Biting Their Way Into Your Heart?

Part One:

Last week my 18-month old Mustang colt, Excalibur, decided it was time to be mouthy.  He is at the prime age to explore foreign objects with his lips and muzzles everything he can find.   He enjoys learning about all types of textures, tastes and smells (which ultimately is a good thing). During this process, however, he decided to try his luck with me. Not his best decision to date, and what began as exploration, ventured into a "game" as he amused himself with nipping me when my back was turned. I tried numerous times to reprimand him but that was useless; just part of the game to him. Finally, I was able to increase the stakes to create a very clear boundary and put an end to this playtime exercise… at least for the day.  

I’m sure, if you’ve raised a horse from colt or filly to adulthood you can understand exactly what I am going through. Just like humans, horses have normal stages of development they must go through in order to become well adjusted adults. Unlike humans, though, horses’ jaws are very powerful and it can be quite intimidating to watch an open mouth coming towards you or suddenly find yourself in between a set of teeth! In order to explore effective solutions to this occasionally painful endeavor you must become very adept at interpreting and understanding your horse’s behavior. A great place to start with a biting challenge (or any challenge for that matter) is to ask yourself these questions:

• When did this behavior begin?
• What triggered this behavior today?
• How does this behavior show itself?
• Where does it happen?
• Who is involved?
• Why is this behavior happening?
• When do we need to have it solved by?

Once you’ve answered these questions to the best of your ability, it is time to determine the most important factor in behavioral change. Does this behavior really need to be changed?  Now obviously, if your horse is doing something that could potentially be dangerous to him or to you, the answer would be a resounding "YES!" 

But before you enforce strong personal boundaries it is always good to consider what your horse is doing and if his actions truly need changing.  For example, some horses may lick your hands or arms seeking additional salt in their diets or simply because they enjoy the taste of your leftovers.  After all they love sweet and salty tastes.  So you may go through a lot of trouble to change behavior when the real answer was to give them more salt, or to just let them enjoy the taste! 

Regardless of the behavior or the decision to change it, the more information you have about the behavior the better equipped you’ll be to solve the problem.  Knowing why your horse is doing what he is doing is a crucial step in the process.  So here are some common reasons to consider when it comes to your horse’s behavior and how to approach changing and shaping the behavior when you need to do so. 

Signs of Affection

By their very nature horses are affectionate and explore people with their muzzles.  They like to touch, feel, and smell different body parts.  Often when horses become very comfortable they engage in what is called "mutual grooming", seeking different locations to massage you with their upper lip!  These can all be signs of affection and you need to decide whether or not you want to invite this behavior into your life.  If you decide to embrace these offerings ensure everyone is on the same page, so that your horse doesn’t get encouraged by one person while being reprimanded by another for the exact same gesture.  Consistency is the key here!

For safety reasons you may keep certain horses out of your personal range, whereas others are invited into close proximity.  It is acceptable to encourage some to touch you with their lips and yet prohibit the opening of their mouth or placement of teeth.  These are your decisions, for you know your horse best, or at least you should, and what is comfortable and acceptable to you!

Signs of discomfort

Learning to read your horse and understand what he is saying is imperative for any horse owner.  They can show signs of mental, emotional and physical discomfort and it is important that you are able to identify what your horse is trying to say.    Horses in pain may try to bite while tacking up.  Often known as "cinchy horses", they attempt to tell you about backache, discomfort, sensitivity, saddle-fitting and anxiety just to name a few.  Always consult a vet if you believe there is a physical reason for their behavior.

Horses have life-long memories and it takes patience, trust and compassion to overcome previously uncomfortable experiences.  They may anticipate an action triggered from their past.

During the saddling of young horses I’ve experienced their attempt to bite at the girth, the stirrup irons or my arm.  This behavior may be a natural response, exploring the situation.  On the other hand it may also be an expression of concern or an over zealous nature.  This same behavior may disappear in just a few days as their confidence builds (known as extinction).

Once you know your horse’s baseline, or usual behavior patterns, you will recognize abnormal or unusual behavior.  If your horse never bites and suddenly displays aggressive tendencies during a new or unusual request consider they may be confused or you might have overloaded them mentally or emotionally with your request.  Ask yourself how many signs of anxiety you missed prior and if schooling them would be appropriate due to your oversight.

Signs of aggression

There are many reasons why horses become aggressive, what I believe to be certain is; "No horse is born bad!"  Characteristics and behavior can be based on bloodlines, environment and influence.   Many times our horses are victims of our innocence and ignorance and as such can become defensive; often appearing aggressive. 

The cause behind aggression is always fear.  The acronym of F.E.A.R., "false evidence appearing real" applies to horses just as much as it does humans.  This isn’t to say that the feelings of fear aren’t real, but instead that we are experience those feelings based on the reality we’ve created through our perceptions.  If we perceive an obstacle as difficult or impossible to overcome, for example, we may become fearful and, at times, mask this fear with aggression. 

Everyone knows the cliché of the child who yells, "Leave me alone!" or "I don’t want to!" because he is afraid of something and doesn’t want to face it.  The same is true for your horse.  If you can unravel the cause of this behavior, get to the core fear your horse is experiencing, you will solve the aggressive tendencies without having to get aggressive yourself.  Support instead of conflict is always a better solution.  Remember, your horse is just trying to tell you something and it’s not his fault.  With patience and understanding this too will pass.

Signs of play

Many times horse’s can simply think they are being playful.  Their intention is not to harm in anyway.  They just want to have some fun and don’t understand that what they are doing can be harmful or dangerous.  In Excalibur’s case above, for example, it is not unusual for testosterone driven colts to be confident and challenging at this age.  In addition, he had been stall-bound for several weeks, due to discomfort, and was carrying a lot of pent-up energy. 

Insufficient exercise during the day creates a build up of energy just waiting to be released and can sometimes show itself as destructive.  Feed schedule is another consideration, it is important to ensure the quantity of feed matches the workload.  There are so many possibilities that it is important to stay alert to the fact that your horse, like an overzealous older sibling, just might be excited not realizing that he could do harm in his enthusiastic desire to play.

Part Two:

Your Toolbox!

Once you have explored the answers to your questions and you know there is no physical discomfort behind your horse’s actions, you are ready to address this undesirable behavior!  Your methods need to be mixed and matched to suit your horse’s needs at the time as well as your own personal comfort level.  No one horse is the same and hence your "tools" are exactly that.  They are not "fix it all" solutions, they are tools for you to use and explore as you make your way to shaping and changing your horse’s behavior.  As with all horsemanship the quantity of pressure, its release, timing and reward are all keys to your success.

Work vs. Rest

This is probably my favorite method for addressing the serious biter.   I usually utilize a round pen in these situations.  Having entered the round pen I begin my session by "Reaching-Out" to my horse to gain insights into his personality while building mutual trust, understanding and respect.  Once we have achieved the basic contract we create scenarios conducive to intrinsic learning.   

For example, positioned in the center of the round pen, a place of comfort and rest, I clip a short lead rope approximately 10 inches in length onto my horse’s halter (you can use an old lead line).  This enables me to lead my horse as normal.  If and when my "student" becomes invasive or attempts to bite there are consequences for his actions.  He gets put to work, this time running around the perimeter of the round pen.  

After certain gestures he is invited to join me in the center of the round pen and within a short period of time he learns to behave in the correct manner so he may stay close.  After all he doesn’t want to be banished from the herd and neither does he want to keep exercising.   Lavished with support and comfort in the center of the pen he is encouraged to be respectful where life is easier and restful.

Comfort vs. discomfort

If you are one of the many people who do not have access to a round pen or arena you may wish to utilize the concept of comfort vs. discomfort. The principles are identical in nature to work vs. rest. If your horse misbehaves, i.e. attempts to bite you, back him up! 

Horses don’t back up in nature over any distance.  You are in fact not only putting your horse to work, but by moving backwards he is giving you control of his feet.  Also by asking him to back into his blind-spot directly behind him you are building trust but at the same time, by creating space between you and him, you are, in effect, banishing him from your herd of 2.

It has multiple lessons and is very effective.  Remember this shouldn’t be an "all negative" lesson.  Always praise your horse for any attempt to be calm and acknowledge the efforts in ways perceived as praise (rest, rubs, release of pressure).

Distraction

You may have heard that horses only concentrate on one sensation and stimulus at a time.  Although I question this statement, I have found distraction to be an occasionally effective tool.  An example of this would be a "playful" individual trying to engage you in a round of nipping just to witness your reaction. As your horse prepares to bite you, distract him.  One suggestion may be to tap your horse on his nearside front fetlock with your foot.  Notice I said "tap" not "kick!"  This distracts him from his original thought pattern.  It is believed that a horse will not associate this action with you, but don’t be fooled by this every time.  Horses learn right and wrong very quickly!

Extinction

Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.  Like a child trying to get attention, if you simply ignore the behavior and it will die out naturally.  This can be very effective when training young or immature horses.  You choose your topics to address with your tools and let the others just disappear!

Bumping

Allow your horse to naturally bump into your elbow or other body parts such as your shoulder, hip or back-side.  There is no hitting or smacking involved, no chasing your horse down or preempting their actions.  It’s a matter of staying firmly in position and in a timely fashion allowing him to bump his nose.   It is always about timing!  The horse cause its own discomfort and soon realizes that biting is not as much fun as he thought it would be.

As you can see there are a lot of tools you can use when solving your biting problem.  But the most important tool you have is your own creativity.  Horses are living, breathing creatures, not computers or mechanical objects.  You can’t just push a button or apply a technique and expect it to work every time. 

If one approach doesn’t work then try another.  Be patient, always pay attention and don’t be afraid to try something just because someone else told you it wouldn’t work.  And always remember that some of these lessons can be avoided with correct management – prevention is better than cure!

The last thing to keep in mind is that the answer always comes down to you.  What will ultimately determine the work to be done is your common sense and comfort level.  Don’t look to a formula or someone else’s word to decide what is acceptable and what isn’t.  What makes good horsemen or women is the confidence and ability to determine what is appropriate for them and their horse.  So stay safe, learn what makes your horse tick and with time and training you can solve that biting challenge and have a very well behaved horse.

by Anna Twinney