Help - Horse keeps trying to bite!

[littlepiglet]

This is a post on behalf of a friend.

She has a 16.2 11yr gelding and every so often especially when leading out ( I know this as I looked after him for her at weekend) he will try to bite. Its not an ears back nasty bite it seems more of a nervous/anxious bite.

He is generally fine in the evenings coming in but is very mouthy in general, he will pick things up, grooming kit, wheelbarrow etc. She doesn't feed him from the mouth, his carrots go in his feed bowl.

When leading generally he is ok but you have to keep your whits about you as he will quickly turn his head to nip at you or the rope/reins etc and play up a little, jump around etc when turning out and he almost caught me this morning hence the reason for my post. We are both new to owning horses and so keen to get started off on the right Hoof!

My question is what would people suggest we do to help fix this behavior as it is a very long walk to the fields!

Various people on the yard have suggested different things, one is smacking him on the muzzle as soon as he does it (which I don't agree with), the other smacking him on shoulder, pushing him away with elbow on the mouth and shouting no as soon as he does it etc etc He really doesn't like being told off - he will shoot his head up and back up just from shouting 'no' at him so we're reluctant to upset him any further. I've suggested she hold him by his headcollar leading him out just to stop him swinging his head round as much or use a bridle but that becomes tricky to take off if he is feeling flighty once we get to the field. He's not like it all the time but it seems as soon as you relax thinking he's been fine for the last few days he'll have a moment and its making her nervous leading him out/in.

Another girl lead him out on the yard recently and shouted at him for doing it then he mini-reared apparently which is not what we want but its just so difficult to know what to do for the best!

His old owner said he can be like this when he's anxious and when things change in his routine, i.e winter grazing to summer grazing so it's not new behaviour and we did expect it to start with as he moved onto the yard and began a new routine but he is settled better now goes in and out with the others and mostly only does it when he is anxious or nervous.

Any advice appreciated

 

[be positive]

As it is a sign he is anxious there is no point in becoming aggressive when dealing with it, he responds badly to being shouted at and is likely to panic if hit which will make him worse and your friend even more nervous, I would try and ignore it if he is not making contact and meet his threat with a low growl which should be better at attracting his attention than shouting, I would carry a stick not to hit him with but to meet his teeth when then come round so he "bites" the end of it, I suspect if he makes contact with something it will give him a surprise and may be enough to stop him trying it after a day or two, the stick needs to be kept as still as possible so he does not feel threatened and overreact but in the right place so his teeth catch it, he should let go and if the handler growls at the same time as he swings round he should connect the growl with the feeling of catching his teeth so the growl should suffice in future.

He may be one that likes to have something in his mouth as a pacifier until he feels relaxed, I tend to ignore this and they grow out of it, do get his teeth checked as any discomfort will make them a bit edgy and mouthy.

 

[littlepiglet]

ok thank you will try that and see how we get on!

 

[Cecile]

Only thing that really jumped out at me reading your post, his old owner says he is anxious when he becomes like this and various people are leading him at your yard, it may be a good idea for just one person to lead him at all times until he is settled, that way he would have consistency in handling. I would certainly keep the shout at him, smack his muzzle or push him away brigade at the yard well away from him until the owner has had time to get to know him better and works out the best way to deal with this

Also totally agree with having his teeth checked, wear gloves and long sleeves for leading

I have been known to carry a dandy brush years ago even in the stable Yuck they don't like that! However they are biting it so its wasn't me inflicting it on them + I didn't wish to look like I'd been mauled by a shark, if I am bitten (Can't remember the last time, now I have said that it will be tomorrow lol) if it is my skin I react very quickly (Natural instinct), if they bite a brush or something else I hardly react apart from very calmly saying *bet that tastes awful* and continue on with what I am doing

Something will work with this one, its just sussing out what the trigger is and how to calm it down

 

[oldie48]

He's 11 not a baby although I do appreciate he could be feeling anxious. I'd keep him beside me, if he goes to bite, bring my elbow up sharply to hit him on the nose, then give him a pat. He won't necessarily associate the pain he gets on his nose with being led but hopefully will think better of trying to bite. It's a variation of what Cecile is suggesting.

 

[jakkibag]

I've had success with a nippy one by using a jif squeezy lemon bottle, timing was key, no raised voices no smacking etc as it just made no difference, but a couple of squirts of lemon in the mouth, and my eye accidentally and he stopped after a while, we just had to carry the lemon bottle and he would toe the line, as said above will just take time and finding what will work, have heard of water pistols being used too.

 

[Antw23uk]

None of them like being told off, smacked or shouted at (does anyone!) but they are big animals and rules are there to follow for there peace of mind and for you and everyone else's safety. I always worry when people new to horses and horse owning say they wont/ dont like telling them off ... I think these horses see you coming to be honest, sorry if that sounds a bit harsh but you have to man up before his behaviour escalates! The rudest and bolshyist horses I know are owned by people who dont tell them off!

At the end of the day this horse is doing something that is not acceptable. You dont need to lay into him to get a result but you do need to make it very clear that his behaviour is NOT acceptable on any level ... and actually if he doesnt like being told off and he rears or throws his weight around .. yeah thats not acceptable either and that will also be met with being told off and if this upsets him .. boo hoo .. get over it sunshine and stop nipping me then, should be your way of thinking.

I dont think you should be pandering to him being 'anxious'. My horses can get anxious sometimes but they have to hold there ***** together and deal with it because thats what needs to happen and thats what I expect, no question and with my attitude comes strength and with strength they get comfort and confidence and thus anxious melt downs seep away .....

I probably sound like a right bully and I guess I'm over exaggerating slightly to get my point across but its pretty simple ... DON'T LET HIM DO THAT and if he needs a slap or a flick with the lead rope to his muzzle the second he does it then thats what he needs. Dont make a big deal out of it, keep walking, keep facing the direction you are going and the second he goes to nip, flick/ elbow/ slap on the nose ... job done, dont do it, walk on .. keep going. Repeat as required.

 

[Sparemare]

Agree with Ant. A quick 'PACK IT IN' correction the moment it happens, then go back to chatting pleasantly with the horse about the weather.

 

[texel]

Water pistol/jiffy squeezy certainly works when the horse is tied up. But your horse nips when leading so you really need to get your leading technique sorted out and also do the basic groundwork with him to make sure he knows how to keep out of your space. There are various youtube videos which are helpful. I can send you some links.

It is not easy to explain how to do specific movement/exercises by writing it down you need to be shown what to do.

Once you sort out the leading issue he will be a better horse.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I'll bet you can guess which camp I'm in!

The key is to be aware of the horse's and your own body language. I let the horse bring its head - not its mouth - round to connect with my elbow, if it shows signs of thinking about biting.

It will help if one person can lead consistently until the horse settles. If there is a second person available, it can be helpful for that person to accompany horse and leader but no chatting - concentrate on the body language!

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Water pistol/jiffy squeezy certainly works when the horse is tied up. But your horse nips when leading so you really need to get your leading technique sorted out and also do the basic groundwork with him to make sure he knows how to keep out of your space. There are various youtube videos which are helpful. I can send you some links.

It is not easy to explain how to do specific movement/exercises by writing it down you need to be shown what to do.

Once you sort out the leading issue he will be a better horse.

This ^^

When being led my 7yo likes to try and 'grab' (don't want to say bite because there's no intent to hurt) at my shoulder. I went on Jason Webb's website and found it very helpful. My instinct was to push his muzzle away but after watching the videos I realised I was making it worse by giving E the answer he wanted; I was rewarding it by behaving like a herd mate. Now if he does it I quickly turn to him them make him back up and move away from me to enforce my personal space.

Mine is on full livery so consistency can be an issue but it is working and he is getting better.

 

[LaurenBay]

None of them like being told off, smacked or shouted at (does anyone!) but they are big animals and rules are there to follow for there peace of mind and for you and everyone else's safety. I always worry when people new to horses and horse owning say they wont/ dont like telling them off ... I think these horses see you coming to be honest, sorry if that sounds a bit harsh but you have to man up before his behaviour escalates! The rudest and bolshyist horses I know are owned by people who dont tell them off!

At the end of the day this horse is doing something that is not acceptable. You dont need to lay into him to get a result but you do need to make it very clear that his behaviour is NOT acceptable on any level ... and actually if he doesnt like being told off and he rears or throws his weight around .. yeah thats not acceptable either and that will also be met with being told off and if this upsets him .. boo hoo .. get over it sunshine and stop nipping me then, should be your way of thinking.

I dont think you should be pandering to him being 'anxious'. My horses can get anxious sometimes but they have to hold there ***** together and deal with it because thats what needs to happen and thats what I expect, no question and with my attitude comes strength and with strength they get comfort and confidence and thus anxious melt downs seep away .....

I probably sound like a right bully and I guess I'm over exaggerating slightly to get my point across but its pretty simple ... DON'T LET HIM DO THAT and if he needs a slap or a flick with the lead rope to his muzzle the second he does it then thats what he needs. Dont make a big deal out of it, keep walking, keep facing the direction you are going and the second he goes to nip, flick/ elbow/ slap on the nose ... job done, dont do it, walk on .. keep going. Repeat as required.

This ^^^^^^

My Horse was a cow for doing this when I first got her, I soon found out her owners used to lead her around with treats! If she went to bite then she got a growl and a tap on her nose. After a month of this she got the message! try not to stop the Horse and carry on as if nothing happened. If you make a big deal of it then so will the Horse.

 

[Annie_little_flower_864]

Must be a reason for that

 

[Annie_little_flower_864]

Hello everyone! Horses do bite for a reason. My dad has a farm and he is obsessed with horses. He says when a horse bites it either she is in pain or she is anxious. When one of his horses starts to bite he usually tries to do a health check or contact the local vet. Also, if a horse is taught to bite for instance by a previous owner you should train out this behavior and not be tolerant of biting others, but in a calm manner. You can always check on petsoid for some other reasons why do horses bite and the ways in which you may train out this behavior.

 

[Sail_away]

3 year old post so I expect the issue has been solved by now.