I have an arab gelding whom I love dearly but he can be full of nonsense sometimes.
I have had conflicting advice on my problem with him. When approaching him, he will lay down his ears and roll his eyes. he wont bite me but bites anyone else that approaches him.
Do you look him in the eyes when approaching or keep your eyes downcast? he has a strong personality but is a pussycat when tacked up. I have found that the only way I don't get bitten is by not looking him in the eye. Is this correct or am i just lucky?
2007-02-26 04:21:26 · 7 answers · asked by june l 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
My ten year old sports horse really does pull some mean faces. He was stable shy when I bought him, very wary of people, but had good manners. He developed his face pulling tactic when strangers came near and he realised he could make them move away by intimidating them. I have found that when people who know nothing about horses approach him, they do not react to his grumpiness and he stops pulling faces immediately. He only wears his aggressive face when he gets a reaction. The slightest hesitation will cause him to get more aggressive, to the point of a kick or a bite. It has turned in to a habit now, but I have no problems with him. Indeed, he is a real softie with me. Whether you realise it or not, eye contact and your body-positions send distinct messages to your horse. Learning to understand and use equine body language is a must for successful training. (There are many fine books and videos available on this subject.)
Looking directly in to a horses eyes with 'hard eyes' will get a negative reaction from almost any horse, but I often gaze softly into my horses eyes and they are happy enough to gaze back at me...
2007-02-26 08:08:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In mustang bands, averted eyes are a sign of submissiveness. By not looking your gelding in the eyes, you're saying that he is the master, so when you do look him in the eye and he bites, he's trying to make you submit to him. We have an Appaloosa/Quarter horse gelding that would, before we had him gelded, bite/kick/strike/buck anything that came near. After we gelded him as a two year old and put him in with our mares and my arab/saddlebred gelding, he became more docile, although he kept biting. He's six now, and rarely bites. What we did was whenever he'd start to bite we'd give him a hard tap (not a slap or anything to hurt him, just a tap so he'd know we mean it) on the muzzle with our hand and a strong "No."
How old is your gelding? I ask because my arab/saddlebred will turn 22 this year and can still be as much of a handful as the appy. It could also be the breed. My family has owned arabs for years, and each has been a firecracker in his or her own way, from a stallion that a 2 year old could be safely left alone with, to a mare that would steal other mares' babies.
2007-02-26 15:07:19 · answer #2 · answered by hockey_gal9 *Biggest Stars fan!* 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't let your horse be the boss over you, keep your eyes on him at all times and approach him firmly with food and a calm steady voice, Arabs usually have a temperament, no matter who you are, and are you sure he's a gelding? Cause he shouldn't act like that if he is. But remember your the boss and you want your horse to sense this, as they are very sensitive to emotion and reactions.
2007-02-26 17:05:28 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You dont want to look a horse directly in the eye, it intimidates them and they feel like you are a predator. Thats what animals do to their pray. So talk softly to him and dont look him in the eye, pat him sofltly when you get to him and continue with the soft talk. Work with him, lunging, bridle work. Any work makes a horse better! Once you get his trust, you can be firmer. Once you know he trust you, if he bites, say "NO!" or "BAD BOY!" and give him a little slap on the nose, you dont want to do this when he seems scared or mad, it'll only make him worse.
Keep working
If you have anymore questions about biting, just ask!
2007-02-26 18:39:05 · answer #4 · answered by HorseyGurl101 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds to me like your horse has a dominance issue. By not looking him in the eye you are submitting to his dominant behavior. And his aggression to strangers shows he is trying to establish the pecking order like he would to new herd members. You need to consult a trainer that will work with you and your horse together to fix this problem.
2007-02-26 15:20:27 · answer #5 · answered by Toni 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some horses don't like to be confronted they feel that by looking them in the eyes you are kinda asking to be bitten but it deppends on the horse. For ex i can look all my horses straight in the eyes but one of my friends you can't. So i don't really know what to tell you.
2007-02-26 13:52:32 · answer #6 · answered by ilovecountryboys17 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
when you look a horse in the eye they take it a a threat/challenge to them, so it is best not to Look them directly in the eye
2007-02-26 18:22:40 · answer #7 · answered by Caitlin 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋