yearling biting and general young horse handling advice.

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little_rou

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Hi

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but figured you lovely people have lots of experience with youngstock.

.... first question, and am not sure if this is a stupid one, but I am entirely inexperienced with youngsters, so here goes...

yearling has in the last week started biting, constant biting, Hes never been fed from the hand.

my instinct is to smack his shoulder and tell him 'no' but a friend has told me thats the worst possible idea. She hasnt however been able to give me advice on what I should do :rolleyes:

so help please, best advice on what to do in this circumstance?

secound question....because of the set up with his owner, I do have to handle him quite often, so any other tips appreciated. I feel I tend to treat him with kids gloves, as hes such a baby, but I dont want to create problems for his future by letting him develop bad habits/behaviour


Please before I get the 'you shouldnt have a youngster if you dont know what your doing' hes not mine!! just happens to be in one of my fields!!


Thanks
 
One school of thought is that if you hit the youngster you are making more trouble for yourself as you don't want the youngster to associate your hands with anything bad.
Having said that this is unacceptable behaviour if he bites another horse they will put him in line. You need to teach him no! Try using your voice as an alternative a strong sharp sound I always find a no with meaning works my friend makes a noise that almost sounds like a dog barking(not entirely sure how she does it). If he does it whilst leading then shake the leadrope- they DO NOT like the noise under their chin.
Has this youngster been gelded yet?
 
He is currently stabled at night. I turn him out in the mornings as owner cant get down before work, I bring him in for her 2 nights a week as well, its mainly when Im leading him in and out, he nips at my arms and will grab the rope in his mouth. I thought this might be evasion of my control?

hes happy to be handled and tied up on the yard
 
jif lemon juice ;) works very well. When he goes to bite you just give a little squirt in the mouth.
and it fits nicely into your pocket...
 
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Sounds to me like he's playing, you need him to know that he can't play with you! Give the leadrope a shake so the clip rattles.
 
little_rou said:
he nips at my arms and will grab the rope in his mouth. I thought this might be evasion of my control?

hes happy to be handled and tied up on the yard
Click to expand...

This is completely normal "coltish" behaviour - though geldings and filllies do it too. My friend's (slightly mentally slow developing, bless him :rolleyes:) 5 year old 3/4 Irish Draft is only just got out of the behaviour, and he was gelded at 10 months & never allowed to get away with it.

I have a handy elbow and eyes behind my head... I wouldn't slap him with an open hand (in fact I wouldn't do that with any horse), but a sharp elbowing just as he is about to bite normally does the trick. Timing is important to be really efficient. I tend to carry on walking, do not look at them when I do it and do not make an issue out of it, but they get the gist & the fact they don't always get where it's come from really helps.

Don't pussy foot around him. Treat him as a "normal" horse & he will grow up to understand the rules a "normal" horse is expected to follow!

Good luck x
 
Definitely the squirty lemon juice, fits so well in your hand and they can't see it coming. Also spray the leadrope with something like cribstop. If he goes for your arm, see if you can angle your elbow to come in contact with his nose - I'm not saying elbow him the face though and nor should you run the risk of him chomping on your elbow. More that if he goes for you and comes into contact with your sharp elbow, without you actually making a fuss of it, he may think twice in future. Though nipping is natural coltish behaviour, it really isn't acceptable.
 
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