HOW TO STOP BITING! URGENT.

[simoneleslie]

Fellow horse & hound'rs, need a little help/advice,

My 2 year old has started to nibble & put her ears back (not flat back though) at people as they walk past her stable, she does it to near enough everyone but me, it doesnt help that she's right next to the feed room but i cant move her into any other stable because the others are too small for her & her stable is too small for others in bigger stables to move into, she never used but its becoming a regular thing & as our walk way outside her stable isnt all that big its hard to avoid her.

so i'd like to know how i can stop her from doing this?

 

[LittleBlackMule]

Put a stop to people feeding her over the stable door.

In the longterm, get her in the habit of stepping back politely from the door when you want to go in with her.

Whatever you do, don't get cross or threatening when she does it, or she could start box guarding with real intent.

 

[*hic*]

^^^^ exactly that.

 

[ecrozier]

I would if at all possible move her somehow away from the feed room. I have a friend who's horse was never nasty over the door, she spent a winter at a yard with him by feed room, and he now lunges/bites quite nastily. They think it was from him reaching for feeds as people walked past, and the people shoo-ing him back. Two years later he is better, but still an ears back face pulling type. Really think stables near feed rooms are a bad idea for youngsters.

 

[Rowreach]

Is there a reason why she needs to be stabled, and how long is she spending in it?

 

[simoneleslie]

Put a stop to people feeding her over the stable door.

In the longterm, get her in the habit of stepping back politely from the door when you want to go in with her.

Whatever you do, don't get cross or threatening when she does it, or she could start box guarding with real intent.

she never gets fed over the stable door & never has done, she doesnt get treats or anything, i put them in her feed bucket

 

[simoneleslie]

Is there a reason why she needs to be stabled, and how long is she spending in it?

shes living out 24/7 at the moment but she comes in for an hour or so when i bring my other in to ride with others off the yard or she ends up being out on her own. x

 

[Spotsrock]

You put treats in her bucket and she doesn't pull faces at you. Does she get hand fed by others though, after all its them she's threatening.

 

[Antw23uk]

You put treats in her bucket and she doesn't pull faces at you. Does she get hand fed by others though, after all its them she's threatening.

This.

 

[Luci07]

This.

agreed. you would be amazed at how people don't think and will give random treats, the odd carrot etc and it can make a horse really nippy and expectatant. Stick a large sign up saying please do not feed any treats as horse is now biting..

 

[simoneleslie]

You put treats in her bucket and she doesn't pull faces at you. Does she get hand fed by others though, after all its them she's threatening.

she doesnt get anything off anyone, we sat & had a meeting on our yard about it not so long back & agreed that my 2 wouldnt be hand fed treats ect.. theres only 3 people on my yard & i trust they'd respect my word. xx

 

[DabDab]

The horse is two, she has probably just started nibbling as a way of getting the people who walk past her to interact. From your description op it sounds babyish rather than learnt.

As far as making it stop - I would try to 1. pay her absolutely no attention when she does it and 2. sharply move the body part that she is reaching out to nibble as she does it so that you catch her in the mouth/on the chin.

Good luck

 

[simoneleslie]

The horse is two, she has probably just started nibbling as a way of getting the people who walk past her to interact. From your description op it sounds babyish rather than learnt.

As far as making it stop - I would try to 1. pay her absolutely no attention when she does it and 2. sharply move the body part that she is reaching out to nibble as she does it so that you catch her in the mouth/on the chin.

Good luck

Thank you I will try this
xx

 

[Jools2345]

if she is only in for the odd hr here and there whilst you ride you other one can she not go in another stable for that hr, the size of the stable will not matter for that amount of time and if you do it for a month or so you will be able to see if the biting is related to being close to the feed room, if it is you will have to change stables before it becomes a life long habit

 

[simoneleslie]

if she is only in for the odd hr here and there whilst you ride you other one can she not go in another stable for that hr, the size of the stable will not matter for that amount of time and if you do it for a month or so you will be able to see if the biting is related to being close to the feed room, if it is you will have to change stables before it becomes a life long habit

the only stable i could move her to would be the next one on, on the other side on the walk way, would this help?

 

[Flora]

My youngsters stable is not next to the feed room, but still tried to bite you when you walked past his stable. Tried everything I could to stop it and it didn't work, until someone a while back mentioned on here , a squeezy lemon bottle squirted at him!! I used a syringe filled with water and only had to squirt him twice on the muzzle and he has never tried to bite again!!

 

[simoneleslie]

My youngsters stable is not next to the feed room, but still tried to bite you when you walked past his stable. Tried everything I could to stop it and it didn't work, until someone a while back mentioned on here , a squeezy lemon bottle squirted at him!! I used a syringe filled with water and only had to squirt him twice on the muzzle and he has never tried to bite again!!

I'll try this, i suppose a washing up liquid bottle would do the trick also? Or do i need somthing a little less powerful? Something needs doing as we have 2 young girls coming up now with a horse on loan, thank you for your idea. Will start that tonight.

 

[Flora]

Im not sure, but think a washing up bottle might give too big a squirt, so to speak!! A syringe or water pistol, something that has quite a fine end on it!

 

[simoneleslie]

Im not sure, but think a washing up bottle might give too big a squirt, so to speak!! A syringe or water pistol, something that has quite a fine end on it!

True, no problem will get a lemon squeezy bottle Thanks