
 
I rarely hit horses, but when I do there is a reason for it, I am not perfect.

I seem to remember someone picking up a branch and beating whatever part of the spotty horse they could reach with it on this occasion.
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If something bites, kicks or strikes out at me with intent, then yes, I will wallop them. If I need to separate fighting horses then again, yes, I will do whatever is necessary with whatever is at hand. If it is standing on my toe and refuses to budge then I admit I will use my hand.
 
I've never had to hit my horse, a tickle with the schooling whip to move quarters over or something is all I've needed.
She's the type of horse who will just lose it if you hit her and end up with a huge battle on your hands (as someone who once hit her found out to their cost!)

Enfys - just seen your post and yep, I'd have waded in with something for that too! Was the foal okay?
 
I know it may seem harsh smacking a foal, but when you look at them naturally with their mothers, you will often see their mum's giving them sharp nips and even kicking out at them, this is just the mother's way of teaching the young foal what is acceptable and what isn't. Of course excessive hitting of a foal in any case is un-acceptable, you have to teach them manners at a young age so they don't develop bad habits in later life, Harley as recently started trying to nip or bite people, but a tap on the nose and a firm 'No' should soon tell him that this isn't acceptable. But I wouldn't in any case 'beat' my horses for doing something wrong but a tap on their shoulder or chest tells them that what they did wasn't acceptable :)
 
touchstone said:
Enfys - just seen your post and yep, I'd have waded in with something for that too! Was the foal okay?
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Yes thank you, bit sore and shaken and lots of bites. It was a yearling mini, I still have the mini, spotty beast got rehomed pdq with the warning that he didn't DO little horses (he went after a very young foal across a fence too) He was actually a lovely horse, with people.
 
i have a very dominating, bargey, bitey welsh D and i agree and dont agree with a bit of advise given by a yard friend. if you smack a horse properly once you dont have to do it like that again.

when i first got my boy if i hadnt been firm he would have literally walked all over me if he had the chance. i had endless bruises from him in the first few weeks.

his mentality meant that when i smacked him it didnt scare him, he just understood he was doing wrong. now all i have to do is click my finger level with my shoulder and he stops trying to bite and steps out of my space. some horses need a bit more than a stern word, especially as no horse actually understands a word we are saying! XD
 
crackajack- i do the same! works wonders! big arm gestures gets them to move back, its like the human rear. i once even bit my pony on the nose for biting me, unfortunately she bit me again even harder XD

n harley- so true! horses arnt gentle with eachother and they dont all become headshy and scared, they just know the rules of the herd
 
I don't think there's anything wrong with giving a horse a short sharp smack IMMEDIATELY after they have done something 'wrong' bitten, kicked, barged. I do have a problem howver (and i think this tended to be the 'old style') where a horse would do something wrong, then minutes later someone would come back and beat it....not nice, not necessary and the poor horse wouldnt have a clue what was going on and it wouldnt have associated the two.
 
I am not into biting/kicking/pinching horses, yes other horses might do it to them in the wild but we are not horses, they get all that from their field mates anyway.

I rarely rarely hit, I would only hit if the horse tried to hurt/someone else intentionally, if it was an accident or a step on the foot I wouldn't hit, I would push them back.

If you are going to hit out, its got to be quick (in the moment), not minutes later otherwise that would just be pointless.

With a bargey horse, I will ignore their behavior and push them around like they would a person, until they stop and understand it isn't nice to be pushed about, this has worked a lot over the years.

I stallions wouldn't dream of biting or nibbling, my gelding on the other hand does have a habit of it but a firm no and a tap with the finger does the trice.
 
I agree that you should only resort to smacking if it is immediately after the wrong doing. I also agree that if it's done correctly that it can nip bad habits right in the bud before it gets too ingrained and serious. My welsh x tb gelding is wonderful with people and has excellent ground manners. However he has a tendency to be unnecessarily bully like towards horses that don't stand up to him. Therefore if he tried to take a nip out of nastiness (not around food) or raises his leg then I would tell him no sharply and give him a smack on the shoulder. He's improved hugely and rarely tried to bite or kick now. I got my section a as a 2yo and although she had been well brought up by her owners, she was born on the mountains so was still a bit 'wild.' She attempted to barge past me (into my personal space) a few times and after a sharp no and a smack she now respects my space and waits patiently whilst being led. So a smack isn't so bad as long as it isn't abused and used only when really necessary (not out of impatience or anger or frustration.)
 
RSL said:
or a step on the foot I wouldn't hit, I would push them back.

.
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:) haha! Try pushing an 18h Draft that has apparently lapsed into a coma with his foot planted squarely on yours!

Generally, on most horses, the "Ow, Oww, Owwwwwww, get back you BEGGAR!" works adequately though.;)
 
I think its ok to tell a horse off for beeing NAUGHTY, not for its quirks or personality. I was once told 'the only 2 emotions needed in the saddle are patience and sence of humor' and i try to remember this when i ride. :)
 
makes me more angry when you see people just telling a horse/ pony off like it was a person, horses respond to pain and body language - i wish i could just tell mac off with a stern 'behave, but inevitably if he gets cocky and turns into a bruiser, he will get a good hard wollop on his rump or shoulder - its knowing when its right to do it, and not over step the mark ..... common sense is needed
 
I will poke / push my welsh x pony if he is being bargy / standing on my toes etc. I've also given him a smack with my reins if he is being a ratbag when ridden - but its more the sound of the reins than actually hurting him which is effective. I'd never actually hit him - and really don't think it is necessary or effective.

I also have a TB, and would never even think about giving him a teeny smack - he is incredibly sensitive and would never forgive me!!
 
enfys said:
:) haha! Try pushing an 18h Draft that has apparently lapsed into a coma with his foot planted squarely on yours!

Generally, on most horses, the "Ow, Oww, Owwwwwww, get back you BEGGAR!" works adequately though.;)
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LOL almost there, a 17hh shire x tb is just as bad! very tough to push!
 
When my old pony was a foal he was annoying his mum, trying to mount her the suckle from her. We were standing at the other end of the field and we heard the kick! We thought he had broken ribs, but he was fine!
Horses are large very strong animals and can be very dangerous if not disciplined (properly mind you). I also think it doesn't matter if it was a foal, it shouldn't bite or kick,and it should learn that fromday one. I am not saying beat your horse, but one sharp smack done in appropriate way (so it is clear why) is fine.
 
I agree with those who say a short, sharp smack immediately the horse has offended is the right thing to do. I also had a strong, bolshy Welsh D x who kicked everything in sight as a youngster, including me - until he got the end of my schooling whip on his bum a few times for kicking or threatening to kick. He also tried barging out the stable door when you opened it, even when he had a headcollar on; one punch in the stomach (my 'kick') was enough for him to never do that again. Or when he tried to run me down when I took in his food. Bucket went back outside the door, he got smacked when he tried to run me over and told to go stand in the corner. Did the same thing the next day, with the same result - and never did it again.

He was not frightened of me, came to call, nuzzled me, rested his head on my shoulder, kissed me on occasion, and, my favourite, would shove his head into my chest, which was his way of asking me for a cuddle.

And the funny thing is, as he grew up, people would say what a well mannered horse he was - and then criticise me for being too 'tough' with him.
 
Marciamac said:
I agree with those who say a short, sharp smack immediately the horse has offended is the right thing to do. I also had a strong, bolshy Welsh D x who kicked everything in sight as a youngster, including me - until he got the end of my schooling whip on his bum a few times for kicking or threatening to kick. QUOTE]

My ID youngster was like that when i got her. It had never been told of in its life. When I got it had diarrhoea and lice so really needed a bath. I knew that the previous owner had it couldn't get it bathed, so i got a slighty damp sponge and started on the shoulder. She swung her bottom on me and started to buck at me (the old owner called it 'bunny hopping'.) I used my voice at first, but when i tried again she did it again. I got a small riding whip and when she tried to kick me i hit her once on the bottom. After trying to wash her and she trying to hit me I did again. She never kicked again, even if you threw a bucket of water over her!
She also became at lot nicer, she didn't chase people aroun the field, moved back when told, loaded fine and became easy to catch.
Horses are herd animals, they like and need to know their place. If you let a youngster away with kicking, biting and walking all over you, and then when its 3 expect it to suddenly behave, and let you ride it, thats not fair on the poor thing!
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A very wise instructor once told me that "its not the whip, its the hand holding it that's the important thing".

With mine, because he's a cob and has a hide like an elephant, you're not gonna do very much by thrashing him to be honest! Plus the fact that because he's been abused in the past, its bringing up a lot of those issues again for him, so experience has proved a good hiding to be counter-productive with him.

What I've found effective is one of those whips with the flappy bit at the top; which make a snapping noise rather than using it to "hit" him with. All I have to do if he's a bit nappy is use that on my boot to make a noise, and he behaves.

If he does something he knows is not permitted, like eating when I'm leading him for e.g., I tend to use the headcollar rope to flick at him, to remind him that his behaviour is unacceptable, or if he's a bit bargy in the stable or whatever. He's a clever cob and works things out to his advantage if he's allowed, which is why you've always gotta be ahead of his game a bit.
 
Anything that tries to bite me will get a quick slap across the nose - thats the only time I have ever raised a hand to a horse - I dont use a whip on my own horse although I do carry one as when I dont carry one he goes into donkey mode. He was terrified of all whips when I bought him and almost freaked at the sight of a lunging whip so I have had to introduce them slowly. If I hit him with one, he would probably freak out
 
I'll give a horse one good smack if they do something wrong like biting or barging, having worked with horses i've seen what happens when horses don't get this level of discipline but i hate seeing people smacking a horse out of anger like sometimes you'll see a horse stop at a jump in the ring and when it gets outside it will get a beating, the poor horse can't think "oh yes i was naughty 5 minutes ago so that's why i'm being told off now."

I don't often hit a horse while riding, if they need it and it will improve the situation i will but i think if you need to hit a horse regularly then something's very wrong somewhere
 
I rarely have to hit any of mine, but most certainly have and would discipline any behaviour that was aggressive, Lucera had her first smack with the back of my hand at around 2 months - biting is unacceptable and the younger they learn it the easier it is to stop it, she has never attempted to bite me or anyone else since.

Enfys - I too would have used a tree branch or whatever was to hand to separate that spotty horse from his poor victim!

TBH people who don't discipline their horses are a little like those who don't discipline their children and the end result is almost identical, spoilt individuals who are difficult to like.
 
SirenaXVI said:
TBH people who don't discipline their horses are a little like those who don't discipline their children and the end result is almost identical, spoilt individuals who are difficult to like.
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As the parent of 2 extremely well behaved and respectful children who have never been smacked or otherwise physically punishes, I have to disagree :)
 
I think it's counter-productive in the majority of cases. Though of course I might find myself in a situation where there was no other option than to use corporal punishment against a horse if it were seriously endangering another person or animal.

There has been some research into the use of violence against horses, and the results have tended to indicate that it's not the most effective way of teaching a horse to behave in a particular way.

So, though I don't agree with violence as a rule anyway, from what I have read it is ineffective also, so really serves little to no purpose.
 
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