What's your policy on titbitting?

[peanut]

My horse only gets treats from the saddle as a reward for working well. She never gets them from me from the ground except on very special occasions (again only as a reward good behaviour) and therefore never expects them or sniffs my pockets looking for them.

It really annoys me when people feed my horse treats.

 

[LaurenBay]

Ruby was a nightmare to bridle (and yes I have had teeth checked) now I cup the bit and a mint and when she opens her mouth she gets the bit and mint at the same time. She is now very easy to put a bridle on. Before she would throw her head up, not open her mouth, try to walk off, I had to put it on over her headcollar othewise she would bugger off. Now she stands nicely and waits.

 

[SplashofSoy]

Give mine treats both on the ground (not very often) and when mounted when he has done some nice work and always after a round of jumping once we have left the ring. He is not snatching or bargy over them and has impecable manners, if he didnt he wouldnt get them.

 

[Frosty89]

I don't really believe in tit-bitting personally.

At the moment my filly is turned away on the farm, and I'm pretty sure one of the girls has been giving treats out as she's now started trying to mug me for treats every time I go near her.

The only time mine get a treat is to catch them as when I've been at work all day the last thing I want to do is chase the youngsters around the field at night, and at shows when they come out the ring.

Other than that they get nothing.

 

[stencilface]

All the time!

Sometimes for just being cute and when I can't resist his cute face if I've been rummaging in the tack room, and he thinks it was for food

 

[Littlelegs]

It's perfectly fine not to titbit, & done badly, of course it can, & does cause problems. But its rather silly to assume it always does. I agree it isn't always good, but with some horses & situations its absolutely fine. My oldie has very different rules in many ways than I would generally use. Amongst which is the fact I hand feed her, both at routine times & whenever I feel like it. And I would put money on her flying above the possibility it would cause her to nip or any other unwanted behavior. I know she isn't the usual outcome of years of titbiting but proves its perfectly possible for it not always to be detrimental.

 

[Santa_Claus]

Very rarely and randomly when I do!

 

[*Spider*]

Use them a lot tbh, my horse knows which pocket they're kept on. Best time and place to use them is after exercise in conjunction to exercise.

 

[*Spider*]

Conjunction with stretches*
Watching TV at the same times makes me type stupid things ha

 

[dollymix]

I give my girl a treat or two when I go to catch her - she used to be a pain in the .... to catch, but now she always comes to call! And no - she isn't a rude, arrogant, thief who mugs me whenever I go to get her. She walks over, stands, has her treat whilst I put her headcollar on and then walks quietly with me back to the stable. She doesn't walk behind me, sniffing all over for treats as she knows that this isn't acceptable behaviour!

Some horses can be a pain with treats, but I think it's about knowing your horse and them knowing what is acceptable behaviour. I also give my girl a treat at the mounting block for standing still! I think if you have a food orientated horse, giving them the odd treat can be a very useful training method!

I wouldn't give treats to anyone else's horses unless I had asked them first though. Drives me mad when I see people doing this!

 

[Auslander]

I didn't treat when I was doing things properly, but Alf is a complete gentleman, and never nips - so I'm perfectly happy to spoil him rotten. He gets several carrots a day, when I arrive, when I leave, and a few inbetween, because he whickers at me when I talk to him, and I am a soft touch!

He regularly nicks them out of my back pocket - I never would have tolerated that previously, but now I just laugh! No discipline whatsoever!

 

[Jenna1406]

Im not big on tip bits as my last horse was a biter but I only tend to give tip bits when I do her "carrot stretches" really and if I feel she has been extra good.

 

[Briony&Anakin]

I occasionally give tit bits, not for anything specific, generally just if i have them!

I never used to give them when he was younger though as not to encourage nipping behaviour, and i never allow other people to tit bit him. I am quite specific about people on the yard not doing it when i am not there (had a real problem at my old yard with a bloke always feeding him polos when i wasnt there!!!)

 

[picolenicole]

When he comes to me in the field to have his head collar on, does not get one if I have to walk to him.

One when he stayed in, but only if the weathers been nice. Not sure why, I do that.

One for his bridle, used to have to open his mouth to put bit in now he puts his own bridle on. Only gets it after his bridle is on, sometimes I "for get" to give him one.

One for being good on a hack/ride so everytime as he doesn't know if he's been good or not by the time we are home.

Thats it, they are herb trreats with no suger and no fat.

 

[cazrider]

I do think it depends on what you use them for. My horse was a toad when I got him and wouldn't stand still at the mounting block. He does now, and waits for me to get organised then has a herbal treat and off we go. Much easier.

It paid dividends once during a fun ride, where I had to get off to sort out a stirrup, and then got back on again from a jump, while others were cantering past. He stood like a rock for me to get on, had his treat, then sprang off after the others.

I also like my horses to be caught, have their headcollar on, then get given a treat. When being turned out they also have to turn to face me and have their headcollar taken off and all wait for a treat. When my girls were younger I used to be happy that they turned out my cob, as he would always go through that little routine, however excited he was to go out.

 

[Doublethyme]

I use treats as rewards as use clicker training. Although I also just treat on occasion, my horses seem to recognise the difference.

To those who say it encourages mugging and biting, done badly yes, done correctly it can actually eradicate these issues completely. My 4 year old has been trained from 18 months with rewards and is a pleasure to have around. My 17 year old was an aggressive, dominant old baggage as a 4 year old, think nothing of biting hard if she didn't get her way. By clicker training her she is now beautifully polite around tteats,knows not to bite, mug and to turn her head slightly away to receive her treat.

Both mine are fed from the hand and never bite.

 

[Archina]

In my experience titbitting always causes nipping so mine rarely get titbits. It can be beneficial in certain circumstances though and i sometimes use it as a training tool depending on the horse or if iam away at a competition i will often have a packet of polo's on me!

 

[miss_c]

Both get a treat upon returning to the lorry at a competition. Least I can do to say 'thank you' as it were! The only other time they get a treat is when my mum visits.... Genie adores her and it's easy to see why as she is the 'mint lady'!!!

 

[PandorasJar]

Mine gets a fair amount.

She absolutely loves learning new tricks for treats (normally picked grass from in her paddock ) and I always treat when I'm leaving and she's halfway up the field... very useful to have a horse who will come back to the gate after having wandered off whenever called.

If she pushes for a treat she doesn't get one (very rare as she's not silly). If she does something I want and waits nicely I'll treat, I see no reason not to.

Tbh if I had a nippy pony/horse I'd probably do the opposite of most. I'd walk in with a handful of treat let them clearly see/smell and wait til the settled, treating immediately. They soon learn that if they stand nicely they get more out of it. I wouldn't cave and be bullied into treating though and would never treat someone elses without asking.

I've never once had a problem with any of our herds treated/fed in a field either as all know to wait when feed is around so there is no in-fighting over it.

 

[el_Snowflakes]

only really when Im getting her to do stretches. I occasionally giver the odd tit-bit. My horse doesnt bit but she started to I would stop giving her treats. No problems with tit-bitting providing your not giving treats to someone elses horse- THAT i have a very big problem with and also those who continually give treats to horses who bite. Dont get me wrong, what you do with your horse is your business but when a horse starts lunging at me when I walk past the stable door then its a problem.....

 

[Pixxie]

Ruby gets a sugarlump once she is bridled before she is ridden to encourage salivation and her to play with the bit more and then a couple more or an Apple or treat after she's worked