I just got a 4 year old Andalusian gelding about 4 months ago and he has always had such a mad look on his face and he pins his ears most of the time. Whenever it’s feeding time or after he gets a treat he also lifts his leg and stomps a few times. In the wash racks I always wait a while letting him get acclimated to the water on his legs but he just contorts his whole body around.The one thing he’s done was when I was giving him a scratch in his stall and he quickly pinned his ears at me and bit me on the shoulder. He used to point his hind end at me when I went in his stall to get his halter on but I have corrected this issue and he doesn’t do that anymore. Is there something I should do and could there be anything wrong with him? He is very good when riding…
You need some good training help on the ground to make the point biting is never ok.
He’s only 4. That’s very young for an Andy. Do you know when he was started, when he was gelded, whether he was ever washed before?
It sounds like you are new to horses or to baby horses. Treat him like a baby and introduce him slowly to things.
OTTB get exposed to all kinds of washing and handling at the track. Ranch QH can get exposed to everything and be under saddle at 2.
Andy people start later.
Note also that Andies are very expressive and love to paw
I was at the Andy show last summer that had quite a few stallions. It was total noise fest of screaming and pawing. On the other hand they learn Spanish Walk very easily!
Andy’s are smart people oriented horses with busy brains. Make clear limits and show him some positive ways to interact with you
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Your gelding sounds like one of my horses. This horse is a dominant gelding, and when I first got him, he would pin his ears at me every time I approached him. He threatened to kick me more than once and swung his head around and snapped at me one time. I cured it with a two-pronged approach. First, I made it a point to give him a reason to be happy to see me. Second, every time he threatened me I made him move his feet until his attitude sweetened. I would approach him in the field at random times and if he greeted me with ears forward he got a treat or a scratch on the withers and I would leave him alone. If he threatened me he got to work (I always carried a lunge whip with me). If he got fussy about me cleaning his feet he got to back up a long ways, hard and fast. It took some persistence, but now he comes to me with ears forward.
I think the problem with your horse is that he doesn’t respect you yet (I’m assuming there’s no reason to think he’s in pain). The cure for that is groundwork, especially round penning. Make him move and make him change directions a lot. Make him believe you just might kill him if he disrespects you. And then when he’s licking and chewing and wanting to come to you, show him how sweet life can be. Work with a trainer if you’re not confident in your ability to do this. Only one of you can be leader, and it must be you.
That’s exactly how they said he was when he was even younger. I’ve just started keeping a whip right outside his stall and making him go to the corner of his stall and stand still for a few seconds if he tries to be bossy. I have him come to me and then I give him a treat after and he seems to get nicer and respect me more every time. I feel like I should just spend more time bonding with him while being very picky about his behaviors/actions.
Headache. Body pain. I would do TTouch or some other kind of gentle bodywork all over him to get him relaxed and accepting of touch all over his body. I got a horse off the track 18 months ago and he was like this in the beginning. He was very body sore and pinned his ears a lot and would bite and kick. I did lots and lots of TTouch all over him. It took a while but he is much better in his body, never kicks anymore and rarely threatens to bite. He is still a work in progress. It takes a while to get rid of bad habits.
Agree with the respect thing as well as having him associate you with nice things. Not just treats (don’t want him to get mouthy) but scritches and relaxed grooming sessions as well. If he were mine, I would spend time bonding over some fun ground work like interesting obstacles, hacks, maybe handwalking on trails to keep him interested. Definitely insist on good manners but be sure to give him lots of positive reinforcement for the desired behaviours. He’s still very young,with strange people and environment around him. Give him the opportunity to relax and get comfortable in his new life.
Before you consider all the disciplining, consider “WHY” he is pinning his ears. Something is bothering him and he’s telling you in the only way he can. I would have him checked for ulcers and even if it’s negative, he could have them in his hindgut, so putting him on ulcer meds might help. Ulcers can cause horses to be nasty because they are so uncomfortable. I would also check his teeth with a vet or dentist that really knows their mouths. At his age, he could have wolf teeth bothering him, caps or hooks or points that are just tearing up his mouth. Have a good vet go over his body for soreness and watch him move at all 3 gaits, do a flex test. Have you gone over his legs and seen any swelling or bumps or palpated for soreness? Is his shoeing or trim a good job? If he isn’t balanced that could be a sign of discomfort. Once you’ve done all that, have a good equine massage therapist come out and do a full body massage. Cover all your bases before you just resort to discipline. A young horse shouldn’t be so unhappy for no reason. Good luck and let us know.
I was thinking, some colts mature about 4, or 5 or even 6 and for a few months are different/strange/not themselves.
Since he came with the story of being like that for long before now, it could be that he is by nature a more dominant horse and trying himself for size where he can.
Checking him physically for other is always imperative, but sounds like that is who he is.
If he is also amenable and quiet, should not be too hard to train into understanding what is ok and what not.
Youngsters, they are an adventure, are they.
I ride an Icy gelding that behaves similar. He hates being inside the barn ( hence pinned ears and hostile). Great to ride. Ok in indoor but prefers trails. Very aggressive with other horses in the field. He is just a VERY bossy dude but he is improving, Was regularly handled by staff with only a basic skill set for the first 6 years of his life and rectifying his habituated behaviors will take time.
I agree with some points here, but I’ve never owned or worked with one that pawed. I’ve also been to larger competitions in Spain, and there wasn’t a bunch of noise that I can recall.
With that said, they are indeed expressive creatures. My gelding does spend a lot of time with his ears turned backwards, many of his early riding pictures are like this. Not pinned, but listening. Someone came up to him once and asked why his ears were pinned? I said they’re just turned backward. You can tell when they’re actually pinned (usually at another horse crowding his space). Probably not the case here, but it was an interesting interaction. He is always listening, but I find his ears to be more forward now as he’s gotten a bit older and more confident.
My gelding was started at 4.5 years old and gelded around 3. I generally find when they are gelded as irrelevant as most Spanish stallions are quite well behaved. I’ve worked with quite a few, but geld mine as I board and move sometimes due to work. Just easier. Gelding or stallion my expectations are the same, no messing around or rudeness.
The 4 year old in the OP is still young, and these guys are/can be incredibly sensitive and lack confidence in the beginning (kind of due to their sensitivity if that makes sense). You’ll need time to establish a relationship. These horses value a relationship with their person.
They are sensitive to body language and your actions, so be mindful. Really mindful. Keep relaxed and conscious of what your body is saying. If I came abruptly and strongly into my geldings stall, he could also get nervous and turn his bum to me if he were fearful. Took me a week to be able to promptly catch him in the field when I first got him, and to get him over being nervous while I mounted. It was naughtiness, it was fear. Being patient and consistent worked. If I over correct or become too aggressive (as I would with my Warmblood - he’s dense) it only heightens his nerves. You really have to think with these guys. It is so easy to want to he strict, and you should be, but it is a balance…they also don’t forget! Which is both good and bad when it comes to training/experiences.
Andalusians, especially this gelding I have, are weirdos. Especially when young. Some not so much, but you have to have a sense of humor and ignore them. They can be dramatic and I swear it is for show. Don’t give in or encourage the dramatics. A firm reminder and continue what you’re doing. These are horses that most of the time need mental force not physical.
Set your boundaries clearly and do some groundwork. They enjoy learning tricks or playing with things (tarps, balls, picking up whips) and this is a good way to establish the relationship that these horses value. Give him some time to get familiar with you and his new surroundings.
They’re normally quite honest and pleasant in demeanor, so if he is standing there with ears pinned, something is wrong. Either something physical like ulcers, or not not liking his surroundings, or being frustrated.
When he does something such as biting you need to react fast and bold. Make him know you are serious. I had mine nip at me once while leading. I quickly turned around, gave him a smack, made a lot of noise, harshly backed him up, then dropped it. This correction was 3 seconds. He never tried it again. Sometimes you do have to be loud and clear. Quickly. Then carry on. Clear boundaries.
Horses are all individuals and there are some out there that hate the whole grooming process, sometimes pain related, sometimes just them. But do your due diligence to get to know him and form a partnership. When you have an Andalusian as your true partner and there is respect and trust there, it is a relationship like no other. Mine understands me (I can make the slightest moves and get a reaction) and really tries (sometimes too much) for me. They’re just fantastic, but with high intelligence does come some neurotic tendencies LOL
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Honestly, is there any way that there could be Lusitano in his blood lines? I ask because we have three horses here who seem to have permanent ears pinned back, and they all are quite nasty toward the PREs (and other horses), and they all have Lusitano, or are full Lusitano. It’s so strange.
Anyway, the one guy who is most well known for the ear pinning only stops pinning his ears when he’s sick. We all know when he’s feeling himself again because his ears go back to being pinned. It’s just this thing he does. But he loves his people. Dunno!
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