How do you deal with a horse that bites?

[equestrianabbie]

We have a pony at work that is extremely vicious and will bite you at every given oppurtunity. I've always had a fear of horses that bite since I was bitten as a very young girl.

Are there any tips out there that you've tried?

 

[fitzaud2]

I know you will laugh, but my ex's uncle actually bit the donkey back when he bit him, bit of a funnt story, seemingly the donkey had bitten him quite a few times, and he was really mad and sais if he bites me again, i'll bite him back, and low and behold, donkey bit him, and he bit him back, yuck!!! But it stopped the donkey biting. Personally, i'd pinch them, like a bite, and see how that worked, but i'm sure your prob not supposed to do that!!!

 

[WelshMisfit]

Many years ago, we bought a pony, and the day after it arrived at the yard, it bit my 5 year old daughter on the stomach. My boyfriend at the time gave it a right hook on it's nose and it's never done it since!

 

[FanyDuChamp]

Maybe there is a reason why he bites? If you work in a RC or such like have the pony clubbers been feeding him? We can't feed Captain, my lad, out of hand because he starts biting.

I think that stopping all feeding out of hand will stop biting. But I personally would not hit him for it, a very loud no usually works.

FDC

 

[lazybee]

Stop all treats at once. Then if you're bitten an immediate nip back, carry this on until he gets the message. This worked with my Donkey.

I had an Icelandic once who would not really bite, but would hold on very gently even on bare skin. RIP Vinnie

 

[blitznbobs]

Depends what u mean by bites. But my honest answer is unless you are a serious competitive rider with a fab horse that happens to bite then get **** of it. Life is too short to be scared to go into the stable and there are loads out there that don't bite.

 

[feisty_filly]

iv always believed a short sharp shock straight after the bite works, its the same as what they would recieve from other horses in the field.
You dont need to batter it or any thing but a quick flick on the nose / slap in the neck and then go on as if nothing has happend works a charm.

 

[Bug2007]

Depends on why it's biting. as above stop all treats out of the hand and only treat out of a bucket, but it might be like the racers some don't like being groomed so try to eat you at ever op.
We put on a muzzle while grooming and taking up, means you can get on with it all with out having to jump every two seconds.
She stopped trying so much as we were no longer reacting to her with the muzzle on. Just flying legs to watch out for then!!!!!

 

[natalia]

I had a mare that was very protective over her own space. She would bite you soon as you went past the box and you couldn't go in with her, she pinned me against the wall one day and attacked with both barrels. She would also kick given the chance when you handled her. BUT this mare was a super little jumping horse, and would give her all in the ring. Basically only certain people were allowed to handle her, and should I have ever seen anyone "giving her a thump" or "biting her back" I would have hit the roof. Not only because a horse like this may come back at you (which she would) but also because she had her own reasons for doing it. The only real way to approach those that bite is with confidence, when you need to go near them, put a headcollar on over the door and bring the horse out its box. Tie it up short so it can't get its head round to eat you and handle accordingly. Most horses that bite do so because they don't like to be fussed in their boxes or have been given too many tip bits, my little mare could be the most loving horse in the world but only on her own terms.

 

[miss_bird]

I have come across a few that bite over the years, and have always given a qtick tap on the muzzle and shout NO very loudly, hence to quick shocks to them straight after, eventually they would just do the action witout the bite and a sharp NO does stop them it is not an over night cure but with time and consistency it does work.
I will add that it is not something i would do to a very nervous horse or one that had been mistreated

 

[lochpearl]

I have a biter, we did pretty much get him to stop and then someone on the yard started giving him treats - I found out the hard way when he started to bite again. Previously we made sure he was never given treats and he was always growled at. He however has an attitude problem that if you tell him off he will swing round and double barrel you and he is quick!

One day he managed to get my friend really badly on the arm after she had ridden him, she was so shocked she cracked him with the whip - it was just an instant reaction. He has never bitten her since.

It is definitely a food thing and he has come a long way and we have to install it into him daily, it's almost like he forgets himself. He grabs his stable chain when he wants to bite now and very much listens to my firm 'NO' but as I said, sometimes he just forgets to be good lol. Biting or hitting him doesn't work as he gets more aggressive. With him, it more of a time and management thing.

When I first got him he was attack for his dinner, now he moves back and waits - although you can see he is desperately wanting to fly at you - his facial expressions are hilarious, like he is mentally fighting himself.

 

[AndySpooner]

No hand fed treats ever.

I never hit or shout at horses, I never get into tit for tat games either, they will do that all day.

I try not to give them the opportunity to bite me by keeping my personal space.

I teach them thatcher cannot enter my space but I can theirs.

This teaches respect and they will not offer to bite or kick, if you do it properly.

 

[lochpearl]

No hand fed treats ever.

I never hit or shout at horses, I never get into tit for tat games either, they will do that all day.

I try not to give them the opportunity to bite me by keeping my personal space.

I teach them thatcher cannot enter my space but I can theirs.

This teaches respect and they will not offer to bite or kick, if you do it properly.

I agree with the tit bits but apart from that this is utter rubbish. If a horse has this as a formed habit already then something positive needs to be done. Keeping personal space, ok so how would you put a bridle on 'keeping your personal space' It is possible for a horse to bite when you are doing leg straps up so how do you keep out of their way to not get bitten?

Do tell me as I am intrigued.

 

[RunToEarth]

No hand fed treats ever.

I never hit or shout at horses, I never get into tit for tat games either, they will do that all day.

I try not to give them the opportunity to bite me by keeping my personal space.

I teach them thatcher cannot enter my space but I can theirs.

This teaches respect and they will not offer to bite or kick, if you do it properly.

I'm sorry I don't agree with that, and I don't think horses who bite learn respect in this way at all.
My previous horse used to bite, for no reason other than he had no manners and had been fed from hand. He stopped because he learnt that if he bit me I would give him a crack on the shoulder with my hand- I'm sorry but I am not prepared to be bitten in the process of a horse "learning to respect me".

 

[feisty_filly]

I'm sorry I don't agree with that, and I don't think horses who bite learn respect in this way at all.
My previous horse used to bite, for no reason other than he had no manners and had been fed from hand. He stopped because he learnt that if he bit me I would give him a crack on the shoulder with my hand- I'm sorry but I am not prepared to be bitten in the process of a horse "learning to respect me".

agree with this, as i said befor, do you think that horse would be let away with biting the lead horse in the wild without getting a good kick/bite back?

 

[Tickles]

Depends why it bites.

I knew one who did it through anxiety. He wouldn't only bite you but a gate/lead rope/whatever was to hand. The thing with him was to keep him interested and safe feeling. Stopped after we'd known each other for a couple of months. Very occasionally reoccurred when we were doing something new & scary. He'd been badly treated in the past and it was a sort of nervous habit.

Also come across it in an RDA place where the horses where handled and fussed around by all sorts and basically thoroughly irritated (and not turned out enough either as it happens). With most of those the trick was to be as confident as possible. I learnt that when rescuing a mentally disabled kid stuck in the corner of a stable being double-barrelled by a pony I'd previously had biting trouble with. Smacking back didn't work, just escalated the situation. But when I saw the kid who was too scared/didn't understand enough to shout in danger my protective instincts kicked in and I just went in grabbed the pony by the mane and led it away, quiet as anything. Never had trouble with it again.

If a horse is quietly and gently handled there is no reason for it to bite unless in pain. If it happens when tacking up/rugging/grooming do consider fit of tack/over-heating/sensitive skin/stomach ulcers as other possible reasons.

Good luck!

 

[PollyP99]

I used not to believe the whole treats and biting thing since I never had a pony that moved to biting due to my feeding treats, just family freindly sweeties that I thought deserved these.

This all changed recently when a handling a new pony that makes out like he will bite you gradually started to do this more and more with my (studpid) treat giving pony hugging handling, so he would snatch at you if you approached, groomed etc. This escalated the longer I had him to a month a go when he would go to bite if you tried to catch him without a treat. He never did this before I entered the picture!

So all treats were stopped and the change is amazing, in just these last few weeks you can do anything, I weigh taped him yesterday n the field, no treats offered (of course), no headcollar.

Dont get me wrong this pony is never going to win happy go lucky pony of the year but the looking to get a treat and then biting when not given has gone and long may it last!

 

[TallyHo123]

Depends how and why they are biting. If its nips/bites (i.e. the horse isn't lunging towards me aggressively) I will nip/slap horse on neck/shoulder and shout no firmly.

 

[noodle_]

mine bites when doing up her rug/taking it off... she gets a smack on her neck normally

or if im quick enough one on the chin.... with a "no"....

oh and a poke on the mouth.... its more of a "WTF?" than inflicing pain!....

i dont hit to hurt them - its purely and attention grab and a no!

 

[horsemad126]

Mine did when I first got him, but as we go to know each other, and he realised I wasnt going to hurt him and was the boss...it has gradually phased out and he will only ever use lips if he wants to tell me something. And of course now loves to lick your hand and nuzzle you when you give him a rub. No more faces when getting girth done up either! He often gives up biting if you just laugh at him and give him a really good rub on his neck and around his face and he then forgets about it he would just get really het up if you gave him a loud voice or anything...depends on the horse I suppose.

 

[wench]

Depends on why its bites - if its out of sheer spite or nastiness give it a slap back. I had one bite me badly on the arm last year (I was bleeding) I happened to have a whip in my hand at the time - natural reaction is to give it a good slap back.

Funnily enough its been much better since then...

 

[AndySpooner]

Some people are giving horses lots of human type emotions as reasons why they bite, of course horses don't have these emotions.

I have said that I don't hit or shout at horses that bite, which I don't. I have explained what I do and it works. I don't get bitten or kicked, never have.

What I have said has been called rubbish, which is an opinion, and you are welcome to it. I don't care what anyone thinks about what I say and do, I'll carry on not hitting and shouting at horses and not getting bit. You can carry on doing what you do, if it works for you, great, enjoy.

 

[AndySpooner]

agree with this, as i said befor, do you think that horse would be let away with biting the lead horse in the wild without getting a good kick/bite back?

Just a small point here, lead horses in the wild don't bite or kick other horses as a general rule, dominant horses do though.

 

[skint1]

When our horse went through a particularly bitey stage we stopped all hand fed treats straight away which helped overall.

If she was being led and she went to bite we'd tap her nose and push head away and go "grrrrrrrrrrr" which seemed to keep her at bay. My daughter also carried a whip to push her back if she was trying to run over the top of you-or if she was planting herself and making bitey faces to push her forward-not to beat her with or anything but more as an extension of the arm if that makes sense

If she was being girthed/rug change I'd keep my elbow ready and then when she went to bite I'd casually but quick lift my elbow and she hit her mouth on it a few times which seemed to make her think, and she never actually bit the elbow.

I'm no expert though- I expect I'll get torn apart for that!

 

[rubyrumba]

I agree with the elbow too,my 3 yr old gelding can be very coltish and has recently started trying tonipwhen i doup the front of his rug but if i catch him with my elbow at exactly the same time he's mortified! Quickest way, its an instant bad reaction from me me because he nipped or went to!

 

[AndySpooner]

There is a massive difference between a horse which bumps into an elbow when it goes to bite, rather than being elbowed in the mouth when it tries to bite.

 

[Auslander]

I've worked with a lot of colts and stallions, and they do tend to be a bit orally fixated. I always carried a short stick whilst leading in hand, not to belt them with, but so they have something to grab. I can also point the end towards the side of their faces if they're being particularly snakey, they poke themselves rather than being free to take chunks out of me.

If it's nasty biting, I'll tie up short whilst doing rugs, and if I'm grooming, will hold the curry comb in such a way that they encounter the prickly end before they reach skin. I also leave a leather headcollar on something that's aggressive in the stable, and grab the headcollar as I go in so that I can control where their teeth and feet are. Most aggressive biters do it because they're anxious, and will fight back if they get a rise out of you.

I rarely hit horses for biting, not because I'm a fluffy bunny, but because I rarely let myself get bitten. Have no problem giving something a slap if it gets me, but generally I'm firmly in the "Let them hit themselves on a strategically placed spiky object" camp where grumpy nippy sorts are involved .

 

[charmeroo]

I've found that a hoof-pick with the bristles on the end are really useful, especially with a horse that nips when you're doing up rugs as you can tap them on the nose with the bristles and this does deter them! You can also use it when leading a horse by holding the bristles under their chin and if they go to bite you you can tap them firmly again and they do not really realise where it is coming from!

 

[AndySpooner]

I've worked with a lot of colts and stallions, and they do tend to be a bit orally fixated. I always carried a short stick whilst leading in hand, not to belt them with, but so they have something to grab. I can also point the end towards the side of their faces if they're being particularly snakey, they poke themselves rather than being free to take chunks out of me.

If it's nasty biting, I'll tie up short whilst doing rugs, and if I'm grooming, will hold the curry comb in such a way that they encounter the prickly end before they reach skin. I also leave a leather headcollar on something that's aggressive in the stable, and grab the headcollar as I go in so that I can control where their teeth and feet are. Most aggressive biters do it because they're anxious, and will fight back if they get a rise out of you.

I rarely hit horses for biting, not because I'm a fluffy bunny, but because I rarely let myself get bitten. Have no problem giving something a slap if it gets me, but generally I'm firmly in the "Let them hit themselves on a strategically placed spiky object" camp where grumpy nippy sorts are involved .

Agree with all of this, I wouldn't slap them though because I don't think it achieves anything, its more a reaction from the handler and is irrelevant in solving the issue.

 

[Auslander]

Agree with all of this, I wouldn't slap them though because I don't think it achieves anything, its more a reaction from the handler and is irrelevant in solving the issue.

I know - but it makes me feel better!