How can i train my miniature pony out of biting??

Question

He came to us already with the habit. Ive always trained my horses not to bite, but he already does and im not sure what to do about it!! i never let him of course, and i tell him no, and if he does nip me he is shown that it is wrong. i DONT believe in hitting a horse or anything. plz help!

Answer 1

At the stable I ride at, if a horse nips or bites then they immediately get a slap on the neck. It shows them that if they hurt others, others will hurt them.

It doesn't hurt them, and its not considered abuse to just slap them on the neck. Saying "NO" wont do anything, b/c he doesn't know what that word means. Animals that cannot talk will most likely use body language (Dogs, cats, horses)

In the horse world, a horse will kick or bite if another horse gets too close. If a horse gets too close to another horse, the horse doesnt turn around and say "NO!" they will bite or kick if they have to. Trust me, its not going to make them fear you or anything, it just shows them that they wont be aloud to do that. Its kind of like a crop or spurs in a way, it doesnt hurt but it shows them what they need to do.

Funny story....Awhile back a rider named Ally used to lease a welsh pony named Cookie. He would bite or snap at anybody who got too close to him. Ally definately doesnt tolerate this. She told him that if he bit her, she'd bite him back. Guess what? He bit her, she bit his ear! It definately didnt cause bleeding, they just put some medicine on the bite, and everybody thought another horse did it. Cookie still loves Ally although she outgrew him. He has never bitten or snapped since then.

Trust me, it wont hurt a horse to slap them on the neck or anything like that, b/c i assure you that if a horse kicks another horse to tell them something, then im sure that if you slap a horse on their neck then you will be telling them something.

P.S. Their fur will protect them as well. They arent as skin sensitive as people.

Answer 2

Since I have a 2 year old and have had her since she was 6 months, she is trained not to bite or nip.  I light tap on the muzzle and very Loud "NO".  It's not the word but the loudness of your voice that they understand.  If you are feeding treats by hand, STOP, until you have this under control.  You need to teach him to respect your space.  There is alot of info how to do this without being aggresive or mean, look on the internet.  Parelli or Clinton are good resources.  When I got my 6 month old this is the first lesson she learned and she is 2 now and we have wonderful relationship and truly have built on that foundation.  I respect her and she respects and truly trusts me.

Answer 3

Don't be mean, but when he reaches around to bite, swat him lightly on the nose and tell him NO. Their noses are sensitive, so you don't have to do it hard at all. But you have to do it right when he's trying to get you so he knows exactly why he's getting in trouble.

Discipline is important. The point of this isn't to leave him with a sore nose. The point is to break his habit by making his life uncomfortable every time he tries to do it.

Nobody wants a horse that bites - even a little horse. If you ever sell him, he'll have a much safer and happier life if he does not bite. Even if he doesn't like it when you smack him on the nose now, he'll thank you later.

Answer 4

Where I work with horses, we never hit either. :) Instead, if a horse or pony may start to nip, we just stick out our elbow. So, if/when they do nip, they hit your elbow. To them, you didn't hurt them, they just went to nip you and when they did that they got bopped on the nose. They then associate that discomfort only with nipping, and not with you, because you didn't directly do it. Don't stop grooming or whatever it is you are doing, just hold out your elbow and continue. Good luck

Answer 5

When he trys or does bite you take your pointer finger and poke him in the nose a couple times.  He will pull back, but every horse does.  After he backs off, stroke his face with the palm of your hand.

Answer 6

When I bought my gelding he liked to nip at people. I stopped it real quick with a single slap on the nose. He hasn't done it since. I understand that you dont believe in hitting a horse, but you cant just tell a horse 'no' and expect it to understand.

Think about it, simply slapping him on the nose is much tamer than what would happen to him if he had bit one of his mates in the field. Another horse would have kicked him, or bit him in return. And let me tell you, the palm of your hand is a LOT softer than a horse's hoof.

I dont expect you to agree with me, but I'm telling you what has worked for me in the past with various horses.

Answer 7

I dont hit, i bite back. It always work, trust me. My family and i have 6 miniature horses and 5 big horses. My aunts stallion used to test me all the time. He knew if he bit someone then ran away quickly, he couldnt get punished, and there would be no way to catch him in time to punish him; the three second rule. But one time he bit me, and he was in his stall, he had no where to ran to! Oh, i bit him so hard, i left him confused. Not that it hurt all that bad, its was like a "woah moment" for him to finally get punished. He realized who was boss, and how it felt. But now, we have a great relationship, i can sit in the stall with him and talk to him all day. Hes a great little guy when he knows your not afraid of him. Also hitting a horse when they deserve it, isnt torture or animal cruelty. When they are bad, they need to know that theyre not allowed to do whatever it is. Or if you dont feel comfortable biting him, just lead him around with a chain on. Any time he tries to even nip at you snap the chain. It'll scare him and he won't be focussed on biting you anymore.

But you will get tired of it sooner of later, and you'll bite him back, its really the only way.

Answer 8

I've only used 2 methods and both are rather harsh so I'm not any help.

Answer 9

i dont hit my horses either. but theres a trick that is used by many famous trainers. i saw this on Parelli.

the next time your horse goes to bite u, simply lift your arm so he gets bumped in the face by your elbow. but dont look at him, say anything, ect.

by acting like u simply went to itch your head or fix your hair u r making the 'hit' not personal.

u see, wen a human deliberately goes over to a horse glares, yells, and hits the horse up side the muzzle in a very aggressive way the horse takes it very personally and gets frightened, resulting in being head shy.

but wen u b un-personal, just moving, the horses think 'ow! hey, my human was just being clumsy.' and they learn that wen the try and bite the feel discomfort. but not horrible pain or anything, just a little push back.

i tried it on my gelding and it worked after one or two more times and he is not head shy.

Answer 10

If you don't believe in hitting the horse, the problem will NEVER be fixed...

He needs to be disciplined and saying 'NO' isn't going to do it. When he goes to bite he NEEDS to get a fist, hand, elbow, etc. to the face for it and RIGHT when it happens.

I'm not suggesting you go out there attack him, but if he comes after you with his teeth bared you need to put him in his place. He now thinks he 'boss'... You're supposed to be the dominate one here.

Imagine what the dominate horse in a pasture with him would do if he bit?? He'd bite back!! And there's no way he'd baby him about either. This little guy needs to learn to respect you and your space and understand that you are 'alfa'... Not him.

Answer 11

Your pony bites you because it's a way that he shows his dominance over you.  Have you ever seen two horses 'arguing' over something such as a bucket of food?  Often, what happens is that both horses start biting at each other, until one of the horses gives up.  By not 'biting' your mini back, you seem to him like you're giving up.  I know it may seem mean, but you MUST act mean to your mini to make him stop biting.  

EDIT:  Slapping a horse's muzzle when they nip does not make them headshy.  Instead, they learn that they are punished when they nip.  It's only when a person slaps a horse's head for no reason that a horse gets headshy.

If you don't correct this biting problem, your mini will think he's dominant over you, and will start to refuse to listen to you.  The problem might not be bad now, but he might start to do things such as refuse to lead, be caught, stand for grooming/farrier/vet, etc.  If you drive your mini, you will also have trouble trying to drive him.  

Do not try to prevent your mini biting you.  Let him make his own mistakes so you can correct him.  (However, make sure that you watch out and don't get bitten!)  As soon as he tries, slap his muzzle, hard. He should be slightly startled, toss his head, etc.  Then, advance toward him aggressively.  Wave your arms, growl at him, stomp your feet, slap his chest, whatever it takes for him to back up several steps.  Make him think he's GOING TO DIE if he tries to bite you again.  Just telling him 'no' does not teach him anything, especially since most minis are 'pushy' and require quite a bit of 'persuasion' before they will accept a leader.  (Some other horses are more sensitive, and, yes, a firm 'no' will tell them what they're doing is not acceptable.  This does not seem to be working with your mini.)

It's all about establishing yourself as the alpha member of your two-creature herd.  You will not hurt your mini- horses have a very thick hide, and are much more pain-tolerant than people.  (Take the horse dehydration test, for example.  You pinch their skin to test their hydration.  It doesn't faze them in the least, but it's pretty painful for people.)  Do not have any inhibitions about being aggressive.  Remember, if you ever have to sell your mini, there is a very good chance he'll  go to slaughter if he has a biting problem, especially since minis are generally 'family horses,' who are expected to have impeccable manners.  By ensuring your horse has good manners, you'll give him that much more of a chance to find a good home if you're forced to sell him.

If you firmly impress upon your mini that biting is NOT okay, then he'll probably never try to bite you again.  Round up some friends and family members to do this exercise as well, so your mini learns not to bite anyone, not just you.  

Good luck!

Answer 12

The problem is that you don't believe in hitting a horse.  Yet this behavior is best dealt with that way.  Do what is best for the horse.  Even if it means hitting for bad behavior.  Even a miniature can hurt when he/she bites, but it could kill a small child.  So even with a mini there is no excuse to be given here.  Either hit the horse on the nose when it tries that or take a nail and stick it out between your fingers and poke him with it when he tries to bite.  Either way problem solved before someone gets hurt and decides to sue your pants off.

And yes in EVERY state not taking care of this problem because you do not believe in hitting your horse is considered negligence and is a suable matter if anyone gets hurt from it.  All they have to show is that you knew your horse had a tendency to bite and or kick.  That includes states with laws to protect horse owners who let someone ride and the rider gets hurt.  Those laws do not cover negligence cases.

Oh and horses do not become headshy from a slap on the nose from biting.  Horses get headshy when people yell at them and scold them so that they forget what they have done and THEN hit them.  Nothing comes before the hit on the nose so they remember what they did when they get hit.

BTW The bump trick works if the habit is not too ingrained or the horse has not started doing it as play.  Once it becomes play then the horse will start doing it when you are not watching and can not be trusted until the situation is dealt with.

Answer 13

I don't think saying NO will help a lot. I know my horses are not fluent in English   =)

Any time I have ever had a horse with this problem, I pinch them on the nose and they quickly learn that it hurts when they they bit.