Stopping horse getting love bites.

PerfectCoffee

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Two of my horses are turned out together but one keeps coming in with marks on his cheek and neck where the other keeps biting him. They are not aggressive bites more rough mutial grooming and play bites. How can I prevent this happening as I want to show them both this spring. Don't want to put neck rug on as think it will get trashed. Is there anything foul tasting I could put on the coat of the bitten one that won't be harmful to him or make his coat sticky but will discourage the other one from taking mouthfuls out of him?
 

LCH611

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you could try bitter apple spray which I think it is non-toxic? We got it to teach our baby ferrets to stop nipping. Not convinced that you will stop horses from playing roughly if they both enjoy it though and continue to be turned out together!
 

LCH611

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It's a boy thing... :/ My two do the same and short of splitting them up , there isn't really a great deal you can do...
I agree! I am completely resigned to mine permanently looking motheaten as all 6 of them do it constantly. It is amazing quite how far up a 17.2 the 8hh mini can reach when he wants to! I was watching 2 of them whilst I was doing field chores for a few hours the other day. They would stand face to face with their heads pressed against each other and just lean peacefully for a while, then one of them would start to twitch a top lip and nibble and it would escalate from nose jousting and face chewing to full on boxing and tangoing round and round each other nipping at knees. But I figure that they are very contented and it is mostly fairly superficial wounds.........
 

Merlod

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Grazing muzzle - you can cut the hole bigger so he can graze without restriction but should stop him being able to get hold of your other horse
 

Annagain

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My 20 year old and his 22 year old friend have been play fighting like a pair of yearlings all winter. It's the first winter they've been together as the big herd normally splits into two so they get split up, but not this winter.

Their ideas of play fighting are very different. Mine is covered in bite marks while the other doesn't even have a scratch. He keeps going back for more though so can't be too unhappy about it! Mine is wearing a neck cover but it hasn't stopped it. He's always worn a Snuggy Hood too (he's grey and a mud monster) but after his friend trashed two this winter I've given up on it.
 
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