Help on handling an untouched yearling?

Question

I have an untouched yearling which I've bought in for handling etc but he's being a little s**t! I am feeding ad lib hay and a coolmix and alfalfa oil, am thinking of trying a calmer and also have been offered some sedative by the vet but only want to use this as a last resort. He's tried to bite me a couple of times now and was wondering if anyone has any bright ideas? (i've done a few of these type of horses before but this one is being a bit more of a challenge!)

Answer 1

Have him in a small pen.  Go and sit in the corner and ignore him, maybe chew a carrot or something nice and crunchy.  He will get bored of this being ignored and come over and investigate you.  Still ignore him and let him sniff l**k etc.  If he does try to bite a quick thump on the nose accompanied by a loud growl or "NO!" might send him running back to think about it, but again curiosity will get the better of him.  

When you do get hands on him start at the shoulder rubbing firmly, mimicking another horse nuzzling.  He cannot reach you so easily and he can watch what you are doing.

When he does let you do this give him a piece of carrot and leave him.

Start again.

He will then associate being touched with pleasurable experiences and will become easier to handle.  He is too young to know that biting is not the accepted behaviour.

Patience and tact is very important in a young horse's life and you  can shape or ruin him in an instant!

Answer 2

I have started unhandled horses as old as 3 years.  The challenges are greater.  A lot of good advice precedes me on this.  This horse knows horse rules and hasn't learned human rules...so you'll have to go where he lives, so to speak, for awhile. There is a time for everything, and right now it's time to become his alpha.  

Drugging him is a ridiculous idea...I wouldn't do it.  The horse needs to be trained..not drugged...and he needs to be 100% alert when you teach him who is boss.

Let me preface by saying, I advocate natural horsemanship, so don't misread me on this.  Rig your left hand with a long s***w (not a pointed nail) attached to a strap that wraps around your wrist, crosses in your palm, and straps over your hand.  I s***w it through a thick piece of rubber that attaches to the strap where it crosses in your palm, so the s***w comes through the rubber "grip" and comes out between the 3rd and 4th fingers.  If he tries to bite you, let him hit it, or hit him first.  You don't need too much force since the s***w does the job.  It's done with very little movement of your arm, so he doesn't associate your arm movement with something to flinch from, or you can produce headshyness.  You can keep this on all the time as you work with him until you are confident he won't bite....don't be without it ever, at all, until then.

Answer 3

It never ceases to amaze me that folk leave handling for so long!

Stop with the oil.It can make some (my cob is one of them) go off their trolleys!!!

Same with the mix. Cereals can cause skin eruptions as the liver can't cope with the the protein out put,  it and can make the skin & brain hyper sencertive.(allergie)

Give him some brewers yeast in powder form in his feed(from feed merchant) to calm him down (Vitamin B= great natural  calmer).

Is he gelded? If not get them off asap. Biters can be nasty, frutrated creaturs.If you get him gelded then take full advanage of his quiet time after (if he has one) and get on with it!

Don't feed him very much at all. If he has a tendency to be bullish then being fat & fit won't help you win him over.

Only feed if he has done something. Try and get him into the routine of.....Do something for me.....get fed!

Then it can move on to, do something nice for me and be good...get fed.

I don't envy you this task. I bought a vertually untouched 4 year old mare in March & we have hit several "issues" since then!! She 's comming good (at the moment) I'll keep my fingers crossed for you if you do the same for me!!!

Answer 4

get some one to help catch him and if he jumps up in the air then pull the rope towards this until he is to tied to try anything else then get your friend to help him up and together start his training keep dong this a few time and he should settle down. my gelding was like that and now he is the best youngster to do anything with. also try treats to make him more nice to you but don't let him bite you for he is most likely one of those that will try you out again and again.

Answer 5

well be calm and gentel and firm but kined if he bites and

maby just maby he'll start to behave

Answer 6

Forget the sedative. Don't resort to that. And I'm sure you don't need to be told that you have your hands full when taking on the training of an untouched horse and that it will take a lot of time and patience to gain the horse's trust and respect and to establish a bond. But the biting thing must be dealt with the same way as it is dealt with in herd. Horses in herd bite for two reasons. They are either being playful or asserting dominance. Horses in herd will tolerate playful bites and reciprocate with a gentle bite and chase until the game gets annoying and then they know how to stop it. They stop it the same way they stop it when a horse bites to assert dominance. They bite back hard and give the offender a good kick. And you have to assert your dominance in a similar manner to let the horse know in no uncertain terms that you demand respect and will not tolerate bites whether playful or otherwise. Now I'm not suggesting that you bite and kick the horse when he trys to bite you but I am suggesting that a good hard whack on the nose or a solid knuckle sandwich will put an end to that biting. And there is nothing cruel or abusive about that. What horses in herd understand is respect for respect and retaliation for disrespect. When the horse respects you he should learn that he gets rewarded with respect and gently stroked and when he is hostile and aggressive he should learn that you will assert your dominance and retaliate in no uncertain terms. So what I am suggesting is that you give him a good hard whack on the nose when he trys to bite you and if he doesn't learn from a few of those that you won't tolerate biting then I suggest a solid knuckle sandwich will teach him and put an end to that biting.

Answer 7

play the game back towards him. If he comes up to you be him and if he bites you Bite Him BACK!

What happened with my horse is that he use to run away from me and bite me, sooo i use to run away from him which he got annoyed at so followed me and whenever he bit me i bit him back on the neck jsut as hard and made a horse noise.

I know some people are gonne think im crazy for biting a horse but it works and that foal has to learn manners

Answer 8

I am sure you know this but never hand feed a  horse of that age they will be really nasty when they get older. Also like the 2nd answer said, the are younger so they look for a lead be a leader. dont be mean about it, try not to hit them that much or they will get really shy, and you dont want that at all! I only ever hit my horse when its very bad like trying to kick me or run over me, but even then i dont hit hard because then she would get shy.m

i really hope this helps good luck

thanks so much

micheala

Answer 9

Go on you tube and look for Extreme mustang makeover on a horse called Ranger. You will be amazed I only wish I had seen it before I took on a wild yearling last year good luck

Answer 10

Biting gets disciplined and severely enough he doesn't try it again.  Can't do that?  Get rid of the horse.