How can I stop my 2yr old messing about?

SNORKEY

SNORKEY

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My 2yr old cob is becoming a little ****** whilst I'm grooming him and yesterday he accidentally kicked me whilst I was trimming his legs.
He constantly paws the ground whilst he's tied up. I've tried giving him a slap on the shoulder and telling him off and I've tried to distract him but nothing's working.
Any ideas on how I can stop it?
 
I'm no help really but my rising 3 yr old is the same, he paws all the time! kicks his bucket whilst hes eating, at the gate/fence when I get my mare in! when he's on the yard will kick my grooming box to get things out to play with! does my head in! i've tired putting my foot in the way so he knocks it as he starts pawing! then holding his leg up for ages but as soon as its back down he starts again! even squirted him for the hose in the summer each time he done it!

just really annoys me!
 
Could it be that they a still babies and their attention span is not very big, so one should not leave them tied up for what seems a long time for them, rather down tie half way throguh walk in a circle and tie up agsin.
 
I have to agree sorry, he is likely bored stiff and wants to be out playing. You may enjoy grooming him, but he finds standing still for so long dull as dishwater and he is just being set up to fail. It is the same as trying to get a 2 year old child to sit still and pay attention for an hour...
 
Has he got a haynet while tied up, if not I'd recommend providing one as it will help him to see that standing tied up quietly is rewarding as he gets hay to eat.
 
What are you doing to train the horse to do what you want? :)

As a general rule, it is much more effective to train the horse specifically to do the thing you want, rewarding them when they're doing it, than to continually try to punish the thing you don't.

The reason (might seem obvious ;)) is that punishment only shows the horse what you don't want, and since it's virtually impossible to punish every time they do it, they only learn to either do it when you're not around or to be quick and sneaky about doing it.

Training them to do what you do want (standing quietly) using frequent rewards (praise, a nice scratch, a quick walk around) is more likely to get you a horse who stands quietly ;)
 
Thanks, he starts this straight away, I've got to get his feathers off due to mites and I'm only clipping half a leg a day so he doesn't get bored. I havn't given him a haynet before so I may do that. But I'm always rewarding him when he picks his feet up etc or after I've clipped his legs. Maybe that's the problem as he's always looking for treats from me!
 
SNORKEY said:
Thanks, he starts this straight away, I've got to get his feathers off due to mites and I'm only clipping half a leg a day so he doesn't get bored. I havn't given him a haynet before so I may do that. But I'm always rewarding him when he picks his feet up etc or after I've clipped his legs. Maybe that's the problem as he's always looking for treats from me!
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I have two young 2yr olds, and they do like to get into mischief if they can, but they have adapted well to the routine of coming in for a feed late afternoon, short groom to check them over and pick up feet, then they get hay. I have never given them any treats from my hand, they only get feed in bin, hay and grass, so are not looking for treats. Initially I had someone stand at their head when I tied them up to groom, this reassured them and helped us to progress to the point now they are used to it they stand and let me do them without being tied up.

However they do paw and strike out whilst eating feed, they are so excited about it, but I have wall mounted feed bins so it is not a problem.
 
I'm another one who always used to tie my youngster up with a haynet, works wonders, and provided a calm quiet horse later in life, unwanted behaviour goes ignored (as long as it's not dangerous) as each time you react, the horse does it again, as he/she has got what they wanted. :)
Please note, I no longer have to tie a net each time, but with a boisterous youngster it really does help, when they calm down and no longer play up, if you don't wish to tie a net up all the time, gradually reduce the time he/she has the net, until you can sometimes fetch in and not give one.
 
Does he stand for the farrier?

Short term I would ask someone to hold his front leg up, while you trim his feather and sort the mites out. Then once done give him a reward.

I have a 2yo aswell - never had a problem but as a colt I was firm with him. As for attention - he should be fine for up to 20 mins before it gets to much.
 
If you're actually trying to do something to him (ie trim mitey legs) then you're probably best off making it a two man job. Set yourself up for success. And yes he will have the attention span of a gnat.

He's at that age where he will be working through the whole range of 'what happens if I do this?'. Our rising 3yo was really meek when he first arrived but even he's turning into a bit of a teenager and you can almost hear him sniggering to himself like a norty public schoolboy. He's very good, and he still knows where the boundaries are, but I think if I were trying to clip his legs it would be a two man job - the second person either to keep the front end interested or to pick up the opposite leg. The risk is with starting something you can't finish on your own is that he will learn what he needs to do to get a rise out of you/get you to back off. If you get flustered and he's getting flustered that's not a productive scenario.
 
Shadeyoak said:
I'm another one who always used to tie my youngster up with a haynet, works wonders, and provided a calm quiet horse later in life, unwanted behaviour goes ignored (as long as it's not dangerous) as each time you react, the horse does it again, as he/she has got what they wanted. :)
Please note, I no longer have to tie a net each time, but with a boisterous youngster it really does help, when they calm down and no longer play up, if you don't wish to tie a net up all the time, gradually reduce the time he/she has the net, until you can sometimes fetch in and not give one.
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Haynet.

Don't make life stressful for a baby. It's great to expect to be able to do stuff with them without them fidgeting but it's not going to happen all the time and if you're going to get annoyed and start getting heavy handed, turn them away or don't have a youngster.

There's no magic answer as every young horse is different. Whatever you choose to do, just ask yourself if it is the kindest way first and if it will cause the least stress.

You can't stop babies messing about. That's what they do.
 
Definatly use a Haynet.
Cut back on food treats he needs to learn that a pat and good boy tells him you are pleased.
Two years olds do have short attention spans and can be complete pains ,as long as you can catch him put the head collar on and lead him around and he will allow you to pick out his feet and behave for the farrier that's all you need .
I started mine at three so as long as I could do the above I pretty well left them to grow at two .
I think you can over handle two year olds.
 
So - he's two. Has the attention span of maybe a 3 or 4 year old child. But he's fine to stand in one place for 20 minutes without moving... I wouldn't expect that from a human child, let alone a young horse!

And from his point of view - he gets tied up. Sometimes he gets slapped for lifting his hoof. Sometimes he gets treats for lifting his hoof. Sometimes he gets water squirted on his legs. Sometimes he gets buzzy things along his legs but then he gets told off when he lifts them. But wasn't that what he got treats for before?


Confused.com

I would go do as poster above suggested, and make trimming a one off, two person job, with someone reassuring at the front end and a tasty haynet.

Then I would go back to basics, teaching him to stand tied for 30 seconds, releasing and walking him off the instant after 30 seconds you catch him standing still. Do that three or four times, then increase to 45 seconds, 1 minute, one and a half minutes etc.

One he understands about standing still, then I would work on teaching him, calmly, when you want him to lift his foot, and when you want him to keep his foot on the ground. Then I'd gradually introduce clippers - at a distance to start with, let him get used to the noise one day, then a touch on the skin next day, then a bit longer and a bit more tickly next day...

You know, just basic gradual training about what you want?
Otherwise he's going to get more confused, you're going to give out to him more, he's going to get cross because he doesn't know why you're giving out to him, then you're going to give out to him because he's cross... Can you see where it's going? Spend time now, don't have problems to sort out later :)
 
My 3 year old does it in the evening, I just mimic it. Stand next to them and do the same with your leg!

The look on their face is priceless and mine stops and gives me a weird look like 'what are you doing'??
 
I would really recommend Richard Maxwells book - Training Your Young Horse.

He has tips for avoiding the terrible twos. From 18 month to 2 1/2 years you can expect the worst behaviour and when you can expect him to challenge you the most.
Short sessions due to attention span, think back to being a teenager - hormones raging and can't do anything right.

The book is full of helpful ideas on, bathing, tie up, farrier, loading ect. It also set out in months and years and what youngster can and can't be doing at times.
 
I also find a haynet useful - not long taken on a 2 year old who hasnt really done much at all for the last 6 months - having a haynet distracts him so I can groom him and practice picking up his feet with him. Hes no bother as long as hes distracted by hay and I keep it to under 10 mins every time and only every few days
 
I think it depends what school of training you are from.

But - its not only young horses that do it, i've got a rising 5 year old whos never really been tied up or done anything with. She also paws the ground (mainly if you walk away). You will probably find the same with any horse who is not used to being tied up to be honest. So its not just a case of them letting things be done to them whilst tied, its also a case of teaching them that no matter what happens they will remain tied up and have to get used to it.

Personally, i'd approach it differently to how most people have suggested. The horse would get tied up and left there. (Not unattended, but where you are just milling about). If the horse stands nicely i'd reward by untieing and doing something else. If it fidgeted then i'd leave it tied until it stopped. Be it 1 minute or 1 hour. When it stops and relaxes then i would untie (as the reward). Dont shout at it or hit it etc if its being silly, just ignore it. I usually use blocker tie rings too - to prevent them doing anything daft and pulling back etc.

Trying to teach them to be tied up at the same time as trying to do other things (trim legs etc) is probably never going to be successful as you are expecting too many things are once. I've had to poultice my fillies foot (abscess) and its easier to have someone hold them than tie up. Or - in actual fact, hold them yourself. you can correct (using the rope) when they move if they are on the other end. Rather than them being tied to a point and being all over the place. When doing anything new i find this helps as they can move away if they want to and you have to work with them. Rather than tieing to a point and hoping for the best. I currently have to put mud fever stuff on in the field and so having this method as an option means i can do it, without the need to tie up. My horse is already fine with ropes around her legs though. (previous lesson!)
 
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