My two-year old was turned out with another two-year old and it was amazing to watch my girl gently discipline him. She did a good job setting boundaries and teaching him how to “horse” (he’s been stalled most of his life). She’s been used to nanny the babies and I’m always proud of how patient she is, but also how good she is at consistently setting boundaries she is with other horses.
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These are good questions, because I had this argument with my young horse somewhat often about a year ago.
She tried to pull her hinds away from you because there was a fly on a front leg. Now, I will do all the fly spraying and putting a fan on etc that I can, but the bottom line is she can not snatch her foot back because of a fly. Period. She is, in all aspects of her life, a little “extra” about flies. Stomping so hard she sparks on the concrete extra.
Frankly, I would let go of the foot, turn around with an instantaneous and single WHACK, then immediately return my energy down and ask for the foot again and hold it. Her getting the foot back I allowed, with a consequence. I am not going to play hippity-skippity underneath her trying to hold on, risking my safety, over her over reaction to a damn fly.
Now? After about 4, maybe 5 of those, it is a total non issue. You can tell when a fly lands because she flinches just a teeny tiny bit, but controls her impulse to GET IT OFF RIGHT NOW. She even learned to do a quickie front stomp while a hind is up without losing her balance.
I think with a horse as young as yours, I’d start by giving the benefit of the doubt. I also would not tolerate dangerous exploding over a stimuli that isn’t hurting her but she just doesn’t LIKE. I have these rules with all my horses. You can be scared. But you can not be flat-out dangerous when you’re scared. Period.
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I operate under this principle too. Horses can express themselves and react to things and be upset… within certain limits. A little spook or startle when heading to turnout because they’re fresh and saw a plastic bag, whatever. But if they spook towards me and bump into me, or go up on their hind legs? That’s a no-no.
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Or violently try to escape a situation by dragging the handler. No. That will get your ass put to work in a jiffy.
I’ve said it before. I am firm, and fair - cold and calculated. Just as fast as I can deliver discipline I return my energy back to “let’s work together”. My horses are happy because my rules and consequences are clear. I allow a LOT of leeway when a horse is trying to stay within the rules. I am patient for days when the “misbehavior” is not dangerous, and the horse is trying to figure out what it is I want. I love young horses for the process. But I turn out horses that are impeccable on the ground because right from jump there are “yes things” and “no things”. Black and white.
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signmypapyrusGreenie
How would you all handle another horse who likes to chew on other horses’s manes and tails?
Give that baby horse something waaaay more fun to chew on. A huge hunk of a ditch willow tree, will be good for the older horses if they have arthritis also. Or maybe a log
It’s not my horse.
It’s either dietary (unlikely) or just the youngster doing what youngsters do - chew on manes and tails. My own foal chewed his dam’s tail to her hocks, despite ample access to branches and logs to chew on.
You have to coat the tail in something the foal (or adult, they do it sometimes) finds awful enough. For mine, it wasn’t Wraplast or any of the normal anti-chew things. It was Dawn dish detergent
