My horse bit someone.. whay would you do?

[fidgeuk]

Hi everyone,

Got told this morning that my horse bit one of the other liveries husband last Friday

Aparently he went to give him a cuddle! He has done this previously!! he approached with arms outstretched and was bitten on his inner arm between elbow and armpit. I've been told he has a large bruise and that he gave my horse a good old wallop across the head!

I didn't apologise and was a bit offhand saying i didn't think he should be cuddling other peoples horses when the owners aren't around and that he should leave the horses alone, especially when they're done and dusted for the night and that it was basically his fault he was bitten!

Everyone is aware that my horse is grumpy when it comes to his dinner/breakfast he pulls some right faces but i can wander in and out of his stable with no bother when hes eating, nobody else does though! Most of the other liveries steer clear of him when hes eating, which works just fine. Just recently hes become quite possessive of his steamed hay and i think this is why hes bitten that bloke, especially if he came at him with open arms!

I'm annoyed that this situation has arisen. I would never mess around with someone elses horse/animal unless i had permission to do so or maybe i needed to because of an emergency. I'm annoyed because on saturday morning my horse tried to bite me!!! This has never happened before and i'm quite shocked at him. He didn't connect with me, i just shouted at him and he shot to the back of the box looking suitably chastised.

Since then hes been fine

Am i right to feel abit miffed and annoyed or should i be putting a "don't feed the rabid horse" sign on his door and purchasing a muzzle?

 

[Goldenstar]

I would speak to the YO and ask to put up a sign.

 

[Gingerwitch]

Sorry the only person in the wrong here is the stupid bloke.

And i would be mighty fed up that he walloped my horse when he should not have been messing with him.

I would put a note on my door - saying - please leave my horse alone - you knobber !

sorry joking - i would put a polite message on saying please LEAVE MY HORSE ALONE, UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION TO HANDLE HIM

thank you

 

[Gingerwitch]

He is probably one of these folks that come round giving everyones horses treats - it drives me mad !

 

[BlackRider]

At my last yard, which was full of children wanting to pet horses, I put a sign on Apache's door:-

"Warning I bite!
Do Not Approach
Do Not Feed"

Decided if anyone got bitten after that, it was their own stupid fault..

 

[amandal]

It always amazes me that people feel they can walk upto any horse and touch, stroke,pat without checking that its ok first :-\ I would be very annoyed and would raise it with YM

 

[WestCoast]

Personally I would be working on getting him less possessive with his food. Bree can be nippy and so no one gives her a treat over her door, and she has also been taught to stand and wait calmly in her stable even if her food is in there and to be willing to have a headcollar put on and be taken away from it. As you can imagine this was a bit of a battle of wills, but really worth it in the end.

The problem is that a biting horse can do serious damage.

 

[Twinkle Twinkle]

When l first got my girl she was a right grumpy cow and would have had anyone that got close and l put a sign up warning people so if they went near her it was there own fault.

 

[Batgirl]

Ridiculous situation, he should have been no where near your horse. If you are handling a horse on someones behalf (and with permission) and they bite you then I am all for a good growl or instant smack. However this guy was in the wrong and should be made to know that.

Echo Gingerwitch, probably a secret treater. And goes 'awww he likes me' and then gets bitten as he has no clue!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I agree with GW, whole-heartedly.

What a stupid man!

 

[fidgeuk]

he's kind of nice but dim and does tend to be all over the horses, fussing and cuddling them! My chaps not into cuddles and hes very opinionated but i've not ever known him to actually bite a person before.

I'm inclined to put a sign up and leave it at that. I'm not sure he will want to fuss over my horse again! and i sincerely hope he doesn't now have a vendetta against him!

i also hope Jack doesn't make ahabit of it!

Urgh.... annoying

 

[Jesstickle]

Whilst I have always gone to stroke all the horses on the yards I've been in over the door if I'm passing if I'd have been bitten I would totally accept this was my own fault! Plus I've always been on friendly yards so know other peoples horses enough to know I'm allowed to scratch their noses and also which ones are likely to try and have lumps out of me!

Was he in your stable or just saying hi over the door? I can't quite work it out

Either way, not your fault and not the horses fault either. I'd do nothing but if you feel guilty enough you could put up a sign saying 'careful I bite' or something

 

[Rollin]

A very experienced horse owner came to stay in France. One of my CB mares foaled the day she arrived.

Friend marched up to the stable and started blow down mares nose and kiss her. I was horrified, the mare bit her on the face. I was shocked that someone so experienced would behave like that to a mare who had a foal just 12 hours old - but of course very upset for my friend.

People sometimes don't think or see the warning signals.

 

[Renvers]

totally agree with you - idiot bloke

Ets - I would be mad that he walloped your horse around the head for it.

 

[tallyho!]

ROFL!

That'll teach him!!!

 

[TrasaM]

My OH is guilty of doing this too. I keep warning him that they can bite! He'll learn!! Not really your horse's fault and I'm guessing the man will think twice before doing it again

 

[fidgeuk]

Personally I would be working on getting him less possessive with his food. Bree can be nippy and so no one gives her a treat over her door, and she has also been taught to stand and wait calmly in her stable even if her food is in there and to be willing to have a headcollar put on and be taken away from it. As you can imagine this was a bit of a battle of wills, but really worth it in the end.

The problem is that a biting horse can do serious damage.

I have been trying to get him to be less possessive but he just can't help it, i can now enter his stable and change rugs etc and although he still pulls faces hes ok for me to be around. Trouble is he has always been like it, right from when he was a youngster (hes homebred) his Mum was abit mean with her food too so i feel it is a habit he picked up from her. I have generally found hes best left alone and allowed to eat his food in peace.

i think a sign on the door isdefinately the way forward - i wouldn't like him to grab one of the other liveries kids or the YO's kids for that matter.

 

[fidgeuk]

Was he in your stable or just saying hi over the door? I can't quite work it out

Either way, not your fault and not the horses fault either. I'd do nothing but if you feel guilty enough you could put up a sign saying 'careful I bite' or something

I'm pretty sure he was just leaning over the door, although i'm not too sure, it sounded as though he just went to grab him around the neck to cuddle him and my horse obviously thought otherwise!

 

[TrasaM]

I have been trying to get him to be less possessive but he just can't help it, i can now enter his stable and change rugs etc and although he still pulls faces hes ok for me to be around. Trouble is he has always been like it, right from when he was a youngster (hes homebred) his Mum was abit mean with her food too so i feel it is a habit he picked up from her. I have generally found hes best left alone and allowed to eat his food in peace.

i think a sign on the door isdefinately the way forward - i wouldn't like him to grab one of the other liveries kids or the YO's kids for that matter.

The old boy I ride does the same and his owner said his mother did too. He starts waving his front leg about and pawing if he has food or wants a treat. I gave him some carrots tonight after our ride and it was like feeding a shark

 

[Jesstickle]

I'm pretty sure he was just leaning over the door, although i'm not too sure, it sounded as though he just went to grab him around the neck to cuddle him and my horse obviously thought otherwise!

O well. If he leaned right in and invaded your poor boy's space then he deserved it. Scratching them on the nose when they've got their head out is one thing, enveloping them and getting in their space is just daft. I really wouldn't worry. Sounds like a bit of a wally to me.

 

[Gingerwitch]

Look - he did his part of the bargin - ears back and probably pulled a few faces - its his living room - the idiot bloke took no notice - his fault.

I never mess with horses eating their tea - i wont even answer the door if someone rings the bell - if i am eating - so if someone wanted to brush my hair or put a coat on me they would get short shrift off me.

That man is a 1st class knobber !

 

[fidgeuk]

Look - he did his part of the bargin - ears back and probably pulled a few faces - its his living room - the idiot bloke took no notice - his fault.

I never mess with horses eating their tea - i wont even answer the door if someone rings the bell - if i am eating - so if someone wanted to brush my hair or put a coat on me they would get short shrift off me.

That man is a 1st class knobber !

I love this, especially the last sentence, and i agree wholeheartedly

Gingerwitch you have made me laugh out loud tonight!

 

[putasocinit]

If your horse has become over aggressive over his feed maybe this idiot is teasing him with treats etc, I would approach the chap and threaten him to an inch of his life if he goes near your horse again, let alone wallop him, just who the hell does he think he is and ask him that too. Knobber.

 

[indie999]

Look - he did his part of the bargin - ears back and probably pulled a few faces - its his living room - the idiot bloke took no notice - his fault.

I never mess with horses eating their tea - i wont even answer the door if someone rings the bell - if i am eating - so if someone wanted to brush my hair or put a coat on me they would get short shrift off me.

That man is a 1st class knobber !

Excellent. Agree. I would never approach someone elses horse like that. Idiot. Perhaps the yard owner should ban all other visitors except owner. Twit.

 

[Tinypony]

I'd also try to avoid a situation where you feel forced to shout at your horse so that he jumps back in his stable. I can understand completely why you did it, but be careful because it's a situation that can escalate when a horse starts to feel unsafe in their stable. It sounds to be as if he went to bit you because he could be feeling a bit fear-aggressive.
Oh, and the bloke got what he deserved. You need to somehow be sure he will leave your horse alone in future. He isn't the sort to try to teach your horse to behave when you're not there is he?

 

[FreddiesGal]

It's not the horses fault, but IMO you should have a sign on the door. If you don't like people giving your horse a stroke fair enough, each to their own - but not everyone is going to have a sixth sense and predict that they're going to be bitten.

 

[el_Snowflakes]

I would tell him that if he ever interfered with my horse without permission I would bite him myself! the fact that he hit your horse is absolutely out of order & I hope u set him straight. Im actually raging reading this......

It would be a diffrent story of he had been casually walking past and been 'attacked' by your horse but in this case he should be apologising to you.

this is what I hate about livery yards....not being able to monitor what kind of idiots are in about your horses. I almost blue a fuse one day when I came up in the am to find a stranger feeding my horse a bag of treats over her stable door...lets just say she soon got the message.

 

[Gingerwitch]

Freddie Gal - well they should not be messing with someone elses horse then, and especially not give the horse a wack.

 

[FreddiesGal]

Freddie Gal - well they should not be messing with someone elses horse then, and especially not give the horse a wack.

I would hardly call giving a horse a stroke "messing" with it. It's not as if a small child was jumping all over the horse and being rough. The man simply walked towards the horse and was bitten. What if it had been a child and the horse had got it in the face? You might be able to live with knowing your horse has scarred someone for life (for no good reason) but I certainly wouldn't.

 

[Grinchmass]

Personally I'd give him a ear bashing for giving him a wallop around the head. I'm not surprised that your boy tried to bit you after being wacked round the head, it would make any horse more tense.

And the twit got what he deserved:
1. It's not his horse - he shouldn't be cuddling strangers horses, if he wants cuddles he can cuddle his partners horse - why yours?
2. As stated interrupting when eating is just silly! Most people don't appreciate being pestered at meal times, so a horse wouldn't be keen either.

I'd also be talking to yo about this, if he chooses to cuddle strange horses, and cuddle not just stroke then if he's injured more fool him and hopefully it should be a lesson learnt. It's not your boys fault just this mans own stupidity. At the end of a day a child would be shouted at for being to affectionate with strange horses, it's a shame adults these days don't practice what they preech!