Was I in the wrong?

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baileyxboo

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So sparky keeps turning away from me. I will groom him and he turns and puts his bum to me. I HATE it, so I smacked his but and pushed him to face me! I felt guilty and questioned if I did the right thing? Was I wrong? What does it mean when he turns like that? Plus grinding his teeth and yawning? :rolleyes: thanks xx
 
Not really smacking him, a tap to move him, he was nearly squashing me against the wall. He's done it quiet a few times tbh
 
If he's turning his bum on you in an agressive way then yes you did the right thing, he's not allowed to do that!
If he was enjoying a groom and asking for a scratch that's a different and more complicated matter but although I know some people on here have horses who will make it really obvious what bit they want scratched I don't think it's a hugely common thing.

As far as the teeth grinding goes, the only horse I know who does this does it when another horse invades her space and it's like the ticking of a bomb just before it goes off :cool:

So IMO I'd say you did the right thing in telling him off with a smack and turning him back to where he was.
 
sandi_84 said:
If he's turning his bum on you in an agressive way then yes you did the right thing, he's not allowed to do that!
If he was enjoying a groom and asking for a scratch that's a different and more complicated matter but although I know some people on here have horses who will make it really obvious what bit they want scratched I don't think it's a hugely common thing.

As far as the teeth grinding goes, the only horse I know who does this does it when another horse invades her space and it's like the ticking of a bomb just before it goes off :cool:

So IMO I'd say you did the right thing in telling him off with a smack and turning him back to where he was.
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Thanks! He kept trying to turn away from me, so I kept bringing him back to where he was, but that time he kept turning, and pushing me against wall lol
 
Depends on the circumstances really, if he was leaning in to you for a scratch then a firm push would have been better, if he turned his bum on you with his ears back then yes, a smack. However, you've done it now so don't worry about it, he sounds like he can be a bit of a ****** anyway so I'm sure he's not too traumatised x
 
What were his ears doing when he turned his bum to you? Look for clues in the rest of his body language to see if it was a warning or request for a scratch. But you were right to tell him off for nearly squashing you. Yawns are catching even between species, so who yawned first? :p Not sure about teeth grinding - maybe check to see if he has a problem beginning, uneven wear, wolf tooth, etc. Maybe he's just "testing the boundaries" ponies are notoriously good at looking after young riders/handlers and being "cheeky" with adults!:rolleyes: Time to remind him who's boss! ...in a firm but fair way:D
 
amymay said:
A poke in the side usually suffices.
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slumdog said:
Depends on the circumstances really, if he was leaning in to you for a scratch then a firm push would have been better, if he turned his bum on you with his ears back then yes, a smack. However, you've done it now so don't worry about it, he sounds like he can be a bit of a ****** anyway so I'm sure he's not too traumatised x
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Yes these ^

Sounds like he needs to learn to respect your personal space more in general regardless though so as long as it's not an aggressive bum then give him a push with fingertips in his ribs and tell him to move over. Tie up a haynet to keep him occupied if he's getting bored with standing around.
My horse loves a good groom and will fall asleep with or without a haynet, others need something to pass the time while the human gets their grooming therapy out of the way ;)
 
You are a human, so even if you are a large human I doubt you weigh more than 15 stone. He is a horse and weighs about 500kgs (sorry, can't make them the same) I doubt your slap will lose him any sleep, and whether he was being aggressive or wanted him bum done he must not be allowed to push you around. You did the right thing.
It will be worth teaching him 'over' though with a poke of your finger, then he can eventually move on to you just saying it.
 
Mine will always move towards me in the stable if I am in there, two of them seem to enjoy leaning into me, even if I am against the wall. I just put a hand on their flank and say back and they move. There is no aggression in it, they are just leaners. He is likely inviting you to scratch him a bit more and whilst he does need to appreciate your own space, a bit of pressure and a voice should be enough.
 
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