How do I keep my horse from biting me?

Question

I love my horse to death but she keeps biting me and other people. I got her from a rescue operation and I think whats happening is that they would use treats to lure the horses in and now when she doesn't get one she bites me! This has gotten to the point where just to untie her from getting saddled she snaps at my fingers, If I'm anywhere near her mouth she lips and tries to bite me. She's perfectly healthy and just had her coggins,shots and physical so it can't be anything medical and I saddle her away from other animals. She's a very sweet but stubborn 10 yr old appaloosa and this behavior needs to stop. Any suggestions on how?

Answer 1

slap that horse ..biting is dangerous ..I saw a horse grab a man by the shoulder and pick him up off his feet

Answer 2

Smack her, but don't do it...intentionally like--like first act like you're gunna hit her than make it so that she runs into your hand so it's her fault. Just don't fight with her. It seems to me that [usually] mares like to fight back and push back and keep trying.

I dunno.

Best of luck to you and happy trails.

Answer 3

you then need to smack her neck or make a loud sound saying No biting to her so she gets the idea, going to be hard to retrain her seeing as she is 10yrs old and no one has complained to her before about it. Just keep the patience up and dont let her get her way and you will do fine, and feeding her treats isnt what got her nipping, nipping doesnt come from that it comes from someone teasing her with there hands and she is just use to nipping out to get at them. We had a problem stallion with this habit but sadly he had to be put to rest.

Answer 4

pull its teeth :]

Answer 5

Your horse definitely feels superior to you.  You do not have her respect at all and this is a problem with dominance behavior.  You and everyone else it seems are lower on the totem pole than she is and she is letting you know it.  Whatever you do DO NOT HIT -SLAP - OR SMACK  YOUR HORSE.  This will not fix the problem.  It will probably make it worse because she will make a game out it because she has been winning this game with you and everybody else.   As far as verbally yelling NO at your horse, she won't even let it go in one ear and out the other.  Horses can learn verbal cues but they are not verbal creatures so verbal language doesn't really mean anything.  I had a problem like this but much much worse than what you describe.  I was fortunate enough to be able to get advice from Ray Hunt about my horse and I will share this with you.  Before your horse bites you, she has to get ready to bite you.  Watch her closely.  She will exhibit some behavior or movement before she bites.  It is not easy (my horse was very quick) but you have to be fast enough to recognize her behavior before she bites and react quickly.   You have to use your left arm (standing close to your horse) to block her movement (bend your arm at the elbow and hold it up high - I don't know how tall you are compared to your horse - you want it to be well in sight of the vision of her left eye and approaching the whole left side of her head and/or neck depending on your technique).   She will "run into" your arm and it will really surprise her.  The point in doing this is that you are not hitting or smacking her, she will think she did it to herself and she will not resent you or get defensive and strike out.  When she does this several times, she will stop because she doesn't want to run into your arm.  If this is a habit that she has had for a long time, it will take some time to correct so don't expect a miracle and be patient.  You mentioned that she exhibits this behavior in more than one situation, so she has learned to use this behavior successfully against you.   A beligerant, disrespectful horse can become very combative and even dangerous if you hit and smack on them and it never solves a problem.  Again, this is an issue of respect and training and should not be taken lightly.  It is a dangerous behavior and you can really get hurt.  I knew of someone who got bitten in the throat.  I got bitten pretty badly in the chest once before I knew how to "fix it up and help my horse find the answer".  If you are unsure about this, don't take any chances.  Get someone to help you and don't get hurt.  It's not worth it.   Be safe.

Answer 6

i dident read the details cuz im lazy and its long,

but give him/her a lit smak in the moth/nose every time he/she bits you.

it worcs.

Answer 7

If she bites you then you should slap her on her face or neck so that she knows its bad. You might also want to have people stop feeding her treats by hand, sometimes this causes them to take on the bad habit of biting.

Answer 8

Everyone who says smack her is absolutly right! It will make her stop real quick.

lol but i know what you mean by sweet yet stubborn, appytude:-)

Answer 9

Well the problem I have with using your hands to slap or snick on the nose is the association and you might create a problem, because you do so many other things with your hands, now I agree that she needs a smack but do it with the blunt end of a dressage whip and if you do i correctly and time it right u will only need to do it once maybe twice. carry your whip, but turned around and only correct her when she is untied or your leading her.  When she goes to nip or bite give her a GOOD smack on the nose and say NO in a very firm voice. If she backs away , great and wants to keep her distance, all the better just ignore her and dont pet or coddle her. Go about your business with her and if she tries again, repeat. She will get the picture and stop. Good luck

Answer 10

I pop mine on the nose quickly, then i bust their bum a bit and i dont mean beat them, the pop on the nose is enough.  I become the predator let say.  My little stud learned the hard way 4 days ago when he almost got my right breast, lucky I'm always on my toes.  He still thinks I'm going to eat him.  LOL  I dont think he will try that again anytime soon...i hope ")

Answer 11

I highly doubt that just not feeding her treats is what's making her bite at you. its a behavior issue problem. i also doubt that treats are the issue, she is probably biting because she's been allowed to get away with biting at you. a girl i used to ride with had a biter and she would get a bottle of lemon juice and everytime her horse tried to bite she squirted his muzzle with it. also, whenever she tries to bite you, swat at her nose, not hard just a little tap, to show her that she is not allowed to bite.

Answer 12

Slap his butt he'll stop right away!

:)

Answer 13

every time she goes to or does bite you tap her on the nose with your hand and say "no!" very firmly.

after a while she will start to realise who is boss.

also, if she tries to bite whilst you are mounting try giving her a tap with your riding crop once you are on her.

this way she will know she has done wrong and get prepared for riding.

Answer 14

u can give her a light jerk on the halter and tell her no but if that does not work than u can do this. instead of 'hitting' her, the next time she goes to bite u elbow her in the face. but dont look at her just pretend u have to fix your hair and lift your arm so it 'hits' her in the mouth. do this every time and she will eventually stop and wont get head shy. it because u r not making it 'personal', your not being aggressive or abusive but she will figure it out that wen she trys to bite she feels discomfort. also try not to hand feed her as much, put it in a bucket, do it less, and only hand feed her wen u want to not wen she takes a treat from u.

good luck!

Answer 15

If she bites you, or goes to, give her a quick slap on her chest or nose.

She won't be sad or hurt (she's a thousand pound animal) and she will learn quickly to stop.

Stop hand feeding her treats also.