What truly makes a 'nasty' horse?

Known hundreds of spoilt, badly trained, mistreated, unhandled horses that have been dangerous.
Only one genuinely very nasty one, a poor old palomino stallion that went to Newark horse sale about 16years ago - it was absolutely lethal. It was sold in the pen rather than go through the sales ring, and went straight to the abattoirs, which was the only appropriate buyer for it. It would have killed someone (may well have already) No idea why it was like that, I doubt even the American super horse whisperers could have reached it.
 
I have a horse who I would and many others class as dangerous he rears and boxes but means it. He not nasty he's scared and will fight back even when there really nothing to fight for just gets it in his head but it's not what he does it's when he can go months and months not putting a foot wrong then out of nowhere explodes . I would rather him be naughty everyday at least I know where I stand. He's had a bad life and will never forget it and I don't pamper to it and treat as a normal horse but do have a healthy respect for him and my safety.
 
Have only ever met one very aggressive horse and he too was hand-reared badly. Such a shame, but he had no respect for humans whatsoever and was lethal in the field, couldn't interact with other horses either, was regularly beaten up by the herd. Don't know what became of him, last I heard he had badly injured his owner, hopefully he was PTS peacefully as his life must have been hellish, poor boy.....
 
Many people have told me to PTS my little chap looks like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth but he is lethal especially to children. He has savagely attacked over the fence any small person walking beside his field He has broken my leg and he is quite deliberate about it and unpredictable with it he will be happy to have a fuss and cuddle but if you stop and walk away he will attack. Is he nasty? well sometimes yes is he dangerous? without a doubt I have the facilities to keep him happy and alive and if at any point I cannot I will have him shot he is needle phobic so that is not an option.
He has had every pain test imaginable to try and explain his issues he has been here since he was a few weeks old was weaned sensitively and gelded at an appropriate age by an equine specialist he has been handled the same as every other youngster and is the first to not be an adorable people lover that the others proved to be He is happiest ridden and being the center of attention but is still unpredictable which makes him dangerous I don't believe he has any medical issue or at least not one anyone can find fortunately he is small so I can keep him reasonably happy
So I would say some are just born bad
 
The NH stallion Balinger was a nasty piece of work, one man had to lead him out and trot him around the yard while a team went in and mucked him out. He was a decent racehorse and his stock all seemed to have good temperments. He would lunge himself at his door whenever anyone passed by, he was behind a grill. Not badly treated, ever and at a top stud. So who knows what can turn a horse into a monster.

The horse will be long dead by now, so my post will not put anyone off from sending a mare to him.
 
We bought a stunning but described as green 14.2 from a dealer and kept it a week before it was sent back by the end of the week it was being kept in a stable and had hay and feed thrown it from a distance because it would lunge at you over the gate and if you went in with it it would rear up and box at you under saddle it went up and up and up until it got you off and before it got to that it would just bronc the more you tried to straighten it up the more it did it, last I heard from the dealer it was shipped back to Ireland as it had done it with him so no idea where it ended up obviously we never had pain checks done etc as we only had her a week but as it was had the possibility of being owned by a child in the future we were no prepared to take the risk in selling it on and it really hurting someone.

A friend had a welsh D that was nasty had all pain checks done and all clear it was fine in a new home but once it was settled it was a complete bully in the field and it would just spin and take off under saddle but would weave sharply along the road to try and get the rider off with me, it decked me and I will never forget how close her foot was to my head thought it just the position I fell off in until she took a girl for no apparent reason through a wall sideways and then deliberately tried to stand on her. I have no doubt in my mind that she was a nasty bit of work but we eventually put it down to an insane amount of in breeding through Nebo black magic lines, the horse was sold with full details of what she was Capable of but looking back a bullet would have been the best thing for her.

My friends new horse is an ex racer who was at jockey school for many years is a grumpy gti sometimes but a lovely horse to ride and a complete confidence giver yet someone on the yard recognised him and said at jockey school they all hated him he kicked someone in the head and nearly killed them and they used to pull straws to see who would muck him out!
 
My pony was bad with kids when i got him, twice he tried to stamp on my son :(
God knows what had happened but he was near on 200kg overweight and angry with it. I was shocked by his behaviour but he also tried to floor me with his back legs twice :(

I broke him to drive and gave him a job, he loves to work, and my banned son was slowly introduced to him through fence, gate etc and now they are best of friends :) i dont think he is evil

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Horses can be a lot like people, good ones, misunderstood ones and very occasionally the Hannibal Lecter equivalent of the animal world.

A lot of time it is due to handling. Many can be turned right. Some cannot. Some are born of unsound mind like some people.
 
2 examples spring to mind for me, both homebreds where I used to work so had the same upbringing as the many lovely horses they've bred who are lovely to ride and easy to handle

1 horse was dangerous. He was lovely to handle or ride, however he had some form of issue with his brain (I'm not sure what it was) which made him flip himself over backwards. He wouldn't rear usually but a few times he reared and literally threw himself on the floor. I think it happened a couple of times in the field and once being ridden on the road in the space of a week and he was left with broken withers and ribs so the vet was called and he was sadly pts. I consider him dangerous as he could have killed someone, but not nasty

The other, I believer, is nasty. He strikes out with whatever leg possible, has a really hefty bite and you can't clear his field with him in there as he'll round you up and try to kick you, often doing all of this with his ears pricked. This horse has never been mistreated in his life. I think horses can be born nasty the same was as people can be born nasty. I dont consider this horse dangerous as I dont think he's trying to kill you (although Im sure he could if you cleared his field and his kicks was misjudged) but he has a nastiness about him where he seems to want to hurt you

I'm yet to meet a nasty and dangerous horse, although I'm sure they exist
 
We had one. We bought him at 4 from a lovely small yard home. Unbroken. Turned out you couldn't go in the field with him as he'd come back at you even if you were just poo picking. You had to have the headcollar on to go in his stable as otherwise again he'd get you. We did manage to break him to both ride and drive but if he didn't fancy work he'd flip himself over whilst being tacked up to get free (show pony sort, not strong enough to pull back). Perfectly happy once working but totally unmanageable on the ground. Never abused, not in any obvious pain. He was simply born nasty. Like some people, dogs and even chickens are! (I bred a hyper aggressive chick, went at you through the bars at 1 week!)
 
Like others I've known a lot of spoilt, badly trained, unhandled horses that have been dangerous/unpredictable and a lot that have been because of previous mistreatment or illness.
I've also known some very clever horses who have worked out the displaying aggressive/threatening behaviour means they can avoid things, be it being caught, ridden etc.
Most of these can be dealt with by correct consistent handling/riding and/or medical treatment.
I don't think horses are born nasty but they may have inherited temperament issues that make them more likely to become dangerous in the wrong hands.
 
I think there are some horses that can be described as 'Nasty'. The type of horse that for no good reason other than having the opportunity, decides it will give killing you a good try and doing it with intent to cause you harm.

Don't think they are necessarily born nasty but depending on their genetics/temperament combined with their handling/training, environment and how they react to/feel about their life experiences, some become, well, nasty.

Nasty horses are dangerous but not all dangerous horses are nasty.
 
tabithakat64 said:
Like others I've known a lot of spoilt, badly trained, unhandled horses that have been dangerous/unpredictable and a lot that have been because of previous mistreatment or illness.
I've also known some very clever horses who have worked out the displaying aggressive/threatening behaviour means they can avoid things, be it being caught, ridden etc.
Most of these can be dealt with by correct consistent handling/riding and/or medical treatment.
I don't think horses are born nasty but they may have inherited temperament issues that make them more likely to become dangerous in the wrong hands.
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Sorry to disagree but some are simply bad uns from the start I know my pony has had the best of treatment all his life, he has been dominant since the day he was born his mum let him push her around and he now thinks he can push anyone around when he feels like it if you try to disabuse him of the idea he attacks you He also attacks if he doesn't get what he considers his due amount of attention or if you ignore him. He is the first (of many) who behaves like this he has no respect for anyone or anything the best way to keep him sweet is to work him hard as then he si getting the attention he craves. Was he born bad who knows but his first few hours of life as a doted upon baby has coloured the rest of his days a bit more mother discipline and he may well have been the charming animal he is when he gets his own way. I should add he rarely does get his own way with those that know him so he is not spoilt in that way and is regularly pushed away by people in an attempt to get him to respect you but he will then get you once your back is turned
Recently he has been a superstar as he has been ridden and played with daily but yesterday he had another go over the fence as someone walked passed without stopping to speak and pet him
 
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some would describe my mare as nasty, she is certainly a complex girl who will use her size and body language to try and intimidate people, if she succeeds she will up the anti and become dangerous to handle.
Now i know her previous owner so have her full story, she had her from fairly young, came over from ireland and already had a rep as a nasty biatch! (horse not owner lol) food possessive, territorial in the stable and would bite and kick. Now P took her on anyway and worked long and hard to reduce those behaviours, they are still there under the surface though and with a new handler she'll test what she can get away with. There is the presumption that she was treated harshly when being backed,but instead of cowering in a corner, she chose to fight back. She learnt that with some people her 'nastiness' will make them back off and leave her in peace, it is a learnt behaviour certainly, but something in her made her go that route instead of the cowering route.
So although there may be few truly 'born bad' horses, there are certainly those who will choose the 'fight' route rather than submission.
 
I should add here that I didn't breed my boy I was given him when his mother was bought by a friend so she could take the mare home no one wanted a colt so he came to live with me at weaning, he was a git from day one attacking people from the day after he was born
 
I guess it depends on your definition of nasty. My first foray onto HHO was to ask for help after getting a 17.3 built like a brick outhouse gelding on loan. He was an absolute dream to ride (once I managed to get my 5'2" on him!), but on the ground he used his size to his advantage. He had been babied by his owner, who could just about handle him, if he allowed, but with anyone else he was a nightmare. He was a thug, barging out of the stable as soon as the bolt was pulled back, knocking me to the floor and causing me to bang my head hard on the concrete. He was difficult to catch, lead, basically to do anything with. His owner initially refused to take him back, so I assume she struggled too! I don't think his problem was that he was nasty as such, but just that he had previously pushed the boundaries, and found that he could get out of doing what he didn't want to do if he behaved in a certain way.

With a more experienced person who was firm but fair with him, I'm sure he would have been a different horse.
 
I've met one, a National Hunt gelding, who would kick, bite and crush people against a wall in his box if he thought they were off guard. He always looked unhappy and I felt so sorry for him if I had to do him - while keeping a sharp eye on my exit route at all times, as instructed.
He couldn't be shown a whip, and jockeys were instructed never to use one, as he would stop and roll on them.
Not a horse to be trusted. I have no idea why he was kept in training.
 
I have never heard of or met a horse that was actually born genuinely nasty or dangerous - as in, didn't have some reason for its behaviour. It might be being spoiled as a foal, or living without equine contact other than its mother, etc, etc. Or poor handling or mistreatment or pain, but there is always a reason somewhere along the line.

The only really nasty horse I ever knew was at a rescue centre I volunteered at a long time ago. He would physically attack anyone and everyone, lunging and using his head and neck to knock you against a wall. I have no idea why they didn't pts and it was downright irresponsible; in the afternoon the place was open to the public. He had a sign on the wall but I don't think that was enough. Presumably he'd been abused in the past, so he had a reason, but he was dangerous.
 
It's interesting speaking to people who work at the big flat TB studs about the different foals they get- I think most of those would agree that a small % are simple born nasty, and they're all treated professionally, the same, and very closely related.
 
What makes me sad reading this is hearing about all the nasty stallions. Surely it's a bad idea to breed from horrible horses? The stallion I knew wasa doll despite being an Arab, anyone could handle him. I used to hack him out aged 13!

I've never had the misfortune to know a truly nasty horse. One dangerous one, a lovely little dun mare. She was a sensible type until she foaled. Then a screw came loose and you could feel that she didn't care whether she lived or died. I couldn't stop her in a pelham, she turned a corner too sharply and fell on me. The only one I ever refused to get back on.
 
People - amen.

Only 'nasty' ones which were seemed to be born it far as as could tell, had neuro problems or tumours.
 
I consider that quite insulting I love my boy but he will never leave me He has been handled with care and kindness every day of his life he is genuinely a fit and healthy boy his mum and dad had superb temperaments and if anything adored him too much. He has never been hit or punished he has been firmly kept in his place but never abused He is still nasty and dangerous deliberately attacking people if they fail to give what he considers to be the right amount of attention. So no it isn't always people and it can be just the way they were made
 
What I find interesting is the number of people who have had horses they consider dangerous but have then sold them on.

Whenever I've ended up with a dangerous horse and I remember three more from my first post - I've put them to sleep. I could not bear the thought of someone in the future being injured or killed because I allowed a dangerous horse to go to a new home.

I don't make the decision lightly, horse/pony is given plenty of quality time and handling to change its behaviour and if I can't handle it then the majority of riders won't.
 
Good for you which is why mine wont leave me alive he will be PTS if at any time I cannot provide him with a safe environment both for himself and any passers by
 
Some very interesting and upsetting stories on this thread.

rara007 said:
It's interesting speaking to people who work at the big flat TB studs about the different foals they get- I think most of those would agree that a small % are simple born nasty, and they're all treated professionally, the same, and very closely related.
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I don't think any horses are born 'nasty.' I think they are born with mental problems we don't understand yet caused by some unlucky neurological or biological quirk. I think the way 'nastiness' is expressed by some inbred TB lines pretty much proves it.

FWIW I agree with other posters that calling horses 'nasty' is anthropomorphising them. Horses don't have sufficient awareness or understanding of cause and effect to actually be malicious. 'Nasty' is just a handy word we understand to stick on behaviour that we don't. Hard not to do it sometimes though.
 
undergroundoli said:
FWIW I agree with other posters that calling horses 'nasty' is anthropomorphising them. Horses don't have sufficient awareness or understanding of cause and effect to actually be malicious. 'Nasty' is just a handy word we understand to stick on behaviour that we don't. Hard not to do it sometimes though.
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The word doesn't have to have emotional overtones. 'That's a nasty bruise you've got there' - something most riders will have heard :) I think it describes the behaviour of the horse ok, but not the intent.
 
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