My horse is nasty

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lynsey1808

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As the title really, he's very grumpy when you first approach him but then he's ok. He'll go to bite you although he never gets me as I just ignore him!
He's worse in his stable than tied outside and bizarrely when tacked up and ridden he is completely fine.
Interestingly he is fine with other people but only when I'm not around, if I'm there he is truly evil and lunges at them teeth bared!
My problem is that now he has started to turn his arse on me when I walk into the stable, and has threatened to kick twice.
I've had him nearly a year and he has never done this before
and would like some advice as to what to do, apart from move bloody quickly!
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My horse is the same - almost to the letter. Though he doesn't turn his back end to me.

If you have gone this long with him i suggest you are doing something right, so just keep up the calm, assertive behaviour and ask him to move out of your space, either with your hand, or a crop.

Some groundwork may help also to remind him of his manners.
 
Has he been stabled more often over the winter? Don't back off too much or he'll learn that it works. Put a headcollar on before you go in so you have more control.
 
My horse pulls faces, ears back and sometimes threatens to nip when in his stable but is fine tied up, in or out of the stable, he isnt like this with my friend.
I think its a dominance thing as Im a total softy and know Im doing wrong by being like this. Having had affectionate mares all my life, getting a young grumpy gelding was a bit of a shock for me. He doesnt scare me as I think if he knew I was it would be a downward spiral. Ive heard of people too scared to go in the stable which must be awful.
My advice is to tie up in the stable to groom, pick feet, tack up etc if you dont already.
 
Thanks for your replys. The weird thing is he's very obedient to commands- like over, back, up etc. He responds just by my voice.
He's not stabled anymore through the winter, he always comes in at night and yes I am having to tie him up in the stable at the moment!
I just hate to think that he's miserable for some reason that I should know about!
 
I sometimes feel the same way, like why is he like this with me, I love him!
An old horseman said to me they need to be led, not be the leader and thats where I think Ive gone wrong. My horse thinks hes boss and apparantly they arent happy being boss or so old horseman told me.
My friend ties all of her horses up to groom etc and they arent mangy at all. She reckons they need some discipline.
 
I have a youngster whose nickname is the pirahna as he has bitten almost everyone on the yard apart from me.He is a very good aim too. He has swung his bottom at people in the stable and aside from me and the YO very few people will go in with him.The trick is to get them to always face you when you go in to them and also to back up as you come through the door.If they greet you with ears back and teeth barred then you need to use your body language to make them back off.However you need to be quick to reward them when they get it right to. I don't feed treats from the hand because my horse bites so I reward with a good scratch in his favourite spot when ever he does as I ask.When handling him I tie him up outside on the yard and make sure he is tied up short enough so as he can not reach me and also find he is far more amenable when he has a haynet.
 
I had a brilliant pony when I was a kid that was just the same. He would scowl, bear his teeth, bite and turn his back end (although he would only threaten to kick and never actually did). He was an awesome dude, a JA jumping pony and open pony club eventer. He loved his job and knew he was something special but was just a grump!!
 
I had one like this, 100% once tacked up, still is (poss now 5 years on?) he never tried to kick though, and had he I would have been in there with a long stick telling him exactly why he never did!
 
I know what you're saying and I have gone in with a stick before.
The problem I have with that is he freaks if you raise your voice or smack him. Now don't get me wrong I'm not afraid to be firm with him at all, but his behaviour is very defensive and I don't know his history.
I think I'm trying to say that if he has been mistreated in the past ( and this wouldn't surprise me ) I don't want to make it worse.
 
Agree with Louby on this one. Made a lot of mistakes when I got my current horse as a four year old off the track 6 years ago. He was very underweight with a dull coat & quiet when I got him. Being a numpty, I treated him very gently & was very soft with him until he put on weight. He then turned into a monster & it didn't help that he has was immediately turned out with my mum's horse (who likes to be dominated & wouldn't say boo to a goose). Passive field mate + passive owner = horse who thinks he rules the world. He is not bad now, but still retains this streak of his personality. If I had my time again, I would have installed much more discipline from the start & would have been consistently firm & in charge of him from day one. Interestingly enough, he responds very well to my blacksmith who has a very no nonsense & matter of fact way about him. I don't think my horse likes being fussed over - much prefers you to be straighforward & direct with him........if that makes sense!!!!!!!!!! Good Luck.
 
my horse grumpy as he is,actually enjoys being fussed over but is very defensive because he has been ill treated in the past.He tends to get in there first with the aggression. However with him if you go at him with aggression in the form of going to hit him he comes back at you and really means it. When I first got him he managed to kick me on the second day I had him.I took him into the round pen and did some join up with him and since then he has been a different horse around me.He does still go to bite when you touch him in a spot he is wary of but then I don't blame him.He was wire twitched as a youngster and almost had his tongue severed and on top of that he has muscle damage over his quarters which judging by the way he is so wary of you if he doesn't trust you was probably the result of something else some human had done to him. Aggression isn't always the answer with horses.
 
Just to clarify - when I say I should have installed discipline & been firmer, & more direct, I do not mean aggressively. Agressive tactics would not work with him either - he will either retaliate or ignore you if you take this approach. What I have had to do is ensure he moves out of my space when asked, is well mannered when leading, and various other things to make him understand that he is not in charge of the situation.
 
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Just to clarify - when I say I should have installed discipline & been firmer, & more direct, I do not mean aggressively. Agressive tactics would not work with him either - he will either retaliate or ignore you if you take this approach. What I have had to do is ensure he moves out of my space when asked, is well mannered when leading, and various other things to make him understand that he is not in charge of the situation.

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sounds just like my horse.I find using my body language the most effective way as he tends to listen more to that especially if he knows he gets a good scratch in his favourite spot if he gives the right response.
 
Hi, I also want to say like Natalie H, when I said discipline I didnt mean aggression. If I was aggressive with my horse, he would probably cower in the corner.
My mistake is I treat him like a baby. He isnt ill mannered just basically a brat
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My horse too is a grump in his stable--I totally ignore him and just get on with jobs.
Ears back, tail swishing, snapping teeth, the odd stamp of the hind foot--he does turn his back end--to have his tail massaged which would totally freak anyone who didnt know him. Occasionally I get really annoyed and shout and stamp my foot and he disappears to the back of the stable like I have just beaten him up. He definitely had issues when first purchased, couldnt touch his ears so putting bridle on very difficult, at the start cheek pieces had to be undone, his tail was clamped down at first as well and he was ready to kick--not now.
He is brilliant tacked up at shows etc He walks with you on the halter with no pulling unless the wind is really bad and is fine tied up outside
Other days he can be a complete softy putting his head down low to have his poll and ears rubbed
 
Sounds very like mine. He is very Jekyll & Hyde. To be fair he is much improved these days. He has lovely manners leading. He is good on the roads, great with farrier & vet, but is just, as per Louby's post, a spoilt brat at times when he doesn't get his own way - and that is completely my fault!
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So he doesn't do it to other people? And are you his only rider? I might be wrong but is it possible that he's in some sort of pain when he's ridden? He could be associating you with being uncomfortable or in pain perhaps....just a thought anyway.
 
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My mistake is I treat him like a baby. He isnt ill mannered just basically a brat
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I am terrible for this. Being the owner and pamper person rather than the rider (which is my sons job) I find it very difficult to be harsh towards him. He loves being cuddled, talked to and scratched in his favourite spot behind his ear.

When i walk away he stamps his foot and kicks the door - my son gets really cross with me as he's says i'm teaching him bad manners. My son is much firmer with him and personnally I dont always like it and tell him so. I am aware however that discipline needs to be in place. If he went to bite, kick etc then i would be the first to tell him off.

He is very lame at the moment so being extra pampered. They all say to me that he's a wimp and that i'm spoiling him with all the attention. I cant help it - I love it.
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