Biting horse - help!

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Lou995

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My horse has just turned 7 and has major issues with biting. he belives he is just playing and doesnt do it viciously however its a bad habit to get into and im not sure about how to go about sorting it out! i try to tell him off as much as possible when he goes for me putting rugs etc on but he seems to ignore it and go for you again!
any ideas on how to stop this habit? i dont want him to grow up and get more vicious!
 
My gelding will very occasionally try to nip when he's annoyed about something. Defend yourself with your shoulder/elbow so he ends up batting himself in the nose. He'll soon stop. I'm not saying smack him around the face, just a well placed elbow will do the trick. I find smacking them anywhere just makes them worse.

If he's nipping you all the time and as you say is 'playing' with you suggests to me that he doesn't have very much respect. Make sure he's not in your space, don't let him rub/push into at all. You're not his playmate.
 
LouS said:
My gelding will very occasionally try to nip when he's annoyed about something. Defend yourself with your shoulder/elbow so he ends up batting himself in the nose. He'll soon stop. I'm not saying smack him around the face, just a well placed elbow will do the trick. I find smacking them anywhere just makes them worse.

If he's nipping you all the time and as you say is 'playing' with you suggests to me that he doesn't have very much respect. Make sure he's not in your space, don't let him rub/push into at all. You're not his playmate.
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thanks, i do try to do that but he often ends up grabbing my clothing and clamping his jaw shut! im wondering whether natural horsemanship would help him to learn to respect my space as you say?
 
When we got berg last year he bit alot but now he's settled it's virtually stopped, with him it's all related to when he's unsure or worried.
 
Supertrooper said:
When we got berg last year he bit alot but now he's settled it's virtually stopped, with him it's all related to when he's unsure or worried.
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Thanks, it could be the same thing as his stable is near where alot of tractors and lorries go past and he shoots to the back of his stable...
at 16.1hh its a lot of horse to deal with when he comes at you with bearing teeth!
 
Lou995 said:
Thanks, it could be the same thing as his stable is near where alot of tractors and lorries go past and he shoots to the back of his stable...
at 16.1hh its a lot of horse to deal with when he comes at you with bearing teeth!
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I know the feeling, berg is 16.3hh!!! Has he always done it? Or is it a recent thing? Could you move him to a quiter stable?

I think geldings do have a tendancy to be a bit mouthy, does he like picky objects up also?
 
Supertrooper said:
I know the feeling, berg is 16.3hh!!! Has he always done it? Or is it a recent thing? Could you move him to a quiter stable?

I think geldings do have a tendancy to be a bit mouthy, does he like picky objects up also?
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He has always done it! although has gotten a lot worse recently, im thinking of moving him to the other end of the yard where it is quiter, not sure if that would help though!
And yes, he picks whatever he can up and spins it round...basically he has to have something in his mouth all the time. despite this though, he refuses to open his mouth for the bridle!!
 
A horse uses his mouth for many different purposes ,meanings and reasons. They have no hands so the mouth is the most sensetive tactile thing available. Unfortunately a lot of horses dont realise how much it hurts a human. Reacting with a smack to a well intentioned but painfull nip further adds to a horses confusion and insecurity. I did hear of someone who if a horse nipped her , went into drama queen mode ,fall to the floor ,make pained noises and generaly look injured. The idea being to show the horse that it hurt. I am not convinced however because Lancelot would bite people and they almost always fell to the floor moaning and looking injured but it didnt seem to stop him.:eek:
 
He really needs to know it is not acceptable. I don't care if he's worried, he cannot bite you/walk through you. I'd definitely do some groundwork with him. Even just moving around him in the stable etc, make sure he moves out of your space every time. Mine back off before I've even got the door open, that's what they've been taught to do, its just manners.

What's he like in the stable? Can you move him around easily? What's he like to lead etc?
 
LouS said:
He really needs to know it is not acceptable. I don't care if he's worried, he cannot bite you/walk through you. I'd definitely do some groundwork with him. Even just moving around him in the stable etc, make sure he moves out of your space every time. Mine back off before I've even got the door open, that's what they've been taught to do, its just manners.

What's he like in the stable? Can you move him around easily? What's he like to lead etc?
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he acts grumpily if i ask him to move backwards so i can get to his chest/ out the door but hes very good to move over when i touch his belly. Hes fine to lead but does get wuite excitable and holds his head high often jogging on the spot. i personnaly think its due to excess energy that i cant get rid off! hes ridden for an hour every day!
 
Personally I wouldn't reprimand him, Action = Reaction = Continued behavior.
I would ignore it!
I had one horse who was particularly vicious, (Offered to me for £800 because he was considered dangerous) I did not buy him but took him for training instead. I ignored his undesirable behavior and nurtured his good behavior and gave him a lot to think about. His attitude changed and the offer to buy him was rescinded, he later sold to an arabian royal family for lots and lots of pennies.
I also had one with the same biting problem, he later sold for £75,000 privately.
Both were written off because of there biting, and not reprimanding them worked.
 
bwpre said:
Personally I wouldn't reprimand him, Action = Reaction = Continued behavior.
I would ignore it!
I had one horse who was particularly vicious, (Offered to me for £800 because he was considered dangerous) I did not buy him but took him for training instead. I ignored his undesirable behavior and nurtured his good behavior and gave him a lot to think about. His attitude changed and the offer to buy him was rescinded, he later sold to an arabian royal family for lots and lots of pennies.
I also had one with the same biting problem, he later sold for £75,000 privately.
Both were written off because of there biting, and not reprimanding them worked.
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thats really interesting to know! perhaps i will try that and see if his attitude changes! thanks for that
 
I tried the Monty Roberts tip on my young gelding - if he went to bite I tapped his shin with my foot - not enough to hurt, just a distraction. It only took a couple of times before he was looking at his leg every time he thought of biting! Make sure you're standing to the side though, just in case he strikes out.
 
My three year old Shagya colt is still very nippy, which is annoying rather than dangerous. I have done all the things suggested and hoped he would outgrow this habit.

I have a fantastic French trainer who spent 8 months in the USA with John Lyons. He helped prepare my boy for his stallion approval (which was successful) and made a difference in a week. I could not believe it.

Every time the colt tries to nip he puts his hands on both sides of the horse's face and rubs his cheeks with both hand enough to annoy the colt. He says the colt is soon saying 'don't do that'. If he tries to bite he does it again 'Don't bite me and I won't annoy you'. Soon baby boy got the idea that if he tried to nip he would get a face massage.
 
This behaviour is lack of respect and nothing more...he is stamping his authority within the (his) pecking order. Watch horses within a herd situation, this biting/nipping goes on all the time to establish hierachy.
Horses will assess their owners on a daily/hourly basis and clearly he believes he is further up the pecking order than you right now.
Take a good look at how you behave towards him in everythingyou do with him...I am not suggesting you get violent or nasty with him, but you do need to affirm your authority by letting him know you are the boss. Make sure any request for him to do something is clear and precise so he understands.
Sadly too many owners expect their horses to think like humans, instead of learning horse psychology and behaving in a way they understand and respect. For horses it is pretty much black and white...give him good reason to like and respect you.
 
Rollin said:
My three year old Shagya colt is still very nippy, which is annoying rather than dangerous. I have done all the things suggested and hoped he would outgrow this habit.

I have a fantastic French trainer who spent 8 months in the USA with John Lyons. He helped prepare my boy for his stallion approval (which was successful) and made a difference in a week. I could not believe it.

Every time the colt tries to nip he puts his hands on both sides of the horse's face and rubs his cheeks with both hand enough to annoy the colt. He says the colt is soon saying 'don't do that'. If he tries to bite he does it again 'Don't bite me and I won't annoy you'. Soon baby boy got the idea that if he tried to nip he would get a face massage.
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Thats interesting too! maybe i will try that one aswell! thank you everyone for your help!
 
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