Keep your teeth to yourself

Biting is a common issue many horse owners encounter (especially those of us who own geldings!) Whilst nipping and biting is sure to raise our blood pressure a little bit and can, of course, be dangerous, we do need to realise that actually, this is quite a natural behaviour in horses. This doesn’t mean to say we can ignore it, but simply that it isn’t quite as ‘vicious’ as we often assume. Here we discuss how we can counteract biting and mouthy behaviour and turn it into a relationship-building opportunity.

WHY SO BITEY?

Often when your horse is mouthy or tries to bite, he isn’t aiming to hurt you but rather trying to engage with you. If you watch your horse in his paddock with his friends, you’ll notice that he most likely interacts with other horses by using his mouth. This is because when a horse is curious and wants to engage with something, he usually does so with his mouth and lips. Of course, having said this, being bitten by your horse, whether in play or out of malice, is dangerous. Here we give you an exercise to try to stop this habit in its tracks!

THE EXERCISE

To start, we would recommend practising this exercise in the stable with your horse so that he is ‘contained’ behind a door. Once you are confident with the process, you can take this exercise out to the lunge ring and repeat the process. Please note, however, that when practising this outside of the stable, we would recommend that you have your horse in his halter and lead rope so that you can take action and move him away should you need to.

1. Stand outside your horse’s stable door, and as he brings his head close to you, cup your hands into a bowl shape and hold them out in front of you. Move your hands to be in front of whichever part of your body your horse is sniffing so that they act as a barrier between his muzzle and your body.

2. When your horse shows interest in your hands, gently rub the end of his muzzle. Be very careful with this and avoid ALL teeth!

3. If your horse moves his head away from the rubbing, let him. You don’t want to seek out engagement but instead want him to engage with you willingly. When he comes back again, start the process again. This shows him that you have recognised his curiosity and need for attention.

4. When out in the lunge ring, if your horse begins to walk towards you and become pushy, make sure you always back him up or at least stop him at a safe distance from you. Do not engage in this exercise with him when he is pushy or standing too close.

5. In this exercise, you ultimately expect to see your horse start to yawn or release tension. The more you engage with him, the more he’ll relax and reset his nervous system as you are providing the connection he is looking for.

Ultimately, this exercise is something you can practice every time he brings his head to you and over time, he’ll realise that he doesn’t need to bite to get your attention.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When you first start with this exercise, your horse’s reactions may temporarily get worse. While the pair of you are trying to figure out how to engage and communicate, he may nip more until he understands what you’re asking and showing him. However, by continuously engaging with him when he seeks out engagement, his biting habit will disappear and rubbing his muzzle will become a solid relationship builder.