Biting/Pushy/Mouthy Horse

[cg1187]

Hello all,

I’m looking for some advice or suggestions on what to do to reduce biting/pushiness in a horse. He is a BIG 17h Hanoverian gelding and he knows his size and takes advantage of it! I don’t think of him as a mean horse, but he has a bad habit of biting and being pushy. For example, when he is in the cross ties, he will reach over and try (often successfully!) to nip me if I’m standing near his head or if I’m leading him he will bite me then as well. Also, if I’m standing next to his head he will use his head to push me over. I’m not a huge fan of punishing him by hitting him back. Sometimes it seems as if he enjoys playing the game of biting me and seeing if he gets a reaction.

Any suggestions on how to get rid of this bad habit? Could there be other reasons why he’s doing it that I’m not seeing?

[tipzythegreat]

Any time a horse gets YOU to move or bites you, he is telling you he is your alpha.

If you aren’t in to spanking him, I suppose you could try backing him up or something that he would perceive as “punishment”. But if you keep letting him push you around, he isn’t going to stop.

In my opinion, a horse should never get away with biting me on purpose. That is not acceptable and I will not accept it. If he even tries, I make sure to get my point across that it isn’t OK.

As far as the pushing, again… he isn’t respecting your space. He doesn’t respect you.

You can work on leading and general ground manners, but this sounds like a naughty horse that needs some spanks.

Good luck!

[wsmoak]

I have been through this before with a young gelding. I fervently wish I had known then what I know now!

I suggest getting Ed Dabney’s “Six Keys to Harmony” DVD. He’s local to me and I’ve been through the clinic with him. (Fun fact, for the clinic I got to ride the horse that’s in the video!)

His methods are gentle, but get the “stay out of my space” point across when necessary.
https://www.eddabney.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=12

And he explains things in terms of how horses think and interact with each other. When we enter their world, things like taking one step backwards become very meaningful, whether or not you even realize you’re doing it.