Horse behavior? I've got a question about 2 horses...?

Question

Sorry this will be long, but I want to give you a good idea so you understand better...

At around 11 yrs old, I finally got up the courage to go across the street and ask Mr. David if I could ride one of his horses. I rode that day and since then, he let me go there everyday to see the horses and sometimes we'd ride. He's the most AWESOME person I've ever met. Later, he started paying me 60 bucks a month to go feed his horses everyday wheile he was in Biloxi. (We live in Louisiana) He owns a shrimp factory there and he's a millionaire. He'd go there every month and come home a few days at the end of the month. Later, we had to move and so we moved here a few miles up... He still lets me go there to see the horses even if no one is there, and I went to see them after Hurricane Katrina. Sadly, his relatives that were there said that the two white horses (Big Momma & SplishSplash) had died from eating the grass after the hurricane. =(

So, then there were only Eagle and Bebo left (the 2 males). A little while back maybe a couple months ago, I went to see them again. I went up to the fence and petted them for 5 minutes b/c we had to leave soon. They were really good and sweet. And today I went to see them again. I brought my friend along, and this time we all (My mum, friend, and I) all went up to the fence. We started petting them, but then they got weird. They were nice for a minute or two, but then when I went into the pasture, a couple mintues after, I was petting Eagle... Oh, a little about Eagle: See, Eagle's my boy. Mr. David said that I could have Eagle and when I get older and want to take him, I can. Heheh. So he's kinda like my horse. =P Eagle loved me and I love him too. He would always follow me around and loved for me to pet him. I call him 'My Eagle Boy'... The last time I went, the horses were VERY happy to see me and whinnied with joy. So, anyway, I was in the pasture, and my friend was too.

This is the very first time my friend has seen the horses. Well, when I was petting Eagle, suddenly, he looked at me and pinned his ears back. Then, he started walking towards me like he was mad or something. I knew that wasn't good, so I looked away from him, and put my arm out to keep a lil' distance, and I got over the fence. I was just a few feet away from the fence. So after that, my friend got out too, and Eagle kept sorta mouthing me with his lips. So I let him, and then he started to lick my hand. I figured it was the salt in my skin. So he licked my hand for as long as I let him, and the whole time, I kept trying to mouth my shirt and Bebo kept mouthing my hair and my shirt too. Heheh. It was kinda funny. =P Then, I went back over the fence and there's a another fence in front of me, like a pole that goes across.And I stayed in between the 2 fences. So, I started walking to see if Eagle would follow me, and he did, but then he bit my with his teeth on my arm.

So, I got back out, and stayed there the rest of the time. Then Bebo started trying to bite. He kept trying to bite my friend and once tried biting ym mom. Then,I went to pet him and he tried bting me once, and I wouldn't take that. So, I told him, "Don't you bite me..." And I stood up to him and when I'd point my finger at him, he'd look away. Then, I petted him some more and he was fine after that... So, then we left.... But the whole time, they kept acting weird and kinda mean. Eagle kept pinning his ears back every now and then. Before, they were ALWAYS really sweet and they NEVER, EVER evern /tried/ to bite me. They're both cut, and I think Mr. David doesn't spend as much time with them as he would like to, since he's always away in Biloxi. But he keeps them up as best he can. Their hooves could use a trim, and eagle had a cut on his nose, but besides that, they were fine physically, as far as I could see. And Bebo didn't start acting up until Eagle did.

Does anyone know why they might have been this way suddenly? They didn't seem as happy to see me as last time either... I mean, they weren't whinnying 'n stuff... Maybe b/c of my friend? I dunno... I'll be here, so if anyone has any questions, just wait a couple minutes, and I'll add details...

Oh, forgot to add, I went there at 11, and I'm now 15...

I kept trying to mouth my shirt= /He/ kept trying to mouth my shirt...

Hmm, makes sense... sorta... But they were really good the last time I went and the last time I went, it was after the other 2 had died... but they were just fine last time. And I think Bebo is dominant over Eagle b/c I often see Bebo pin his ears back and chase Eagle or kick at Eagle... It's never the other way around...

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I know that letting Eagle "chase" me out of the pasture wasn't a good thing, but I'm (obviously) not a horse expert and didn't know what to do. I mean, a mad lookin' horse with ears pinned back is quite scary. So I figured I'd just back down down this time, as I didn't know if he would charge me or bite me or what... =/ I'll try some of those tips next time. =) I think Mr. David will be back on Christmas Eve, so maybe I'll go talk to him, then. =)

Answer 1

Hey,
Okay I read through all your other answers that you've gotten, and if you read through them and know what you're looking at they kind of sum up the answer you need:
Horses are herd animals and so will establish who is the boss. You should never let a horse push you out of a paddock or let them have their way at nibbling on you, this makes you lower on the pecking order (thats how you'll get bit). If a horse comes at you with ears pinned, stand up straight and stare at him hard, if he doesn't move off, stomp your foot hard at him, and snort, and if he gets too close give him a smack on the nose. He needs to learn to approach you with respect. You should never back off. If a horse ever nibbles on you, you should puch them off and if they persist a little smack on the nose will tell them that biting is not allowed. Its okay if you let your horse lick your hand, some people think this is bad, but its not, as long as you are in control. You shouldn't let them nibble on you, or ruffle through you hair, this leads to biting, but licking your hand is okay. Remember also that biting doesn't always mean a horse is being mean. Biting is a way of asserting dominance and grooming. What most people take for biting (like when they bite your shoulder) is really your horse's way of being nice and grooming you. Your horse doesn't know that this hurts you, and so you have to tell him with a light smack on the nose or showing disaproval at the behavior. Once you've asserted to your horses who's the boss, and that you want to be friends, you can enjoy a happy safe relationship with them. Show them you want to be friends by rewarding good behavior. Once your horse figures out what you reward and what you punish then he'll know how he needs to behave around you.

Answer 2

This is common herd behavior. Biting is a sign of dominance that every horse will try on their human, especially if they have a dominating attitude. It's up to the human to address this issue and show him that he is not alpha. You are.

In herds, the leader will constantly keep the lower-classed horses in check through biting, kicking, chasing, etc. Also, lower ranked horses may challenge his leadership the same way. This is the behavior your horses were following. They were testing your dominance, and you did do the right thing by pointing your finger at them. Your body language and voice told them NO in horse language.

I think the horses might have been testing your leadership abilities because the two other mares passed away. Most likely one of them had been leader. (It is actually a mare who leads the herd) Since she's gone now, your horse now has the oppurtunity to claim leadership, and since you all were there with them in the pasture, that makes you part of their herd whether you like it or not. So simply said, Eagle and Bebo were probably testing your authority (like little kids!) since their leader was gone, which is why they were sweet before (when they had a horse keeping them in their place).

It was good that you asserted your authority when they bit you, but make sure you don't back away next time. That shows you are submissive. Instead, if they ever try to bite you again, use a firm voice and back THEM away from YOU. But remember to never ever hit or strike them, this can hurt your relationship. They seem like pretty submissive horses since they stopped as soon as you used your voice and finger.

Don't let this turn into a problem, even it seems trivial as of now. Ask a professional trainer about asserting your authority if the problem persists or worsens. Good luck :)

Answer 3

Horses can be very territorial and aggressive. If these two horses have not had much attention in the past few months or however long, they could have become more aggressive and territorial if they have not had someone working with them entering their territory on a regular basis. To me, it sounds like Eagle is the dominant of the two horses. It is NEVER a good idea to allow a horse to put his mouth on you or to lick your hand or any other part of you. This encourages a horse to be mouthy and to bite. By putting his mouth on you the horse being very disrespectful to you and is trying to dominate you (the same with pinning his ears and chasing you out of the paddock). This is aggressive behavior and someone with a lot of horse experience will be able to correct the problem, but this person must be able to very effectively read and act towards the horse's body language in order to correct the problem. May I repeat, this is most likely a job for a professional. The person will have to establish that they are the heard boss, and not the horses, and that the horses are to respect humans. This is not usually difficult to do if the person knows how and has the proper experience to accomplish this, but do not attempt it without a professionals help.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

I've got 19 years of experience working full time with large groups of horses.
It wasn't because of your friend, so don't worry about that. Since this happened after the other two died, I'm thinking those two were the domainant horses that kept the remaining two respectful. Now that they are top dog, they are asserting themselves more over others in their territory. This is just a guess since I don't have access to them and can see what's going on.
You don't need to be abusive, but a quick smack on the snout is usually enough to reprimand one after a nip. Ideally you need to have someone with you that really knows horses if you are around them again who can head off this kind of behavior. A lot of the time it's your body language that tips them off as to whether or not they can get away with this.
Don't let a horse that has show any kind of aggression put its mouth on you. I know it's cute when they play with your clothes and all, but with those animals, it was an open invitation to go one step further.
Hope this helps, contact me if you have any other questions about it. I'm at yahoo under my profile name.

Answer 5

It could be a dominance thing and it could be partly lonliness with a sense of loss.

I recently lost my 30 year old stallion and emotionally had some trouble going back out to the barn for a little time. When I did go out my other 31 year old stallion started mouthing me every time I got near him. It wasn't out of dominance and he wasn't do it out of agression. It was almost as if he was suckling my arm. There were times he had most of my arm in his mouth. Let me say, he has always been very careful when I feed him treats to be sure not to bite down on a finger if it slipped in his mouth.

I'm not suggesting you allow Eagle or any horse do this to you. And as foolish as this might have seemed to do I was willing to take a chance in letting him do this and see where he would go with this. Mind you, I've had this horse 31 years and know him pretty well.

It's been about 5 weeks since our loss and my stallion has stopped with his mouthing and is back to normal. It seemed to me to be about his fear, loss, lonliness, security and consoling me.

He's a smart boy. He's watched a lot of his friend pass so it makes sense to me. I will tell you he's not the same horse as he was a couple months ago. His attitude with me is much softer. He's more tolerant and friendlier. But it took me getting into his stall and hanging out a bit every day and spending time with him grazing outside.

I think your Eagle horse is showing signs of being a bit mad at you for not being around and is showing his feelings with negative behavior. Next time you go out be sure he knows you won't tolerate this. I would grab him by the halter, look him in the eye and tell him your plans to bring him to your home one day, that you're not going to abandon him and love him. Make sure he knows you're telling him the truth and don't let him down. Make sure he knows your sorry for not being around as much as you'd like.

I know it sounds crazy but talk to him. He knows what you are saying better than you can imagine. Both of my stallions understand exactly what I say to them. Even when the decision was made to put my other boy down - he knew it and he came over to give me a great big hug. They know and understand a lot more than we give them credit for. Treat them that way.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

My cousin has an Ariabian like that. He hated the saddle. So what he did replaced into to place the saddle on him 2 situations each week, in the beginning up, and walk him around the coral. Then gradually he uped it to 3 situations each week and did this for a pair of month. Then saved repeating that to 4,5, and then 6 situations each week. He did no longer journey him, in simple terms walked him in the beginning up. approximately 4 months handed with him alternating days and situations until he have been given used to the saddle. attempt no longer driving him in any respect collectively as he has the saddle on until he gets used to it. i comprehend curiously like an prolonged time and a actual discomfort, even though it is going to ultimately sink into his/her head that it incredibly is in simple terms going to be that way. And contained meanwhile, i might get a good Vet to get some X-rays of his backbone. there could be a situation alongside with in his disks. it would desire to be painful for him to have it on. in simple terms thinking in case you had checked that highway. Or, it would desire to be this style of saddle you're utilising. Western or English? you additionally can attempt, in case you have use of one, a lighter saddle contained in the beginning up. If he has a backbone situation of any type (even a calcium deposit will harm him), he gets annoyed by using the greater stress on his back. i do no longer think of he's incredibly spoiled or nasty, even though it does sound like there could be a situation you would be unable to ascertain. there is often a possiblity he can under no circumstances be ridden that way and you would be able to would desire to shop him for bareback rides.

Answer 7

keep in mind sweetie...A-they were close enough to hurricane katrina which obviously effected them...very stressful situation on everyones end
B-they lost 2 of their herd...very traumatic. i lost my mare this year that had been with my stud since birth...i seriously thought i was going to lose him as well. he dropped major weight, wasnt himself at all, totally depressed...he's finally coming around but its been 6 months.
C-because they know you and love you and theyve been through all this stressful stuff and you live further away and dont see them every single day anymore, they are probably mad at you:) mine get used to me playing and working with them everyday and if i have to be gone for even a few days...they are horribly cranky with me...
my suggestion (one of these horses was told could be yours) is spend as much time as you can with them. groom them, dont take any mouthy-ness though, remind them that you are there to love on them but also remind them they need to respect you. after all theyve been through its gonna take a bit of time to be back to how you were but if your patient and persistent you shouldnt have a problem:)

Answer 8

TOO much info. anything could of caused it, hunger, jealousy, bad day, pain. If it keeps up talk to the owner.

Answer 9

"your horse" may just be protecting you b/c he thought that your friend may harm you