Moody Arab

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1horseygirl123

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Im currently having a bit of trouble with my part bred arab gelding. When I first bought him about a year ago he wasn't that bad had a biting issue but that was resolved. As he's an arab he's quite spirited and has lots of character- which is something I love about him. He's currently 7, he's beautiful-and knows it! It's just recently he's become particularly bad in the stable. It started with him trying to bite the workers at the yard and has escalated. I was informed that he has bitten 2 workers, but he was perfectly fine with me until the last few weeks where whenever a person/horse goes near him his ears are right back and if you go into his stable he will either be fine until you start grooming or taking his rug off. I've spoken to the stable owner and they told me if he tries to bite just smack him, however it's something I don't like to do and just seems to make him worse. As when a worker smacked him for lowering his head to bite them he tried to kick out. He's also started pounding the ground as he's quite impatient. But I will take him into the arena and he will happily trot after me and play with me. I need advice before it get's out of hand. I am also an experienced horse handler and rider and I have dealt with grumpy horses before just not an arab. Any advice would be great! As I don't want him biting or kicking people.
Thanks
 
Check its not a pain response (ulcers, back pain etc) as it is a change in character. Also check if coincides with any change in routine, has he been having more/different feed, is he turned out as much, stabled more, does he have company.
 
I wouldn't be taking him into the arena to 'play' with you, he is a horse and you are a human. When horses play together they can nip, kick out and charge around.. not something I would want to be on the receiving end of! Maybe you are unaware that you are encouraging this behaviour? You are letting him treat you like a horse. And you 'let him trot after' you - that's you essentially letting him chase you around... why would you encourage that?
 
Loads of people let their horses play with them, and if the op is happy to do so then why not, as long as she is careful?

Op, sounds like he is stressed, is he in his stable a lot more than he was previously? I agree re ulcers and so on, I've seen horses get like this when they are uncomfortable.

Failing that, I would call out a qualified equine behaviourist (not an ra, they aren't behaviourists) who can help you analyse where the behaviour originated from and how you can adjust things for him to make him more comfortable. E.g. An ra will tell you how to use their methods to teach him you're boss - arguably this is important, but a qualified behaviourist should help to work out why the problem has started (e.g. Is it due to him being stressed in his stable or whatever) and how to solve the cause of the problem rather than the symptom.
 
Morgan123 said:
Loads of people let their horses play with them, and if the op is happy to do so then why not, as long as she is careful?

Op, sounds like he is stressed, is he in his stable a lot more than he was previously? I agree re ulcers and so on, I've seen horses get like this when they are uncomfortable.

Failing that, I would call out a qualified equine behaviourist (not an ra, they aren't behaviourists) who can help you analyse where the behaviour originated from and how you can adjust things for him to make him more comfortable. E.g. An ra will tell you how to use their methods to teach him you're boss - arguably this is important, but a qualified behaviourist should help to work out why the problem has started (e.g. Is it due to him being stressed in his stable or whatever) and how to solve the cause of the problem rather than the symptom.
Click to expand...

I can guarantee a behaviourist will advise that OP stops letting the horse chase her around...

In all kindness OP, go a few months without this 'playing' you let your horse do, and have a stiff dandy brush bristle side up ready for your horse to jab her mouth against when she tries to bite and watch the difference it will no doubt make.

Arabs are all about respect. Respect them, treat them as an individual, lay down boundaries and not only will they will respect you back but you will have a wonderful companionship. This is why so many people think Arabs are hot headed and difficult, it's not true, some people just don't understand that they need to be treated a lot different to other breeds and so label them.
 
I have Arabians....they are very intelligent and imo the humans around the horse are the problem! The workers need to understand how to ask him to do what they want him to do.....I would bet money (and I am not a gambler!) that they are not asking politely but are being aggressive as they are probably scared of him....so imo the trick is to educate the human rather than the horse! Perhaps this isn't the right yard for you both? Or perhaps you need to do everything yourself....Do some groundwork, nh style....'backing stops biting'....learn to ask him to move fh and hq at a slight suggestion....you need to establish communication that all of you understand- horse, owner and workers...
 
As a long time owner of Arabians, I have found that they are quite often smarter than a lot of the people trying to deal with them. What else do you do apart from "play" with him? Does he get paddock time daily? Do you ride him or hack him out daily? To me he just sounds bored and fed up and is quite happily making his own fun. Which is definitely an Arabian trait.
 
He's not happy about something is he? You say he had a habit of biting when you first got him but resolved it, how did you do it? Also, if he's bitten the yard workers (grooms?) and the YO is advising you to smack him, maybe he's been smacked a bit too often. And it obviously isn't working if he's now turning on you. Horses don't usually get grumpy and start biting people for no reason, I think you need to get him checked over by your vet to rule out any physical issues and then maybe look into changing his routine and diet.
 
How much turnout is he getting? Has the grumpiness increased since you went onto the winter 'regime' at the yard (which possibly involves less turnout/more feed)?

The horse is trying to tell you something. That something may be that he is unhappy, frustrated, bored, in pain, or just that he has decided (rightly or wrongly) that some/all of the humans in his life are muppets.

ps Why is the arab bit of his make-up getting the 'blame' for his grumpy behaviour? Most horses are part bred arabs in some shape or form.
 
My first thought would be regarding how he's handled in his stable. This smacks of him getting a bit fear-aggressive to me. You're being told he needs a smack. All it takes is too many "smacks" for a horse to get like this. People often smack when they've misinterpreted actions that have no malice to them (like a horse looking for a scratch being thought to be about to bite). There could be a physical cause, but think in terms of people being too "loud" with a horse when it's being dealt with in the stable and it would explain reactions to rugging, all of it. One of the downsides of having other people look after your horse is that you can't see how they are handled, but it's difficult.
Then there's the issue of turnout, how much is he used to, how much is he getting? Does he stress at feed time? Or watching other horses go out?
Maybe he needs a change to a quiet yard and someone you know will be a sympathetic handler. A lot to think about.
 
Hi,

I am another who would check for ulcers, and also check your feeding, turnout and work.

If your yard's workers are not now confident with your horse then it can be a downward spiral as they will likely be growling and showing jumpy body language to your horse even before she has done anything wrong. If you rely on others this is not an ideal situation.

At the risk of being slated I would buy a grazing mask, and have this on to "do" rugs/ grooming etc. I KNOW it is not ideal, you still need to find and address the cause, but meanwhile your horse can be treated nicely and normally by these workers.

A horse bite can be a serious thing, and no one wants their horse to injure someone. A mask can just take away the danger, and allow the horse to have calm workers around. If you do not trust the workers to be nice and reasonable with your horse when she has a mask on then I would leave. It is one thing being nervous of a horse who is exhibiting new and frightening behaviours until you have sorted the problem, a whole other can of worms if they are not treating your horse with kindness.

I think the playing in the school can be good or bad depending on how it is done. If you allow the horse to push you then it is not good, but if you are "playing" at directing your horse ever more subtlety then that can be excellent.

Good luck, and I hope you find the cause.
 
I went through this with my anglo, smacking also made hime worse. I found that by stopping everybody hand feeding him treats, positivley reinforcing good behaviour and ignoring bad behaviour worked workers. Still now if someone gives him one hand fed treat he starts the biting all over again.
Maybe check non of the workers had gave him a treat?
 
Oh Oh Oh, while prepping for Xmas lunch had another thought or two.....

I was working with a horse who started with this He was clipped and fitted with an all singing and dancing Silver interactive posh rug, at great expense. It was beautifully tailored and fitted to the horse UNTIL...... last year it was sent to the cleaner's before being packed away and had shrunk!

Ever worn a T shirt that is too tight around the arm holes? Yikes!

The rug was changed and after a few days for the bruising to go the horse was fine again.

It is surprising what an ill fitting rug can do.

The second is from a friend's experience. All the horses in the yard were becoming "different", some aggressive, some nervous. There was a new staff member, but she was lovely, so we could not understand it.

I have a little hat cam, cost only £30 off Amazon, it is small and unobtrusive. You can set it recording and it will record wide angle for an hour and a half, then turn itself off. You can retrieve it hours later, and have a look see at what is actually going on with your horse when you are not there.

What we found was not what we wanted, but did explain the difference in the horses.
 
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