Disciplining Youngsters

TallyHo123

TallyHo123

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 March 2009
Messages
2,387
Location
North
Visit site
Just wondering how you lot all go about disciplining your youngsters i.e if they nip/bite or barge etc.
Had a lot of mixed answers from people at my yard!

thanks
cool.gif
 
Vocally I try to be quite stern and sharp, then when he's good I over praise him and soften my voice. When he's nipped I've slapped his chest... a stinger slap that hurts me not him lol! If a horse bites and doesn't let go, I pinch their nose to shock them xx
grin.gif
 
I have a very big bolshy and temperamental mare and if she barges or comes forward when she shouldnt -(she knows to wait turned around in her stable for her feed and hay) i literally pinch a big piece of flesh on her chest at the bottom of her neck and even gently she hates it and moves back quickly so i dont have to be any more firm than that.
 
Echo what Rudey says. A good smack on the chest for a bite and fairly loud growl for an "ears back threatening" face. Hard and sharp "No" for barging and lifting a leg when not asked to. He's an overgrown highland and as highlands can be pushy anyway, the discipline was instilled very well and he's the most well mannered old boy, 18 years old.
 
Agree with all the above. Main thing is NEVER smack on the nose/face. Last thing you want is a head-shy horse!! Chest is the best area - sensitive enough that they feel it without becoming scared of your hand.

If they're walking over the top of you while you're leading I've always found a well-placed elbow in the crook of the shoulder works - as soon as they move away release the pressure so they learn it's more comfortable to walk where you ask them.

And always positive reinforcement (voice and a little pat) when they respond in the way you want. (Lady at my yard is always telling hers off when it's wrong but never ever praises when horse does what she asks - drives me mad!!)
 
Oh, and also, be consistent in your messages (and make sure you have agreed responses to different behaviours with anyone else who might be dealing with your horse) - don't let a nip go unchecked one day, then discipline for the same thing the next. Need to be completely black and white about things, especially while they're young, so they know for sure what they can and can't do. The happiest youngsters I have seen are those that have clear boundaries - they get stressy and insecure of they're not sure what they can and can't do!

So even if you feel like you're being to hard on them sometimes (and I don't mean bullying them, that's a different thing!!) they will appreciate it in the long run as will know where they stand and what is expected of them, and will most likely help when you are trying to break/train new behaviours.
 
[ QUOTE ]

And always positive reinforcement (voice and a little pat) when they respond in the way you want. (Lady at my yard is always telling hers off when it's wrong but never ever praises when horse does what she asks - drives me mad!!)

[/ QUOTE ]

The thing that annoys me the most is someone who is kissing their (baby) horse and cooing at it one minute, then smacking it and screaming at it when it won't pick its foot up...
crazy.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
'kissing their (baby) horse and cooing at it one minute, then smacking it and screaming at it when it won't pick its foot up'

[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely agree!!!! Don't need to be too OTT in either direction. just clear and calm!
 
For a nipping,they feel the sharp end of my elbow right in the face...anywhere in the face, its just sharp and very quick reaction, you only have to do it once or twice and they never do it again.
Barging, well just do your ground work, never had a youngster that has barged, handle end of your crop in the muscle in the chest usually gets them, again a few prods and they think twice, teaching them to back off and not be in your own personal space before they start barging about.
 
Have to disagree about the pinching/slapping chest thing. It isn't a bit that gets touched a lot otherwise so if they associate that with pain then you can end up with a horse that is very defensive if you try to do up rugs!

I like the moving sharply towards (ideally with bristled brush for uncomfortable but not harsh spikiness!) any nipping. So they learn that nipping hurts them.
Although if you can keep as much as possibel verbal (and accompany anythign physical with the same verbal comand) that is easier all round.

For barging I make sure they don't get whatever/whereever they want until they have walked fwds/backwards/sideways as I want. They learn they get the fun stuff faster that way adn it establishes you as heard leader (allegedly) by putting you in charge of their feet.
 
Am interested in all these responses - we all have ways which work for us but I love finding out new ways/learning from everyone else. I'm a relatively new HHO'er and it's opened my eyes to a wealth of things I wouldn't otherwise have thought of - I'd class myself as relatively experienced but there's no subsitute for learning from other people's experiences and getting different views. I think all you guys are great and i never want to stop learning!! Thanks to all!!

And MERRY CHRISTMAS!
 
I'm with not hitting the head unless they bite your hand or arm. If hand, I'll flick them on the nose with the hand they tried to bite (assuming they haven't succeeded!). If the arm, I move the whole arm sharply towards their face. I do agree with a punch to the chest or shoulder, but then I also cuddle my horses and rub their chests and shoulders, so I don't have any issues with being worried about fastening rugs. (Have you tried stroking that bit of chset around the top of the legs - oooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!)

Whatever you do with any horse, but particularly a youngster, do it QUICK. It must be able to associate the response with what it did. Instant, or not at all, is my motto on timing.
 
um, depends on the horse.

millie needs a lot of telling off otherwise she ignores you!

vinnie you can just look and and click your fingers or tongue and he leaps to attention- you wouldn't get very far with him if you whacked him.

a quick flick tends to work better than a slap and is much less likely to make them hand shy.
 
I've been learning this 'Manners malarky' the hard way with BBEars. I let my home bred 4 yr old (i've been soft on her since birth and then she grew into a strapping 16.1) get too bolshy.

A combination of not being in the right place to discipline, ie on the lane (turning out) with car's waiting and on my own was the first time I gave in when she was 2. Then I kept them at home on my own, so there was no one to back me up and I got wossey (sp) and I didn't have the strength in my leg last year (following a break) to fight/hold her.

She's gone off to a livery now and I thought she would behave better, but the bolshyness carried on at first. Thankfully I've had lots of help from a lady. She's taught me to stand up to her, and we're all so much happier, not being dragged around and barged over. It's only taken a few weeks, and educated both BBEars and I!!

Life is soooo much nicer now and I have much more confidence with her. Our approach has been firm, strong with vocals to back up and praising when doing things correctly. BBEars is much happier knowing her own boundaries now. Well worth sorting out ASAP and get help if you feel you're noting going to cope on your own - they're meant to be fun after all.
laugh.gif
 
Ditto it depends on the horse.

My baby baby (2yr old) is gentle, affectionate, not in the slightest bit bulshy but thick skinned. On the rare occasion he does something bad, he gets a smack (not on the face!) and big scary 'getoutofmyspace' body language.

My young loan horse (6yr old) is a very sensitive, flighty gentle boy who gets really upset if he's made a mistake. He too is rarely naughty. He's been properly, genuinely naughty occasionally (where he KNOWS he's not meant to be doing it like trying barging into his food bowl) and for that he gets big scary body language and possibly a smack. He takes that fine and does as he's told.

However, for 'unintentional' naughtyness (where he's just not thought about his behaviour) that would be far too much for him and sends him off into orbit, really upsetting him. A stern 'no' and a reminder of what he SHOULD be doing is enough.

And his reaction to a tell off tells me which type of 'naughtyness' he's indulged in
wink.gif
 
I find that a growl is enough to stop him.

My other big thing is I put the food in his manger and he stands off till I say ok eat. Can't stand horses that barge you out of the way to get at food. I just stand in front of the manger and make myself tall he stays off then I walk to the stable door and say ok and he moves in.

He is an impatient little sod though so we are doing much work in walk holt transitions I decide before I holt how long we hold the holt for (say a count of 10) and he has to stand still for that period. We have managed to work up from nothing to a count of 20. Getting there slowly!
 
Most important thing is that you decide what you are going to do and be consistant and fair.

One of the things that works for less sensitve horse is to kick them gently on the front of the leg, but don't look at them when you do it they associate nipping etc with a pain in the leg and stop doing it. This has worked on 4 out of 5 horses then one it didn't was a very opinionated stubborn young WC as far as I know he is still doing it as owner gave up trying to stop him
 
Our 3 year old is a big lad (16.2 WB x ISH) and I'm not particularly big (5'5). If he barges (which he doesn't very often thankfully) he gets my elbow/shoulder in his chest to put his back where he should be. If he tanks off or tries to drag me anywhere, he gets pulled round pretty sharpish, and then I make him move back a few strides, stand still for a count of 5, then we move off again. Luckily he's taken this very well and I can now easily lead him in and out from the field with my other horse quite happily.
Nipping is more his thing, if he goes in for a proper nip and my hand is in the right place I push his nose away. Otherwise he gets a very sharp word and 'big scary' body language and will always back away,. He's a bit obsessed by putting everything in his mouth at the moment though!! Headcollars, leadropes, sleeves, yard equipment.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top