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Discussion on Is this natural instict or nipping in foal?
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Member:
Heidim
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Posted on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 7:19 am:
When I hold out my hand to our two-week-old foal, he likes to "lip" my palm. After a few seconds, he takes my thumb between his teeth but in no way bites down. Is this a precursor to nipping, or not? He doesn't lay his ears back when he does this. I'm okay with correcting him if he's truly biting me, but I don't want to hurt my relationship with him if he's not.
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 9:58 am:
He means no harm, Heidi, but it can very easily develop into nipping, so I think it is better that you do not allow him to mouth no part of you for no reason, including treats from your hand.
Your relationship will not be spoiled by teaching him what's right and what's wrong. Horses need to be taught the rules of their modern environment, in a nice manner of course. It makes them happier and they see you as their knowledgeable friend who shows them the tricks, not as a tyrant.
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Member:
Heidim
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Posted on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 10:08 am:
I like what you're saying, Christos. Just so you know, I'm not feeding him treats. Sometimes he "mouths" my elbow or back, too. In any of these cases, how do I respond in a nice manner. Do I just move away from him or do I bump him in the mouth or what? I want him to learn but I don't want him to become so afraid of me that I can't get near him anymore.
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Member:
Dres
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Posted on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 10:30 am:
Heidi in some ways I believe the foals are like human babies, they are mouthy, feeling their environment... BUT, it is something we cannot allow them to do on US... I just push the foals away from me, if they are persistent, I sometimes have to use more force/ slap... have you seen mom reprimand her youngster? We are not hurting them we are teaching them.. like I said above, they only know what we teach them, so teach them respect from the gate...
Also this is your first, NEVER turn your back on them, they don't understand the rules right away, you are a pasture mate and sometimes its 'fun' to throw a hoof at you .. so always be aware ...
have fun...
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with SPOTS..
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Member:
Heidim
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Posted on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 11:30 am:
Good advice about not turning my back, Ann. I've been doing that a lot and not giving it a second thought. And, yes, I was relating the foal to my kids who went through that chewing stage early on. (I even wondered if the foal was just teething.) Pushing the colt away sounds gentle enough to try at first. I can understand getting firmer if he doesn't get the message.
The advice I've gotten from you and Christos gave me more confidence in working with the foal this morning. While still in the stall, I handled his front legs all over and rubbed his belly. I didn't let up until he relaxed. It's the first time I made progress that I KNEW was really progress. I will probably have more questions as I go along, so please watch for them. Thanks so much!
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Member:
Mrose
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Posted on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 2:54 pm:
You're going to have a lot of fun with your "new addition," Heidi! It will be a learning experience for both you and the foal; and will make the foal a "friend for life."
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Member:
Vickiann
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Posted on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 8:41 pm:
I have a horse who when he was young and came to my farm, liked to make a game out of nipping -- not big bites, just little pieces of clothing or skin grabbed between the teeth and pulled, but this would leave a mark sometimes. Swatting him just made the game more fun for him (like the little kid getting negative attention for bad behavior). Then I saw something John Lyons suggested that worked like a charm on my horse. If the horse intrudes upon your space thinking about playing a game with his mouth, just rub and rub and rub all over his face, in a friendly fashion. Keep it up until he/she has had enough. Either he will decide he has enough of this because he really doesn't like it that much, or it will give him the attention he wants. If my horse is feeling extremely neglected, I will still have to play this game with him from time to time, but very seldom. Recently at Parelli training, a woman's horse did not like that her owner was suddenly taking a more dominant position and began trying to bite her to reverse the trend. The remedy was to take the very thin rope that is at the end of the carrot stick and twirl it ("the helicopter game" which I guess would be considered a version of their "driving game.") toward the horses head, making the horse back away. If he doesn't back away from the motion, they let the small line flick him in the face until he does. As soon as he backs away, you must release the pressure but repeat the exercise if necessary, using the least amount of force necessary. Some horses need more force than others. This is not done in anger or as a punishment (and it doesn't make the horse head shy of your hand), but it lets the horse know he needs to respect your space (because YOU are the leader) or he may be driven back in a not very pleasant fashion. It doesn't hurt him, just irritates him.
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Member:
Alden
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Posted on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 8:44 am:
Heidi,
He sounds normal to me, if I were to guess what's going on in his mind it would be “Where's the milk”? I don't think it will lead to nipping because nipping is very natural and he will experiment with that anyway. You will want to be able to handle his mouth so use his natural curiosity to check his mouth for new teeth, play with his tongue, etc.
Something I think many people miss is that a colt will learn more from mom than he will from us. I don't do too much with the youngsters themselves until they are several months old, but I will regularly work with mom with the foal alongside her. He will learn a lot from how mom interacts with us. Hopefully she is quiet and respectful or we may not like what he learns. For example, pick her feet up everyday, clean them, if she has shoes on take a small hammer and tap each shoe. It goes a long ways for him to see her stand quietly for theses small things.
Good day,
Alden
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