Horse who has behavioral problem

[Chall]

My TB didn’t try to bite me, but put everything in his mouth, and shut his jaw. Loved to nuzzle cat fur, but then tried picking said cat up in his jaw. Ouch, did the same with a horse friendly dog.
Because I knew he was a doofus, and had not intention of biting, like a poster above, I learned how to rub his gums, above his teeth. He loved that.

In his later years X-rays showed rotted teeth that had stayed in his mouth via deterioration.
So he had tooth problems for a long while. He also would grind his teeth on one side if you made too much contact thru the reins (when collecting).

None of this was accompanied by ear pining or snark faces. Does your horse pin his ears and switch his tail when attempting to bite?

[scislandsprite]

@Nova2000

It is possible that the ulcers are so severe that it was not enough time. You mention that the symptoms were less, so maybe it was helping, but not treated for long enough? I treated one gelding for a month and he improved but after treatment he reverted, so I treated for two months after that and switched to the Esomeprazole for two months. He did well for a while, and then at the slightest onset of symptoms again I had him scoped. I wanted to know how bad his ulcers were when he started showing signs. He had mostly grade 3 ulcers. So I can only imagine how bad they had been when he was at his worst behavior. That time I treated for 5 months and gave sucralfate before a ride and felt like we finally got past it. Also, while many do, not 100% of horses respond to omeprazole.

I second this, I had to go through 4 rounds of treatment before the symptoms stayed away. Symptoms would go away during treatment but then if I tried to taper, they came back, so I just had to stay at treatment dose for longer than usual.

[findeight]

@2DogsFarm

My TB was mouthy too & if you didn’t know equine body language, you got nailed

This times 10. Horse body language takes a very long time to learn and must be mastered hands on. Track workers handle 10-12+ head 6-7 days a week, every week tear round. Not always the same horses, including temperamental fillies and intact young studs. Those workers get very good at interpreting body language but even then, can miss the signs.

Average hobby owner handles 1 or 2 maybe averaging 3-5 days a week and even years of this does not build the body language “vocabulary” of experienced professional handlers.

Not what OP wants to hear but it is what it is and is not going to go away without intervention. Does not sound like trainer here has much experience or “vocabulary” to deal with this and teach OP. No idea if OPs budget allows for the vetwork or not. Thats the other piece to the puzzle.

Get some help here.

[red_mares]

My Saddlebred mare was a bit like this. She probably had ulcers, but 20+ years ago, it wasn’t the thing it is now. I don’t think her background - coming from a show barn, where manners are expected, but a lot is also tolerated in the name of spirit or attitude, is much different than the race track. She also got a lot more regular work before I got her.

What really worked wonders was convincing her that I was bigger than she was. So here’s the advice I got from Dad (RIP) ‘Get a good whip, not a riding whip, one ~5’ long, go into her stall, and pound on the wall. Don’t pet her, don’t say hi, don’t acknowledge her. Just go in, beat on the wall & leave. Then just leave the barn. Do that for 3 or 4 days."

It worked wonders. She still would bite if the opportunity presented itself, but generally had a whole lot more respect for me. The mare had to have very clear boundaries & she would exploit any weakness. When I had her in training, she had the groom trained that she would only enter the wash rack from one side of the barn. She didn’t do it with me or the trainer, but all the time with the groom.