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Post by charlottetye212 on Jun 29, 2015 16:36:33 GMT 1
Hi,
I have a cob type horse who turned 7 this year, i've owned him for over a year now and i have a problem with him nipping. When i first got him he was quite bad and his old owner said she had stopped feeding him from the hand because of this. So since i've had him i've made a point of not feeding him from the hand and he has improved but still nips when he gets excited, anxious or if doesn't get his own way. But he's managed to nip me a couple of times now and bruises my arm when he does it. He's very mouthy in general anyway, he will literally pick anything up with his mouth and when leading him, he will always try and put the lead rope in his mouth or his reins. In this sense he seems very babyish.
I've had his teeth checked and they're fine, I've tried using a sturn voice and smacking him on his shoulder, i've tried doing some dually work with him and backing him up out of my personal space when he does it, but all he does now is nip then backs away from me! Does anyone have any tips on how i could get him to stop this? Thanks
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Post by alonerawnut on Jun 29, 2015 19:25:25 GMT 1
If he's still quite baby-ish he might see any action you make at him / towards him as some kind of game. When he goes to nip, you can act a bit like a crazy person: don't do anything to him, but make a surprising noise (like BRRRRP!) and shake your arms / flap your hands against your jacket / stamp a few times. He'll be surprised and think you're weird, but it should work! You might have to be quite loud / vigorous to start with and do it every time he goes to bite, but soon you should be able to tone it down a bit.
If he's nipping because he's anxious, try to notice those signs before he tries to nip and reassure him with a nice, deep stroke.
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Post by clipclop on Jun 30, 2015 6:49:30 GMT 1
Does he get turned out with others and do they play with him? I have seen a lot of cases where horses just need to ket off steam and don't get the opportunity to due to individual turnout or unsuitable field companions.
Sent from my GT-I9195 using proboards
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Post by charlottetye212 on Jun 30, 2015 13:44:06 GMT 1
He's always had company while he's been with me and he's no different.
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Post by kristine on Jul 2, 2015 4:33:12 GMT 1
Seems like a manners/dominance issue with a lot of horses who aren't "rude" otherwise. Good idea on no more hand feeding, snacks and treats are better tossed in the feed bucket than from a hand, IMO. They are hard to catch sometimes but make sure the punishment fits the crime... if hes leaving bruises on you... yikes! I usually have an elbow ready to go to the muzzle if needed with a horse like this.
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Post by marychick on Jul 2, 2015 15:41:12 GMT 1
I agree with Alonerawnut in that making a high pitched and unpleasant noise can be effective. The trick with this is the horse needs to be under the impression that biting you is like pushing an unpleasant button but do not think of it as a punishment. You carry on your normal day and be careful not to up your adrenaline with his. A lot of corrections such as backing up/elbows ect actually put you even more in the horses space and can make them more likely to go for a bite and get pushy and agitated. Remember they are into pressure.
He could still just be immature but I also wouldn't rule out ulcers with the behaviour you are describing so might be worth looking into.
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Post by mags on Jul 2, 2015 16:34:35 GMT 1
Have you seen this post from Monty on biting horses? www.montyroberts.com/monty-blog/ask-monty-isnt-it-ok-to-hit-the-horse-who-bites-you/At the bottom, he suggests to bump/tap the horse on the shin every time he goes to nip, to refocus his attention to another body part. Maybe this could work? You could also teach him head lowering. This might work on two fronts - you say he tends to nip when he's excited, and the head lowering could help you keep him in a more relaxed frame of mind. And lowering the head is incompatible with nipping (at least with nipping above the waistline!). I'd also continue with the ground work to make it easier to keep him out of your personal space at all times (not just after he's nipped you), and keep him focussed on you. Hopefully, it will also increase his trust in you and maybe lower his anxiety a bit. If in doubt, an RA visit might be worth the time and money to finally get a better handle on the nipping. |
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Post by portiabuzz on Jul 6, 2015 20:26:51 GMT 1
I'm a little unsure of montys method.. But it does seem to be quite a common issue... I do agree with Alonerawnut this is what I would do. Good luck ! Keep in touch  |
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