my horse has suddenly started biting, advice needed.

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lisa_lou

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I bought a 2 yr old very underweight wb x cob who was very lethargic, didnt have any energy and very thin. 3 months on with careful feeding, not over feeding on hard food he looks great, put on loads of weight, is alert and interested and is full of energy but in the last week he has started to try and bite alot, not really aggresively but he means it and isnt just playing. Hes very quick to try and get u but once tied up on the yard he is fine and doesnt do it, so far its just walking to and from the fields, tonight i got cross with him doing it and yanked on his headcollar and shouted at him and he plunged at me with ears flat back and kept on trying to bite so i dont think the getting cross and shouting road is the right on to go down but dont want him to think he can walk all over me. Any ideas?
 
There are a couple of things that spring to mind but I can't promise either of them are right.
Firstly, he might just be being a two-year-old who is feeling fit and well (which he obviously wasn't when you got him) and is testing the boundaries. I'll probably get shot for this but my answer to this would be to make sure my elbow connected with his nose if he tried to bite and that I was consistent in letting him know that it wasn't acceptable.
Alternatively, now that the grass has stopped growing, he might be feeling hungrier than he has in recent weeks and this behaviour is connected to that. If he's not getting any forage in the field, it might be worth putting some in so that he is not desperate to come in for food. If you are concerned about keeping weight off, stick some in half an hour before he comes in and then there should be enough to keep him occupied for another hour when you turn him out the following day.
 
^^^ and plenty of layers of clothing so he is less likely to connect with your skin. Mine was like this as a 5yr old. I agree with the meeting the elbow comment or ensure he walks with his shoulder level with you and every time he turns to bite a sharp no and flick with the end of the leadrope towards his muzzle should be sufficient.
 
I had a 4 year old like this, mostly I would push his face away as soon as he would go to do it, but he was quick! Make him meet with your elbow when he does it, or if he goes for your general hands/torso you may be able to place a dandy brush in the way to do the same job. Also be strict with him in other areas as in not letting him invade your space, not letting him rub his head on you, barge when leading (back him up) and that kind of thing. You don't really need to shout at him or anything mostly just quiet firm pushing him away and firm voice, but every now and then when this one had pretty much stopped doing it (it took about two weeks of gradual decrease in the biting for us) and knew not to, he would try it on and in that case he would get a smack on the shoulder/neck and shouted at, but yours seems like he might be a bit sensitive to that kind of thing..
 
He is being a 2 year old boyo !

In my hands he would be contacting his teeth to an upturned and very stiff dandy brush everytime he tried to bite me, and if that didn't persuade him to give over, I would be making contact with him with my naughty stick, which is a piece of blue plastic pipe. Sharp, quick and mean it. I also use a old fashioned rope halter, to enable me to make the horse yield and back up quickly if it invades my space or bullies me.

No one will agree with my methods but it has never failed me and I have had some very large 2 year old boys over the years. A previous horse was a heavyweight hunter and 17hh at 2 years of age, he got cheeky but soon realised he could not get away with it. The current one is 17 months and already 16hh, he has yet to sink his teeth in but we will go through the naughty 2's just now.

Set your rules and don't move the goal posts, don't give mixed messages either, it's no good smacking one day and fussing him the next, he will soon get topside of you. Firm and fair and he will soon grow out of being a thug.

I have just bought a young big cob who has not been taught manners on the ground, she is so rude, I am like a rag doll on the end of her lead rope, and I am no lightweight. Rude horses are dangerous horses, she is improving but it's not pleasant to have to be tough with her and teach her what should have gone in at the yearling stage.

Tin hat firmly on, and you will have many other suggestions for your biting 2 year old.
 
My 5 yr old was neglected as a 2 yr old, and has a couple of food issues and some similar bad manners. I have done lots of groundwork away from him on a long leadrope and on the lunge. I make him wait until I say he can come out or go into the stable. Feedwise I give him a large holed haynet with a section of hay in when he comes in from the field, and a bigger tricklenet to keep him going. He gets fast fibre hard feed with a bit of hifi sugar free. I've upped his hay/feed due to grumpiness in the last two weeks, and when I put the haynet in I stand in front of it and he doesn't get it til he stops snaking at me and relaxes. I used the line 'this is myyyyy haaaaaay' which made me lol on here previously, and click my fingers to make him back up. I've been consistent and have seen a dramatic reduction in aggression. He's actually a nice horse underneath! Not saying this applies to your boy, but increasing the aggression with my chap made him increase it too, and the above has worked better for us. Good luck!
 
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