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  Discussion on Yearling That Bites
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Posted on Tuesday, Apr 20, 1999 - 10:22 pm:

Does anyone have advice on how to get a yearling
to stop trying to bite when you pet him?

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 1999 - 2:13 pm:

I've raised two geldings from babies. Baby horses are naturally very oral with their mouths. They start out wanting to grab everything, because that's how they find the milk bar first, then regular feed. They explore constantly with their mouths, so it is natural. However, it is uncomfortable for us when they grab too much of us. I've used the John Lyons technique SOMEWHAT successfully. That is, when they want to stick their faces up close, I give them a good hard rubbing on the nose. That gives them more attention than they want, and they tend to give up. When they go for my elbow, knee or foot, I give them a flick with that part of the body, which says "leave me alone." I don't give them wacks unless they outright open come at me with an open mouth, then for 3 seconds I turn into a she-devil. I jump right into their space, yell at them and give them a wack in the mid-body range (above knees, around the chest or belly). This lets them know they have sinned. Then I immediately back off and go about my business with them, like it never happened. They learn the boundaries because that is what another horse would do.

Also, I learned recently that when they are teething, they seem to go a little nutty. And they will use just about anything to chew or rub their faces on, including you. When that period passes, they return to normal. Thank goodness.

Hope this helps. Maybe someone else has a better way.

Posted on Sunday, Apr 25, 1999 - 6:24 pm:

ROFLOL Love the advise Kristen....you created a great mental picture of "turning into a she devil" Thanks for the laugh

Posted on Friday, Jun 30, 2000 - 1:43 pm:

Hi, I am wondering what to do with my 3 week old filly who likes to bite lately. She shows her dislikes by placing her ears back and stomping one of her hind legs, and biting. Hildy has been handled since birth. Maybe I am expecting too much. She is real good about having a colt halter put on her, but doesn't like to go forward. Shasta, her mom doesn't mind me touching her baby. I always stay real close to Hildy's mom, so she won't get upset. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Hildy is my first baby horse, and usually pretty good natured.

Posted on Saturday, Jul 1, 2000 - 7:27 am:

Besides the advice above see the article in this area on Agression in horses: The Horseman's Advisor: Training Horses: Aggression in Horses.
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jul 1, 2000 - 9:02 am:

Hi Irma,

What are the circumstances under which Hildy bites? Is it when you ask her to go forward, or when you are rubbing her in a certain place etc? These are important things to know. There are advantages and disadvantages in handling horses a lot right from birth... one of the disadvantages is that if you are not really mindful every second that you are handling them, it's easy for unwanted behaviors to be developed. Over-familiarity can actually work against you.

One thing that you probably know but I'll mention just in case, is that there are points on horses that are sort of mutual grooming "trigger points"; ie, if you rub or scratch these points enough to trigger a response (doesn't take much at all on a foal), the innate response for a horse who trusts you is to bend back toward you with an open mouth and try to scritch you back. This is a very friendly gesture--but sadly to some it looks like "biting" and they respond by punishing the horse. Talk about destroying trust! I'm not saying that it's what's going on here, but it's something to be aware of. I only scratch the wither and rump of a foal long enough to give them a good feeling, but I always stop before their urge to return the favor becomes overwhelming.

I'm not big on punishment and you especially don't want to be hitting foals--everything seems to be magnified from their perspective.
If this is not misinterpreted mutual grooming, then it's rather odd behavior from a foal so young, so I'll wait to hear more details from you.

Hope things are going okay.

Posted on Sunday, Aug 4, 2002 - 10:15 pm:

I have a related problem, not with my own horse but one I've agreed to "babysit" while his owner is on vacation. I went over to meet the critter today, and as soon as I walked into his paddock, the colt trotted straight up to me, I gave him a pat on the head, and a scratch on the neck, turned to comment on what a beautiful yearling he is, and the little sucker positively attacked me, rearing, striking, whole ball game! Well, he's not so little, he's about 15hh, and pretty as a picture. He seems to respect the fellow who raised him, but I get the feeling he doesn't feel the need to transfer that respect to other humans. (The reason the horse needs to be "babysat" is that the owner is afraid to leave him home alone due to his getting out today and terrorizing the neighborhood) What on earth could make a yearling colt so aggressive? I have raised several stallions, couple of which are still entire, and they have never in their lives behaved like this. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this fledgling terrorist for two weeks?
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