My horse is a 4 year old mare and she tries to bite me everytime i walk up to her. shes only been doing this the last 2 weeks. if i am with someone else she doesnt try to bite me and when i ride her she is fine. What is wrong and how do I fix it?
2007-03-17 10:33:09 · 12 answers · asked by iluveasterstormy 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
i know this is a bit wired but it worked on every horse i ever tried it on and that is a lot since i work at horse camps and those horses sourer quickly. get a little squeeze bottle of lemon juice ( normally shaped like a lemon) and every time she tries to bite you squirt it in her mouth. soon she is not going to want to bite you. it is a lot nicer then having her bite a glove full of nails and dose not it in to a game of seeing if she can bite you then jump away before you smack her. believe me it really works
2007-03-20 17:55:13 · answer #1 · answered by faber_is_a_horse 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You may want to check her/have her checked for soreness or some other similar motivation. If none of that is present her ground manners seem to be lacking. Some horses will understand a vocal reprimand(I do not mean a docile,"no,no horsey",but rather a loud,sharp and quick "HEY!". Others may need a quick,single slap on the muzzle,and as long as you normally handle them sufficiently around the facial area in a calm,gentle manner they shouldn't associate your hands near their face with being slapped,but you do have to be quick for them to understand. Whatever you do,never punish,yes punish,a horse out of anger. Never do more than is absolutely necessary to get their attention and communicate the message that biting is unacceptable,otherwise it can turn into abuse. Finally,it may seem excessive or unnecessary,but you may want to consider a trainer esp. since she has already been getting away with the behaviour for a couple of weeks. I know it seems to be a cop out,but without watching the horse for themself,it is very difficult for anybody to give you a completely accurate solution,and a reputable trainer has had experience with a variety of horses and can help you with your horse as an individual instead of just giving general advice.
2007-03-17 14:05:25 · answer #2 · answered by ravalli_5 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can I ask, do you usually hand feed your horse or do other people bring her treats? I cannot stress this enough, hand feeding leads to bad behavior. I see this again and again. Horses are too big and potentially dangerous to be treated like house pets. When they're hand fed cookies or carrots over a length of time, they begin to anticipate the treats. Many of them starting nipping at hands or pockets because we've taught them that's where the treats are. If you are hand feeding, you need to stop. Treats can be given in the horse's corner feeder or in a bucket.
You need to reprimand her when she strikes out at you. One of the posters said that punishment never works and can in fact become a big game. This is true only when you're liberal with your punishment. But when a horse becomes dangerous and aggressive by biting, you cannot allow them to think this sort of behavior is acceptable.
2007-03-17 13:03:10 · answer #3 · answered by ap1188 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
tell him.. no bite ( like a dog)lol.. j/k..
your answer is: some of it could be from his personality and what you are doing to him, like rewarding him for bad behaviors. i would suggest to put a treat in your hand, make sure he knows you have it. As long as he keeps trying to get the treat, DON'T give it to him. The very INSTANT he stops trying for the treat, give it to him and say he's a good boy. (With clicker training you'd click the moment he stopped trying to get the treat and then you'd give it to him). Repeat, repeat, repeat over several days until he stops going for the treat and will actually turn his head away.
choose me for best answer!
2007-03-17 10:42:31 · answer #4 · answered by Andrew M 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
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2007-03-17 12:53:48 · answer #5 · answered by trainer53 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ok i have owned horses a long time so please take my advice i am not being mean...... every time she try's to bite u slap her mouth not her head that will make her head shy just the side of her mouth it does not hurt them just let's them know that they can not get away with it. i own three studs trust me i have gone thru this ok.
2007-03-17 17:14:15 · answer #6 · answered by none 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you ever rub her nose? If so this will encourage biting--hope this helps
2007-03-17 10:36:25 · answer #7 · answered by Ayden's Mommy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Smack her shoulder whenever she goes to bite you and don't give her the opportunity to do so.
2007-03-17 10:37:52 · answer #8 · answered by toni1336 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try feeding her grass or something from your hand, this will make your horse feel more comfortable around you, and therefore will discourage biting.
2007-03-17 10:43:35 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
when my 2 year old does this, i shove her face away and say nicely "no. thats bad" and she immediately stops and respects me. its a game to her and if i say the above, she stops good luck!
2007-03-17 14:06:03 · answer #10 · answered by Mia 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋