How do you deal with a horse that bites

[Chocoholic]

Hi all,

How do you reprimand a horse that bites, specifically when doing groundwork?
He’s a five year old Welsh d, this is something he has done since I got him age 3 and what I later found out after doing some digging into his history, has always done since a foal.
He has improved massively since I’ve had him but still has this habit if he doesn’t want to do something ( think of a spoilt brat throwing a tantrum)

Would like some different views on how you would deal with this.

 

[asmp]

Someone once told me to have a small tin with some marbles in it and to rattle it when the horse goes to bite. Obviously you have to be quick

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Don't let your guard down, hold the rein/lead rope on such a position, near the chin that the horse can't get to bite. Then you can work on diminishing the bite response.

 

[AppyLover1996]

I'm going through this stage with my yearling at the moment - he seems to think that anything near his mouth grants him permission to give it a taste...

I do a multitude of things dependent on the situation (I acknowledge that some people may not agree with me, but I am under professional supervision, I always double check before doing something and if I'm not sure I won't do it) :

1) If he goes to nip me and doesn't get me - I gently redirect his head away from me and give him something else to focus on - ie backing up or yielding his hindquarters away from me
2) If he goes to nip me and does get me - I give a strong "No" command, make him back up straight away and make myself seem a bit louder with my body language (stamp my foot, move towards him whilst waving my arm, tap the leadrope against my boot so it makes a sound)
3) If he goes to nip me and does get me (but I do not have the space to move his feet safely) - I give a strong "No" command and give him a pinch on his neck (not hard by any means but I was informed this is the same as another horse nipping him back, albeit a lot softer!).

As I said someone is bound to not agree with me (it's the horsey world!) but these are the tools that I use and they work fab for me, I've only had 2 incidents where my yearling tried to nip me and now he's completely stopped the behaviour and if he feels the need to get mouthy with anything, he'll often redirect himself towards his haynet, pick up something from the ground to play with or a toy that he has in his stable.

 

[Skib]

My previous old share horse bit people. She was not my horse and I did not have the opportunity to do ground work with her in the school or do anything sophisticated. I had read somewhere that in the animal world size is of major importance in establishing dominance. One day she nipped my jacket sleeve after I had dismounted. Immediately I thrust both my arms up into the air above my head and jumped up and down, shouting. She never bit me again.
Because she bit, only staff were supposed to put her bridle on. But when needed one day, I put her bridle on without incident.
I am an old woman and thinking of the C du J threads, I truly believe that horses need to be afraid of their rider. Not quaking fear. But knowing I wont stand for any nonsense.

 

[sunnyone]

Surely there are 3 ways for a horse to use its teeth?

1. Exploring what something is made of, and is it good to eat? If it isn't a problem then I let them learn. If it is then I just say No and take it away.

2. To groom another animal, again they get told when they get too rough with me or the dog .

3.Aggressively to see something off. If that happens I use a smart tap on the nose with my hand and shout NO.
One of mine has no concept of a tap from a whip or lunging rein being instructional, but noise is a different matter, be it voice, rattling the contents of the first aid box, or even a jacket zip he reacts.

 

[Chocoholic]

Someone once told me to have a small tin with some marbles in it and to rattle it when the horse goes to bite. Obviously you have to be quick

Might have to try this

 

[Cortez]

Horse bites can do serious damage so nipping (ha!) it in the bud from the very first exploratory nibble is something that I've always started from foals. Hitting horses on the head is definitely not on, but a sharp poke in the nostril or side of the muzzle with a finger usually works. If it has escalated to real aggression, then a sharp crack on the shins with a dressage whip and constant vigilance is required. I've worked with some rather nasty stallions in my time, but the worst biter I ever came across was a TB mare out of racing. She tore someone's entire bicep away from the bone, ripped a girl's top lip clean off (sewn back on successfully), and grabbed me between the shoulderblades and threw me over a stable dividing wall, before a muzzle was deployed. DO NOT namby-pamby a serious biter.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My previous horse was a biter. I was having some other issues with him as well. I got a chap out to help me. The horse went to bite him, he slapped him across the muzzle , horse shot back. He then gave the horse a moment to think about what he had done, then chap went over to horse, rubbed his head, made friends, and carried on with what he was originally doing. That horse never tried to bite again. This was a horse that bit my friend in the stomach, making a right mess, when she was holding him whilst I mounted.

 

[Chocoholic]

Don't let your guard down, hold the rein/lead rope on such a position, near the chin that the horse can't get to bite. Then you can work on diminishing the bite response

I'm going through this stage with my yearling at the moment - he seems to think that anything near his mouth grants him permission to give it a taste...

I do a multitude of things dependent on the situation (I acknowledge that some people may not agree with me, but I am under professional supervision, I always double check before doing something and if I'm not sure I won't do it) :

1) If he goes to nip me and doesn't get me - I gently redirect his head away from me and give him something else to focus on - ie backing up or yielding his hindquarters away from me
2) If he goes to nip me and does get me - I give a strong "No" command, make him back up straight away and make myself seem a bit louder with my body language (stamp my foot, move towards him whilst waving my arm, tap the leadrope against my boot so it makes a sound)
3) If he goes to nip me and does get me (but I do not have the space to move his feet safely) - I give a strong "No" command and give him a pinch on his neck (not hard by any means but I was informed this is the same as another horse nipping him back, albeit a lot softer!).

As I said someone is bound to not agree with me (it's the horsey world!) but these are the tools that I use and they work fab for me, I've only had 2 incidents where my yearling tried to nip me and now he's completely stopped the behaviour and if he feels the need to get mouthy with anything, he'll often redirect himself towards his haynet, pick up something from the ground to play with or a toy that he has in his stable

Surely there are 3 ways for a horse to use its teeth?

1. Exploring what something is made of, and is it good to eat? If it isn't a problem then I let them learn. If it is then I just say No and take it away.

2. To groom another animal, again they get told when they get too rough with me or the dog .

3.Aggressively to see something off. If that happens I use a smart tap on the nose with my hand and shout NO.
One of mine has no concept of a tap from a whip or lunging rein being instructional, but noise is a different matter, be it voice, rattling the contents of the first aid box, or even a jacket zip he reacts.

I’m beginning to think noise might be a better technique for him as if I shout no I can see it shocks him but if I tap him on the nose he just comes back at me

 

[Chocoholic]

Horse bites can do serious damage so nipping (ha!) it in the bud from the very first exploratory nibble is something that I've always started from foals. Hitting horses on the head is definitely not on, but a sharp poke in the nostril or side of the muzzle with a finger usually works. If it has escalated to real aggression, then a sharp crack on the shins with a dressage whip and constant vigilance is required. I've worked with some rather nasty stallions in my time, but the worst biter I ever came across was a TB mare out of racing. She tore someone's entire bicep away from the bone, ripped a girl's top lip clean off (sewn back on successfully), and grabbed me between the shoulderblades and threw me over a stable dividing wall, before a muzzle was deployed. DO NOT namby-pamby a serious biter.

I wouldn’t describe him as a serious bitter it’s more of a nip (still not something I want him to do though) he acts very coltish and it can quickly become a tit for tat game with him. He’s definitely learnt over the years that biting makes people go away. I hope he eventually learns that it’s not going to work with me

 

[Cortez]

I’m beginning to think noise might be a better technique for him as if I shout no I can see it shocks him but if I tap him on the nose he just comes back at me

The answer is not to tap, but to make it a serious reprimand. Biting, kicking, striking: anything that will result in serious injury must be stopped at once. Shouting at horses is next to useless, and a personal dislike. Biting starts with nipping - which for some demented reason many people find "cute" - and if not stopped can escalate. At the very least it demonstrates the horse's opinion of you.

 

[Skib]

Surely there are 3 ways for a horse to use its teeth?

Teeth or lips? My current share has always had a habit of touching her lips to my sleeve when I was standing quietly beside her in the box.
Just standing with the horse was something I learned from Tik Maynard. So as the mare and I were new to each other, I went in a bit early and just stood there. But why she began to touch me with her lips, no one could explain except that possibly it is something horses and cows may do in a herd. Touching their neighbour.
But it was contrary to what I had been trained which was to keep the horse out of my space.

 

[maya2008]

In all our interactions with horses, most especially those who are not fully trained, remembering that they are many times bigger than us and can do serious damage, is very important.

Biting (or kicking for that matter) when being handled is not acceptable. It brings risk to the human, to surrounding animals/people and risk to the horse itself. A horse that bites will struggle to find a good home, and even if it does, will struggle to find good vet/farrier/dentist care - because who wants to put themselves at risk?

I would get someone out to help in person, if your attempts to sort the behaviour haven’t quite fixed it. You can apply a deterrent, but I am sure you have tried that. If it still isn’t going away, that’s probably the time to get some professional help. A second point of view can be very helpful!

 

[Goldenstar]

I would not ground work with a horse that bites during work .

 

[Chocoholic]

My previous horse was a biter. I was having some other issues with him as well. I got a chap out to help me. The horse went to bite him, he slapped him across the muzzle , horse shot back. He then gave the horse a moment to think about what he had done, then chap went over to horse, rubbed his head, made friends, and carried on with what he was originally doing. That horse never tried to bite again. This was a horse that bit my friend in the stomach, making a right mess, when she was holding him whilst I mounted.

The answer is not to tap, but to make it a serious reprimand. Biting, kicking, striking: anything that will result in serious injury must be stopped at once. Shouting at horses is next to useless, and a personal dislike. Biting starts with nipping - which for some demented reason many people find "cute" - and if not stopped can escalate. At the very least it demonstrates the horse's opinion of you.

My previous horse was a biter. I was having some other issues with him as well. I got a chap out to help me. The horse went to bite him, he slapped him across the muzzle , horse shot back. He then gave the horse a moment to think about what he had done, then chap went over to horse, rubbed his head, made friends, and carried on with what he was originally doing. That horse never tried to bite again. This was a horse that bit my friend in the stomach, making a right mess, when she was holding him whilst I

In all our interactions with horses, most especially those who are not fully trained, remembering that they are many times bigger than us and can do serious damage, is very important.

Biting (or kicking for that matter) when being handled is not acceptable. It brings risk to the human, to surrounding animals/people and risk to the horse itself. A horse that bites will struggle to find a good home, and even if it does, will struggle to find good vet/farrier/dentist care - because who wants to put themselves at risk?

I would get someone out to help in person, if your attempts to sort the behaviour haven’t quite fixed it. You can apply a deterrent, but I am sure you have tried that. If it still isn’t going away, that’s probably the time to get some professional help. A second point of view can be very helpful!

Hi yes I completely agree it’s unacceptable, I’ve found a lovely guy who has done one session up to yet with us both. Annoyingly he was very well behaved when the trainer came out. Hopefully with continued sessions things will start to improve.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My Louis used to just bite for no reason he still does it very occasionally and I found really shouting and sending him away helped, he always looked shocked like he didn't know that biting was not allowed but it is less frequent now.

He still will try and nip especially when led sometimes thing is I know him so well now I know when his gonna do it so I just growl at him and get my hand out the way, he does know its naughty because on a few occasions when he goes to do it he will automatically run back, his 19 now and really should know better I'm sure he thinks it's just a bit if fun.

 

[pistolpete]

It’s a tricky one. If you pay him full attention he shouldn’t try. It’s usually to get your attention. Easier to be brave and with good leather gloves on as whipping your hand away becomes a game. I quite like giving a cue like ‘head down’ if they mug at all. My highland still puts his head on the floor practically if he thinks I have food

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Dex bit when he first arrived, when he tried I would put my elbow up as the point of contact or swipe my hand out, and it makes contact with whatever it makes contact with (not with force, it's not needed, just as the shock factor) he then was very urgently, loudly and exaggeratedly chased out of my space and left to think for a moment before resuming what we were doing. It was very, very effective and he hasn't so much as thought about it since.

 

[blitznbobs]

The horse that bites during ground work is too close to you … I would get the horse further away from me - I’d start with a distance of at least 4foot away … and don’t let them in to your space ( kind of dirty dancing esque — this is your space and this is my space) then if the horse lunged from there it would

A) get reversed quickly half way across the school
B) if it really meant (nasty malicious bite with no pre warning) it would get smacked hard tbh.

Ive had a lot of nibblers (had a lot of babies) but only ever one serious biter and she only ever tried if she had you wedged in a stable. Nibblers imo don’t know they are being mean - horses bite each other all the time even when being nice to each other but they do need to know that wussy humans really don’t like it… hence the fast reverse … horses are not keen on that and it’s difficult for them but not painful so it soon becomes an association for something the human really doesn’t like

 

[SEL]

Babycob nips when anxious but it has escalated to a proper bite a couple of times. If I know I'm in a situation where it's likely to happen then coat & gloves and if he makes contact he gets a smack.

I've heard all the stuff about how it's interaction etc but it's not an interaction I want. I've seen him get nippy with both my mares and neither tolerate it.

 

[Keith_Beef]

There's a horse where I ride that has a reputation for biting, and I've seen him turn his head and grab the shoulder, hip or rump of whoever was trying to tack him up...

So the summer before last I decided that I would try to teach him to at least not bite me, in the hope that he would also not bite anybody else.

Over the space of a few weeks I would go up to the yard when he was in his box and call him over to the door. He'd come over, sniff at me, then try to bite but I would put my forearm up, vertically, next to his face so that there was no way that he could physically open his mouth wide enough to be able to bite. Then I'd push his face away with a firm "no, you don't do that".

It took perhaps five or six visits of an hour each time, but after that I can stand at his door with my back to him and he will rest his head on my shoulder and look out at the arena.

If he doesn't want to come over to spend time with me like that, I don't insist. But when he does come over, he's like a lamb.

But apparently he still bites other people...

 

[Lois Lame]

There's a horse where I ride that has a reputation for biting, and I've seen him turn his head and grab the shoulder, hip or rump of whoever was trying to tack him up...

So the summer before last I decided that I would try to teach him to at least not bite me, in the hope that he would also not bite anybody else.

Over the space of a few weeks I would go up to the yard when he was in his box and call him over to the door. He'd come over, sniff at me, then try to bite but I would put my forearm up, vertically, next to his face so that there was no way that he could physically open his mouth wide enough to be able to bite. Then I'd push his face away with a firm "no, you don't do that".

It took perhaps five or six visits of an hour each time, but after that I can stand at his door with my back to him and he will rest his head on my shoulder and look out at the arena.

If he doesn't want to come over to spend time with me like that, I don't insist. But when he does come over, he's like a lamb.

But apparently he still bites other people...

That's kind of sweet that he doesn't bite you but still bites others.

My stance on biting is zero tolerance. A smack on the muzzle [audible gasps in cyber space] immediately afterwards, if not instantaneous. I can be pretty quick. But I seldom come across such a horse. I think word has spread among Equus caballus.

 

[sbloom]

He's not throwing a tantrum, he's just learned a poor way of expressing himself when he's finding things challenging.

 

[Carlosmum]

Mine can be a bit nippy when rugging, particularly chest straps. If I'm quick enough I give him a good pinch before he makes contact. . Pinching behind elbows is the best place if you can get there quick enough. Much as a dominant mare would.

 

[Glitterandrainbows]

Mine can be a bit nippy when rugging, particularly chest straps. If I'm quick enough I give him a good pinch before he makes contact. . Pinching behind elbows is the best place if you can get there quick enough. Much as a dominant mare would.

Random fact ours started biting when doing rug chests when they caught worms xx

 

[Keith_Beef]

That's kind of sweet that he doesn't bite you but still bites others.

I realise that, and it's why I mentioned that he still bites others.

I think that he's understood that there's no point in trying to bite me, so he doesn't even try, but other riders haven't taken enough time to teach him the same lesson. There are even a few who try to refuse to ride him in lessons.

 

[fredflop]

I had a horse that threatened to bite, I ignored him. One day he did bite. Unfortunately for him I had a whip in my hand. He got one almighty wallop with it, and never showed any signs of biting again.

 

[Jambarissa]

I would generally avoid hitting a horse that bites, not because I don't believe it can be a useful reprimand in some situations but because it can make the horse try to get away from you faster after biting which can mean pulling away before he lets go.

It's hard but you need to be on your guard the whole time and react as soon as he goes to bite, I would do something like jumping jacks, shouting, hitting myself with a rope or anything else that seems an excessive reaction.

This is my standard response when walking through the youngsters field, they all try to get too close and nip or jump on you and I just ignore them with the occasional random jumping when they're just about to do something.

 

[Pointless1]

Given all the press about Charlotte D I do find some remarks here very concerning.... The horse needs to be scared of you.... Hit it if it bites you......The horse should not fear you. It should respect you.