What if your horse bites you?

What if your horse has a tendency to bite you? How can you solve this behaviour?

The first question that has to be answered is: \’Why does aĀ horse bite people?\’ If you want to solve a problem behaviourĀ start with finding the cause and work from there.

Possible causes

There are many reasons horses bite people. In some cases it is just play or asking attention. StallionsĀ andĀ geldings can play for hours theĀ \’I bite you, try to get me back\’-game. The reaction to the behaviour is usually also the reinforcer. In my experience stallions don\’t care about pain duringĀ this game, so punishmentĀ will have very slim chances to stop this behaviour.

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Horses can also bite because they feel a need to defend themselves and all the other body language that they displayed to warn you, has been ignored. The horse is not \’whispering\’ anymore but now he is \’shouting\’ in order to express himself. If horses are consequently punished for giving warning signs, they might decide one day to skip the warning signals and start attacking right away.

A horse can also start biting because he is in pain,Ā for example a poorly fitting saddle or bridle. The horse starts to bite in reaction to the saddle during saddling, cinching or a mounting rider.

\"KONICAMaybe the horse is not biting but nibbling and that is mistaken for biting. Horses nibble out of curiosity, they nibble duringĀ mutual grooming or because they like to take objects into their mouths due toĀ teething orĀ being playful.

Biting alsoĀ can become learned behaviour if the cause of the behaviour is long gone, but they still gain something by it. Horses that are stabledĀ in a very busy environment andĀ are beingĀ touched by people all the time without liking it can start biting out of agitation in order for people to let them alone. They can still bite people even if they have moved out of that situation, just because it became a habit.

Mugging behaviour can also turn into biting behaviour if it has been reinforced or if the horse gets frustrated because he doesn\’t understand when to expect a food reward and when not to expect it. Some people stop feeding treats altogether, but I would suggestĀ instead of avoiding the problem, solve it.

Sometimes we simply don\’t knowĀ the cause but we still want to find a solution.

Solutions

The best solutions are tailored to the cause. If a horse is playful, it won\’t help if we buyĀ another saddle for him.Ā If the horse is in pain, solve the pain and make adjustments to prevent more pain.

\"\"It isn\’t always easy to know or make an educated guess about the cause of the problem. Ask for a professional opinion of a horse behaviour specialist or ethologist to help you find solutions that are tailored to the cause and not just solved by punishing or avoiding the behaviour all together.

Biting can be a very dangerous behaviour. Always take (an attempt) to bite you seriously, even if it is play. It still can be dangerous. I personally know three people who lost a (part of their) finger, two due to their own horse.

Sandra Poppema
For tailored positive reinforcement training advise, pleaseĀ visit my websiteĀ and book aĀ personalĀ consult!

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6 thoughts on “What if your horse bites you?”

  1. I have a 2 year old mare that I rescued about a year ago. She is not broke but has been so gentle and now allows me to bath her. She loves her back end scratched…. smile… Just lately all the biting and maybe some nibbling she has started. She is in with a 19 year old pony that they both get along great together. He needed her I think for he was out in a pasture with no other horsed for years and badly miss treated physically and mentally. He is foundered and so I have a farrier come bay and take care of him. His hoofs where 6 inches long and looked like elf shoes. I really want to learn more but lately the biting has picked up on her. I feed them on a timely basis and even have evening black oil sunflower seeds for a treat. Any help is great appreciated.

    1. Hi Kenneth,
      thank you for your comment. I am so sorry that your mare started to bite and nibble.
      It is hard to give advice based on so little information. Like I say in my blog, the best approach to undesired behaviour is trying to find out what the cause is and then come up with a plan.
      Here is what I can do for you. I can offer you an free half hour intake consultation over Skype. Send me an e-mail (info@clickertraining.ca) and give me some background info when the biting/nibling started. Has something changed in het diet, her daily routing, are there other people that handle her, has she been sick etc.
      Also tell me a bit about your own horse experience and what time zone you are located in so we can make an appointment. I live in Canada (UTC/GMT -7 hours). Have a nice day, Kenneth

      1. Great!! I am busy for the next two days. I am in Texas and central time. Where in Canada do you live? A friend of mine and his wife live inn B.C. I am the only one that handles her and diet the same. It started about 2 months ago. She is great with the dogs I have here and a Border Collie with 7 pups was dumped on me and she has been like a mama to them, gentle and not aggressive towards them or the mama dog. The biting started before them came. I will contact you about Skype. Thanks for responding so soon.

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