Bought wrong horse

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amber22

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I bought a new horse 12 days ago. A 7 year old Shire x gelding that was a bit green. To share with my 21 year old daughter who is very experience. I have been riding since a child but am a bit more nervous now. We have owned horse/ ponies for my daughter for the last 10 years with no problems.
All was going well for the first 9 days but then 3 days ago he turned nasty. He was a bit of a nipper - chewing & then trying a nip, which I corrected & wasn't a hugh problem but something to work on, along with him respecting my space a bit more. Again not a big problem but needing work. On Tuesday he actually tried to repeatedly bite me whilst I lead him out to the field. This was an attack & I ended up turning him in circles until he stopped. Now when I try to catch him in the field I can get the head collar on fine but as soon as I ask him to walk on he tries to bite me.
Help - I am now very scared of him!! What should I do? How can I sell him?
 
Sounds like he's trying it on in a new home as they all do to find out what the new rules are where he is now and how far he can push things. It might not be a new thing to him, possibly he's been allowed to get away with it in his old home and it's something that you need to correct. Try taking a spiky brush like a stiff body brush with you when you go to catch him and when he turns to nip, present him with that and let him get a prickled muzzle. You could also hold him quite short so that he can't turn his head into you and growl "no" at him every time he tries.

I think maybe it's early days to think about giving in yet.
 
Contact the seller and don't buy a green young horse next time.

If this is the only issue sounds like he's just getting away with doing it. If it had been corrected unless there is a medical reason then he shouldn't be doing this.

If your daughter is very experienced as you say has she not been working on this with you and him? Selling 12 days later *brick wall*

Pan
 
I think there are plenty worse problems to discover and I really wouldn't rush into moving him on because of this. Are you not willing to have a try at learning to work with it and possibly correct it? He might be a great horse otherwise.
 
Sounds like he doesnt respect you. i would do ground work, moving him about and getting him going where you want he MUST respect you and see you are the boss!also seen suggested on here carry a bristly brush (dandy brush) when he goes to bit let him bite tge spiky bit! Tbh ut does sound like hes 'testing' you
 
Meant to say dont think thats enough to warrant selling sounds like hes tsking the p**s can you ask someone more experienced for help?
 
amber22 said:
I bought a new horse 12 days ago. A 7 year old Shire x gelding that was a bit green. To share with my 21 year old daughter who is very experience. I have been riding since a child but am a bit more nervous now. We have owned horse/ ponies for my daughter for the last 10 years with no problems.
All was going well for the first 9 days but then 3 days ago he turned nasty. He was a bit of a nipper - chewing & then trying a nip, which I corrected & wasn't a hugh problem but something to work on, along with him respecting my space a bit more. Again not a big problem but needing work. On Tuesday he actually tried to repeatedly bite me whilst I lead him out to the field. This was an attack & I ended up turning him in circles until he stopped. Now when I try to catch him in the field I can get the head collar on fine but as soon as I ask him to walk on he tries to bite me.
Help - I am now very scared of him!! What should I do? How can I sell him?
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Im not sure from how you are describing this, as to how bad it is?
My Arab gelding has been nipping and biting since he was a 3 year old, no amount of punishment, or any training has helped. Hes 20 next month. If its something you can live with, then he might have other better traits, like good to ride, etc?
Why not put a bridle and flash on, to turn him in and out, that way, he cant get his mouth open ?Or turn the lead rope round his mouth, to keep his mouth shut when leading.
 
Oh for goodness sake!

Why do people with zero experience insist on buying horses (or any animal to be honest):mad:
 
amymay said:
Oh for goodness sake!

Why do people with zero experience insist on buying horses (or any animal to be honest):mad:
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while i agree with the sentiment, in this case the OP does have experience with her daughters ponies, but it would seem is lacking in confidence:)
I would think that is your problem Amber22 , the horse is testing the boundaries, as most new horses do, and he's finding he can intimidate you. He'll keep doing it until you stop him! What does he behave like with your daughter?
 
I have 25 years experience of horse owning, have brought on 3 young horses, used to assit with breaking when a teenager and dealt with wild new forest ponies when younger so would say had plenty of experience myself. He was sold as a bit green ie hadn't been out & seen much, just hacking and needing schooling but not behavioural issues. My daughter is helping but has been away the last couple of days. She has been bringing on horses for a job. I had been so impressed with his behaviour for the first 9 days and could deal with the babyish nipping, but this is agressive attack, with lunging, teeth barred for biting and he lifts his front feet off the ground.
Thanks for the positive suggestions re the bridle and brush as I think that may work. Just feeling really down.
 
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And I suppose you haven't checked to see his mouth isnt uncomfortable or in need of attention no?
Sorry but I dont for one minute buy you are experienced as its generally an easy fix to stop a horse from nipping or biting.
If his mouth isn't causing him any problems then I would imagine he is boundry testing......nothing more, and a sharp telling off will curb that.
 
When you say nip and bite, do you mean just a bit mouthy and annoying or ears back challenging you? If the former then he is just young and annoying and will get over it with a bit of work (although I have an older annoying horse who always has something in his mouth :o).

If the latter then you will need help to sort this out pronto. Shire crosses are usually rather nice with lovely temperaments and quite a bit about them, he is in a new home so feeling a bit put out and finding out where the boundaries are - be firm and consistent.
 
One of my previous horses used to nip me all the time, when he was being shod it was constant, I would be black & blue with bruises from where he had nipped me. The longer I owned him it got less and less until he stopped completely. I didn't give up because in the grand scheme of things it was trivial.
 
as already said put a bridle when leading and use a lunge line so you can get some space and control at the sametime. Also never feed treats to him even over the door. Dont feed him anything bt hand and make sure nobody else does. If you need to feed anything feed in a bucket on the floor. What are you feeding at the moment? What exercise is he getting?
 
amber22 said:
and could deal with the babyish nipping
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Theres your problem. If it was something you could deal with it's something that won't be stopped.

My youngsters' tried it twice. Once she turned and bit herself, and then didn't for a very long time. Second time someone else had been feeding her and she got nippy with them (which tbh was entirely persons ownfault and not hers in slightest and showed that she only did it to the idiot who'd reward her for it!) I sat in the field with her for ages getting licked and rubbing outside of her teeth on me then waited. I let her open her mouth and put it round my knee while watching me. The second she took it a step further and went to bite down I leapt into the air and screamed. She hasn't since.

Another cranky one would get a "bite" back the second she did it. Basically a pinch but had to be impeccable timing.

Personally I'd walk him and chat to him the whole way up to the field and yell everytime he looked like going for you. NOT after he'd done it, but the second he thinks about it.

It's not a "behavioural issue" though, it's just taking the mick out of someone who's let him. It'll turn into one if you continue to let him get away with it though.

Does your daughter know you intend to sell him for this reason?!

Pan
 
I have 25 years experience of horse owning, have brought on 3 young horses, used to assist with breaking when a teenager and dealt with wild new forest ponies when younger so would say had plenty of experience myself.
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Really?

Well, what have the sellers said about his aggressive behaviour?

And how does he behave for your daughter? Was his mouth thoroughly checked during the vetting?
 
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I have seen some very experienced, very competent riders frightened. People that compete and win at PSG with their quiet schoolmasters but are unable to handle difficult horses and ride nothing under about 10 years! It is nothing to be ashamed of. Riding is supposed to be fun and we all have different skills and requirements.

I agree it does sound like he is trying his luck. If he is shire x then he is probably a big, strong lad. I think you need your daughter to come and help nip this in the bud right away. If he is the type that tries it on in a NASTY way (and it sounds nasty) and if you are frightened, this may be an ongoing problem if he realises he scares you. He may not bother trying it with your daughter if she is not scared. It depends on whether you are willing to take time to work on it. There are so many lovely horses out there that would not dream of doing this sort of thing, in some ways why waste your time? Although I think it is a bit soon to think about quitting, what is the point of owning a horse you are frightened of and don't want to see? Both horse and owner can be unhappy in such a situation when a new home for him and a new horse for her may work out best.
 
Kaylum said:
Also never feed treats to him even over the door. Dont feed him anything bt hand and make sure nobody else does. If you need to feed anything feed in a bucket on the floor.
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I don't agree with this in the slightest. Treating isn't a problem and can often be a very good reward system.
All of mine will get treated on my terms and know this. I've had difficult horses in the past who have danced, bitten, kicked etc for treats. I will make a lound noise every time they go to hurt/scare me and will stand my ground. The second they lose interest or back down I treat. It doesn't take long at all before they learn that it only happens on your terms and they don't get treated at all if they push for it.

Agree with other people though. It is your horse, not others to treat/teach bad manners

Pan
 
Try not to lose heart, this problem really shouldn't be difficult to correct. Why not try phoning round a few instructors that also help with behavioural issues? This is the sort of thing I see all the time and it rarely takes long to put right. That said, you need to know what you are doing, just correcting the bad behavior isn't enough, you need to reinforce good behaviour too.
Where abouts are you?
 
Sorry cross posted with you there! He sounds rather full of beans to me - I would say up the workload (reasonably obviously!) to give him something to think about, make sure he has some friends to biff about and cut out any hard feed.
 
PandorasJar said:
I don't agree with this in the slightest. Treating isn't a problem and can often be a very good reward system.
All of mine will get treated on my terms and know this. I've had difficult horses in the past who have danced, bitten, kicked etc for treats. I will make a lound noise every time they go to hurt/scare me and will stand my ground. The second they lose interest or back down I treat. It doesn't take long at all before they learn that it only happens on your terms and they don't get treated at all if they push for it.

Agree with other people though. It is your horse, not others to treat/teach bad manners

Pan
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sorry but seen to many end up biting through treat pushing. At the moment the horse is nipping so feeding treats by hand is not a good idea as it can result in more biting. She needs to be able to solve the current problem and treating at the moment is not the best idea.
 
If he is making you feel scared of him he will sense this very quickly and take the mick. I would get an experienced instructor to come out and help you, they will be able to watch and see what is going on. He might be testing the boundaries or may be feeling well in his new home and getting a bit excitable about coming in. I would definitely not let it put you off him though, I'm sure it will be quite straight forward to fix. I think its quite normal to expect a few surprises when you get a new horse home, its a stressful experience for human and horse and takes a while to get to know each other.

I've got a confident marey madam who bit me twice really badly the first year I had her. She was just trying to be a bossy old moo and wanted me to hurry up getting her tea! The first time I was surprised so didn't react strongly enough, my fault. The second time I nearly bought the stable roof down screaming at her and waving my arms around madly. She was horrified and very scared of my reaction and has never done it again to me or anybody else thank goodness.

Good luck with your new boy and try not to worry too much :)
 
joeanne said:
And I suppose you haven't checked to see his mouth isnt uncomfortable or in need of attention no?
Sorry but I dont for one minute buy you are experienced as its generally an easy fix to stop a horse from nipping or biting.
If his mouth isn't causing him any problems then I would imagine he is boundry testing......nothing more, and a sharp telling off will curb that.
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I disagree with the above having bought a horse myself that turned aggressive with 24 hours of getting him home. He had passed a 5 stage vetting! My horse was in chronic pain and his behaviour got worse and worse. He would lunge at you biting then started kicking, striking and rearing. He was downright dangerous to handle.
I had folk like you telling me it was me being scared etc etc. Actually the horse was in such chronic pain he was screaming at me because he just knew I would listen and wouldn't beat him up for it. He now has LOU.
It is not normal behaviour for a horse to be aggressive and I am not talking about a little nip here.
 
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I think he is testing you. After 9 days he will have started to settle and moved on to the "trying it on phase" he needs you to be the leader then the problems will stop. You let him get away with the nipping, which should have been nipped in the bud when the behaviour was first displyaed. Now the problem has esculated as he sees himself as your leader.

My mare used to do this (she was fed hand treats everyday, whilst being turned out) I stopped feeding treats altogether and when turning out I stood next to her shoulder and watched her body language carefully. If her ears started to go back or her neck would turn I would give a quick loud "AH-AH" sound and she would stop. The only time she did properly get me, I gave her a short sharp smack on the nose and told her "NO" she hasn't done it again since. I can let anyone lead her now without her trying to bite.

If this is the only bad behaviour he has shown whilst with you, I myself think he sounds lovely and when you become the leader, he will be a lovely boy!
 
As a shire cross hes probably a big ish boy and is certainly testing his luck with you.
Owning a beatie of similar breeding i would say you need to get on top of it and teach him some respect.
Bristly brush, a sharp pinch whatever but put him back in his box as soon as he does it. I'm not advocating beating the poor lad black and blue but they're big animals and need to be reminded occasionally who's in charge.

Worth checking his mouth perhaps though with a good dentist?

I think to say you've bought the wrong horse after such a short period of time is a bit of an over reaction but are you scared of him with other aspects of his behaviour as well?
Draught type crosses are my favourites but they are blinking big powerful boys and girls if you're not feeling confident they will walk all over you.

Can someone help you on the ground with him?
 
YasandCrystal said:
I disagree with the above having bought a horse myself that turned aggressive with 24 hours of getting him home. He had passed a 5 stage vetting! My horse was in chronic pain and his behaviour got worse and worse. He would lunge at you biting then started kicking, striking and rearing. He was downright dangerous to handle.
I had folk like you telling me it was me being scared etc etc. Actually the horse was in such chronic pain he was screaming at me because he just knew I would listen and wouldn't beat him up for it. He now has LOU.
It is not normal behaviour for a horse to be aggressive and I am not talking about a little nip here.
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Fair enough.

So getting the vet out for another work up would be a good idea then, perhaps OP..
 
YasandCrystal said:
I disagree with the above having bought a horse myself that turned aggressive with 24 hours of getting him home. He had passed a 5 stage vetting! My horse was in chronic pain and his behaviour got worse and worse. He would lunge at you biting then started kicking, striking and rearing. He was downright dangerous to handle.
I had folk like you telling me it was me being scared etc etc. Actually the horse was in such chronic pain he was screaming at me because he just knew I would listen and wouldn't beat him up for it. He now has LOU.
It is not normal behaviour for a horse to be aggressive and I am not talking about a little nip here.
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This horse isnt lunging, kicking and rearing though!
Its started with mouthing, progressed to nipping and now taking lumps out of his owner.
Ruling out there is nothing going on in his mouth (which COULD be pain related and the biting is a relief thing much like a teething baby) then its easy to cure.
NO treats, short sharp telling off when he does it, and consistancy to show him that he is not top of the herd!
 
I had him vetted, teeth are fine. Just feeding calm & condition with chaff - the same as he was on when I bought him. Only change in feeding is that he is on a bit more grass now I think. Out 24 hours, with about an hours easy work a day.
The scarey thing is the sudden change in behaviour after about 9 days. His whole character seems to have altered. He is lunging, biting and lifting front legs now when in first week it was only baby mouthing/nipping and not same thing at all. And yes I am scared of him now when 3 days ago I would have said he was a lovely affectionate horse.
 
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