What's your policy on titbitting?

L lots and often but she is 32 and ill with perfect manners so a little spoiling doesn't hurt. I never want to stand looking at her empty stable and wish i'd spoilt her more. The other 2 are soft as grease and do get more than i'd like but b2 looks at me with his soft brown eyes and reminds me he never had treats in the race yard and there I go handing him a treat then of course b1 has to have one too coz I can't leave her out. Generally at catching and turn out and after work.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I use 'treats' to reward the desired behaviour. And withold them, if I don't get that.
Click to expand...
My mare came to me with a reputation for biting, particularly when being tacked up. I have trained her not to bite by giving her a treat for standing nicely, as I put each piece of tack on. She does not mug me, as she knows that will not work. It does help that her tack fits now.;)
 
Pearlsasinger said:
My mare came to me with a reputation for biting, particularly when being tacked up. I have trained her not to bite by giving her a treat for standing nicely, as I put each piece of tack on. She does not mug me, as she knows that will not work. It does help that her tack fits now.;)
Click to expand...

+1.

Do they have animals at circuses any more? Anyway, when they did, I watched the horse acts intently and noticed the handler dishing out slices of carrot at the end of each "trick". So I follow that. Titbits as a reward, very very seldom as a treat. The girls are forbidden to give treats on pain of death:D. Rewards are OK.

One of my helpers would lead a youngster up my road to the county road and pop a slice of carrot into it's mouth every time a car passed! We do the same when lifting feet, also when the vet gives inoculations. Needle goes into neck, carrot goes into mouth -- hopefully both at the same time!;)
 
I think it depends on the horse & situation.

At the moment my mare is away on loan so I don't see her very often. I like usually bring her an apple and a carrot when I see her.

With a very worried/shy/unhandled horse I think treats can help establish initial contact and trust, it may help that the horse associates you with something pleasant. Same for the stable, if a there is a small amount of food waiting when the horse is brought in.

With a very confident and pushy sort I probably would not hand out treats though, at least not in the field.
 
With projects or my own I have used them as reward when teaching various behavior. And mine & daughters get treats at specified times, but only now good manners already in place. Eg turning out/ bringing in, checking in field or when stabled when locking up. And for years now my oldie gets them whenever I feel like it, mid groom, when leading etc. She doesn't ever expect them or mug you & would never nip. Taught her in my teens to do stuff like eat polos off my head, nose etc. But not something I'd do with another.
 
I tend not to, not intentionally I just never carry them or feel the need for them. He comes to call in the field and a pat and 'good boy' works as a reward. If iv got anything tasty in my pocket ill give it to him but he never expects it
 
Shetland gets absolutely none because he is a bit nippy and I don't want to give him any encouragement. The big boys get a treat after their ride. Apart from that they don't get anything as I don't enjoy being pestered 24/7!
 
Waffles said:
He he - I thought someone might have the same technique as me! :D
Click to expand...

helenalbert said:
I give when catching. He used to be awful to catch until I got into a routine of giving him a treat when he let me catch him. Then when I stopped he became hard to catch again :D

I am quite a bad titbitter though. He gets one for being caught, one for being tacked (he used to be funny with saddling because of his background), one post riding and one when turning out again. He also gets one after travelling. I do try to give him non-fattening and non-sugary sweeties though, so that he doesn't become a porker :D

(if I''m 100% honest I do sometimes give him a treat just for being cute :p)
Click to expand...

Pretty much this! :D
 
I titbit all the time...... when catching, when tacking up, when loading, saying good-bye etc., she is very mannerly and never mugs you for more.....

I suppose it depends on the horse
 
Two of mine get treats after work, vet, farriert , when I feel like it etc. But one I don't treat at all as he would become a bitey monster!! He just has it added to his food!!
 
I use treats sometimes to encourage them to tolerate something they don't like the first few times, like putting fly mask on, giving medicine, bathing, etc. I never ever give sweeties or anything inappropriate to a horse's diet, just carrots or herbal type treats. It works and doesn't make them bitey if you do it right and at the right time, even with my chap who has previously been quite bitey!
 
I am terrible! My brat gets them when catching her, more when walking to yard, gets hay when being groomed, more when tacking up ( she can be a madum to get bridle on) , one when she stands up nicely while I mount and a bundle when she does a good schooling session.... I'm terrible I know!
 
Not something I will do regularly as one of my geldings is too food orientated.

They get an occasional apple, polo or herbal treat but not at regular times and certainly not daily. They are more likely to get an apple at a show than at home as a wee treat or a polo before a dressage test if tense.

Regular titbitting can teach some horses to nip. If you want to give your horses regular rewards to recognise desired behaviour, I would rather do it with a scratch or a pat personally or if you into it - clicker training (which I have never done.)
 
we're totally random, I don't like to give them every time I ride or in any type of routine but every now and then when I've got something to hand I will give them.

Today I didn't have anything with me but whilst we were walking to the field I picked a handful of blackberries as a treat - he's got them in the hedgerow in his field too but somehow he always likes being offered things, including hay!
 
jnhuk said:
Regular titbitting can teach some horses to nip. If you want to give your horses regular rewards to recognise desired behaviour, I would rather do it with a scratch or a pat personally or if you into it - clicker training (which I have never done.)
Click to expand...

I can honestly say that none of my horses, and I've owned plenty, has ever been taught to nip. I have always given food rewards, and although I wouldn't dream of doing so now, used to use Polos.
Even my addicted to sugar (although I didn't know it at the time) TBx knew not to nip and never even threatened to do so. She would play 'which hand is it in?' though.
I think it's more to do with the owner's body language than the food.
 
As a yard owner, I always give any horse I call to me a 'hallo titbit' and I make it clear to any new livery that I will do this.

There's a reason behind it. Our horses are kept out 24/7, in a small herd. It is very very important that the horses will always come to me, at any time of day or night. I NEVER go to catch a horse - they must approach me. I do this with a really cheery call, and EVERYONE who comes gets a mint or whatever.

Yes, I'm the Dolly with the Trolley but it sure pays dividends. Last winter a passing neighbour came, at deepest dusk, to tell me our top field gate was open (some charmer had cut through the chain with bolt cutters to access our outlying barn) and that the 4 horses were in the gateway and out on the roadside verge. My heart was in my mouth but I grabbed the mints, rushed out to the stable yard, called my cheery "co'op, co'op" in a rather shaky voice - and bless them, all 4 horses (they were actually out of sight), came back into the field and down to me at a gallop.

None of them badger for titbits, and I would never change my habits on this one.
 
Youngster gets a treat as a reward (standing still whe mounting/checking girth & for good work) he has to earn them... The field ornament gets them for being old, cuddly & gorgeous.

Both get a treat when turned out as I turn out together it seems to stop any silly running off
 
My 3 only get for catching and again when i leave them at the field.

I did (stupidly) think it would be fun to teach my mare to give kisses for a treat which she learnt very quickly..not a good idea as now she feels she has to snog everyone for food lol!!
 
Rose Folly said:
As a yard owner, I always give any horse I call to me a 'hallo titbit' and I make it clear to any new livery that I will do this.

There's a reason behind it. Our horses are kept out 24/7, in a small herd. It is very very important that the horses will always come to me, at any time of day or night. I NEVER go to catch a horse - they must approach me. I do this with a really cheery call, and EVERYONE who comes gets a mint or whatever.

Yes, I'm the Dolly with the Trolley but it sure pays dividends. Last winter a passing neighbour came, at deepest dusk, to tell me our top field gate was open (some charmer had cut through the chain with bolt cutters to access our outlying barn) and that the 4 horses were in the gateway and out on the roadside verge. My heart was in my mouth but I grabbed the mints, rushed out to the stable yard, called my cheery "co'op, co'op" in a rather shaky voice - and bless them, all 4 horses (they were actually out of sight), came back into the field and down to me at a gallop.

None of them badger for titbits, and I would never change my habits on this one.
Click to expand...

+1.

But I would class that as rewarding, not tit-bitting.

I always give a shout and a whistle when moving to fresh grass. I used to take cattle in for summer grazing and I'd do the same. My grazing tenant tells me that cows that were here years ago still remember and come to call! It's a great thing for moving a mob without having to catch, head collar, and move each individually! The stallion also knows it might mean a visiting mare!;)
 
I like to reward with titbits to show I am happy with them.
I often used to give my late girl polo's or similar when out hacking alone when we overcame scary stuff or simply because I wanted to part way through our ride, she was never nippy or a biter so it was easy with her. I also do the same when I take my friends mare solo hacking and will do the same with Nell no doubt. She is and has been rewarded for her achievements and progress with me to date. I have tried to ease back on the treats now she 'gets things' and give them a little more sparingly, or in accordance with the new thing/skill she is learning
Initially I gave her a treat for lifting each foot as she was a nightmare and would not lift them and kicked out at me each time, now we have no real issues, though she is still coming along with the farrier, she is much improved
 
I use it as a reward. It has helped me get the desired behaviour from several horses with issues such as catching etc.
One of mine was so bad to handle his previous owner had been advised to have him pts, he went through 6 homes in as many weeks, titbitting along with correct handling and firm boundaries has helped my insecure supposedly dangerous horse be safe enough to be handled by pretty much anyone and guess what he doesn't get titbits now as he doesn't need them.
I do think that used properly as a reward that titbitting is fine.
 
I never give titbits in the field when catching only when they are bought into the stable or yard a reward given by way of a feed.When the farrier is doing feet titbits are a good distraction for a horse that is lame.Otherwise Ithink titbits encourages nipping when supply runs out.
 
They get them but totally randomly - ie when our veg drawer needs clearing out or when I've just bought some polos!

I used them very occasionally when doing stuff with the baby - ie when bitting, when rugging - but I stopped because 1. I now expect good behaviour, not hope for it, and 2. We have a genuine bond and a pat and a nuzzle with me should be enough of a reward - and seeing as screams for me when she hears my car, charges round her box, and always gallops over to me in the field, clearly I'm doing something right! I'd hate to think that her behaviour was because she knew she was getting fed / getting treats.

There is one exception actually - OHs eventer gets a bucket of yummy stuff when he's loaded. This is because it is easier - he will load without, but normally after a few attempts at running backwards out the trailer, rearing as he goes... It's just easier to give him food after. But that's literally the only situation (oh, and only ever on the way out - when he's been out and working, he always goes back in without treats).
 
I don't titbit, a friend and her children used to come visit my pony regularly and stuff him with nibbles for any and all reasons, then one day I went into field to catch him and he but my arm! Lucky it was me and not my daughter, after that I politely banned titbitting
 
I give when catching, turning out and saying goodnight to my mare but I NEVER give anything to my daughter's pony and that is because he is a Welsh A - obsessed with food and nips all the time even when he has been given a battering for it - naughty ponies that nip should never be given titbits - he gets a scratch if he is good.
 
I use treat sparingly to reward good behaviour but I always use proper horse treats, mine never get polos, mints or sugar. The Spillers treats are the equine catnip - they do anything for one of those.
 
I'm not dead against treats per se as long as they're used sparingly and consistently and don't cause problems. With previous horses I've treated at turn out, at the gate. Always had beautifully mannered horses at the gate ;). I can't treat my current girl ever and am very strict about it as she has this enormous fleshy bottom lip that she can't seem to control :o. If you offered her a carrot she'd accidentally have your entire arm off. She did once, actually, so no more treats for her ;-).
 
Never, they only get a sweetie if I think something is up health wise and I want to find out if they are willing to eat without giving lots of food. On the very odd occasion I'll let others give a sweetie, but it's very very rare for me to let this happen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top