Tips for handling youngster please!

ladyt25

ladyt25

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ok, so some of you may have read that last week I went and bought myself a little baby to bring on. He is 15 mths old and (when i sort out why photobucket isn;t behaving) I shall post some pics at some point!

I have had him week (today) and he is a sweetheart really. Went for his first proper walk out into the big wide world today and, although found it very interesting he was very well behaved I feel. However, as I knew when i got him he has a bit of a biting issue - as in he likes to try the odd nip! Now, i am perfectly aware this is pretty standard and probably a bit coltish behaviour (he is gelded).

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips to stop him - at the moment i am trying he "Ah Ah" approach when he goes for the nip. He did however managed to nip me in the stomach todsy as I was leading him (little bugger! lol).

So, any tips will be appreciated. I know it's only been a week and I am hoping if i persist with what i am doing he will eventually stop. I don't want to hit him really but I am thinking what is the best way to reprimand?

Thanks
 
Use a long rein, so that you can push him out of your personal space.....handle him only as much as you need to, for foot trimming, worming etc, until you are ready to break. If he gets the better of you now, he will be a nightmare in later life. Like kids, let them have fun, be a young horse, and don't try to do too much to soon. Usually if a youngster is bumptious a good experienced field companion will sort it out - pecking order......!
 
My 4yr old who I've had for a couple of months bit my back for no reason the day after he arrived. As I turned around to look at him he stuck his head up so knew he'd done wrong. I don't agree will bullying animals or hurting them but yes I did smack him on the nose gently just enough to shock him and he's never done it again. I think some times with youngsters you need to keep a firm constant hand on what is right and wrong other wise they keep pushing the boundries.
 
Yeah, I am pretty firm with him. He likes people but I think it's just his concentration span goes and he just wants to bite stuff! He will be put in with the group eventually. Hee was previosuly with 3 other horses and was the bottom of the pecking order. I can't put him with ours yet as they have a very established herd and I have a very riggy pony (the boss) who takes ages to accept any newbie, plus my horse who just goes in on full attack. I think he may well learn biting isn't acceptable once he is in with them but at the moment I don't want him to get broken!!! He was in with our old TB today who is the lowest in the pecking order but i hope he may teach him a little bit about manners!

I just think i certainly don't want to hit him near his face but i want him to know it's not acceptable. My sister's horse was nippy as a 4 yo but only if you put your hands near his face and we stopped that by just never feeding him treats by hand until he stopped it and he did just stop doing it. Hopefully this little man will stop it at some point but i want to minimise my bruises! maybe I should wear something that tastes nasty!!! lol
 
Definitely don't smack him near his head/face. My advice would be to shout very loudly when he bites or use a rattle. Rattles are actually really useful for naughty youngsters to shock them into behaving themselves, without having to resort to smacking. We used them with some naughty colts at work that used to nip/shake their heads around whilst leading and it just made them stand up and listen to us before carrying on. Always pair your actions with a voice command, so tell him to stand and walk on when you want him to. Give him a few days of consistency and he will soon get the idea :)
 
Thanks - yeah I am doing "walk on" and "stand" commands andhe's very good at those it's just it's like he get s bit bored when being lead and goes for the little nip! It's not aggressive, just a bit naughty I feel but, being that I am not a horse I can't give him a good telling off as a horse would (and mine certainly will!), I did think today about a rattle as you'd use with a dog (some gravel in a bottle sort of thing). I just wasn't sure if that'd make him more spooky though. he is quite noise sensitive though so it could work....!
 
When he nips, pinch him on his neck and I mean a pinch. All three on mine no longer bite at all. I dont do hitting at all, why there is no need at all.
Babies are so easy it is all ground work.
good luck and most of all have fun cause they are great
 
we have 4 that were all nasty biters when they came (well, one of them bit nastily from the day he was born!), we dealt with it by gently pushing their face away from us and not letting them put it back near us until they were going to be nice. It is surprising just how quickly they get the message.

The pinch on the neck is really just what they would get back from another horse I suppose and is something I may try if ever we have the need again - you could never do it as hard as a horse does it, I know, I have been on the receiving end of a bite meant for another one and it doesn't compare to when they bite us, I still have the oedema and pain 6 months down the line!
 
Thank you all. I think he is improving in the short time we've had him but I think I may try the rattle or neck pinch. He is certainly not nasty with it it's just a habit he's got into i think so with any luck he'll soon grow out of it. i think he needs to do stuff so we plan to get him out and about so hopefully having more to focus on will help him
 
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