Everyone imagines a fairy tale relationship with their horse long before they actually purchase him. Bareback gallops on the beach with the wind in his mane. A happy nicker and a kind eye when you enter the barn every morning. A horse that eagerly meets you at the gate every time you call him. But what if your daydreams turn into a literal nightmare? Suddenly, you find yourself being greeted by your horse’s frequent, and sometimes successful, attempts to bite. Let’s look at some common reasons horses bite, and more importantly, what we can do to stop it!
Pain
Pain should always be the first thing you rule out if your horse tries to bite. Horses can only communicate with body language. If your normally easy-going horse starts biting when you groom, saddle, or try to ride him, there is a good chance something hurts. He is attempting to tell you in the only way he can.
Start by inspecting your tack. An ill fitting saddle can pinch his shoulders or dig into his back. A bridle that is too tight rubs his face and pinches the ears. A bit that is too loose will bang his teeth. A dirty saddle pad may contain prickly burrs or hay which can painfully dig into his back. Another common reason horses bite when being tacked up is when the girth is tightened too quickly. If your horse does this, try tightening the girth in smaller increments instead of all at once.
After you are confident your tack isn’t an issue, call the vet for a soundness check. Your horse may have painful joints or a pulled muscle in his back. Teeth that haven’t been floated consistently develop sharp points that dig into his cheeks when you use the bridle.
Some injuries aren’t easily seen. I remember a friend got a beautiful Saddlebred mare because she was deemed “crazy”. Earlier in life she had been a successful show horse. She was a friendly, gentle mare on the ground. However, if you put one foot in the stirrup, she was frantic. She reared, spun, backed, and balked. She was drenched in sweat and trembling in minutes. On a whim, my friend had x-rays done despite showing no signs of lameness during the initial exam. It turned out that she had stress fractures in both front pasterns! That is why the lameness wasn’t immediately obvious. With stall rest she made a complete recovery.
If pain was the cause of their biting, be aware that it may take a period of time after the pain is resolved for the horse to stop being defensive. They have to understand the pain is gone and there is no need to protect themselves. Be patient and consistent and you should have your willing partner back soon.
Frustration or Insecurity
What if your trouble starts as soon as you step in the barn? Your horse lunges teeth bared at anyone who passes by his stall. He might even make contact with unsuspecting victims and their passing horses. Horses with this behavior are a hazard to everyone that frequents the barn. It can be a dangerous task just to get him out of his stall for turnout. So why does he do this, and how can you stop it?
Believe it or not, this behavior is often rooted in insecurity. A stalled horse is a trapped horse. They sometimes find the activity of a busy barn stressful. Horses naturally have large bubbles of personal space and depend on their ability to move away from uncomfortable situations. When we stall a horse, we take away that option. We simply invade their space without asking, and the only option left for a horse that feels cornered is to defend himself. Soon he starts defending his space every time someone approaches his stall. Unfortunately, most people respond with anger and aggression of their own, which only reinforces his need to defend himself. Sometimes the horse is deemed too dangerous to handle and his turnout becomes less and less frequent. This leads to pent up energy and frustration, making the situation even worse.
So how do you deal with this behavior effectively? If possible, move the horse to the quiet area in the barn. Then, take advantage of feeding time to do a little training. Stand a safe distance from his stall holding his feed bucket in view. Call his name and then introduce a simple command like “Ears up,” or “Be Good,”. Now wait until he stops making ugly faces and praise any attempts to show good manners. Step back out of reach if he gets aggressive again and wait. This might take a minute the first few times. However, he should quickly learn to allow your approach without becoming offensive.
If you have done ground work with your horse, he should back away from you willingly with hand signals. If you haven’t trained him to do so yet, I highly recommend taking a day to train this skill. Insist that he makes a nice face and backs away from his feeder calmly before you enter his stall. Once he has that down, insist on calm backing before you halter him in his stall. Take your time and don’t just barge into his space. Making this experience low key and drama free will remove the stress that started this behavior in the first place. Now that he can be handled safely, make sure he gets as much turnout as possible.
Dominance
So what if your horse is pain free but still bites you when you ask him to do something he doesn’t want to do? A simple request to move his shoulder out of your space is met with a lightning quick bite to the arm, or he charges teeth bared when you try to lunge him. He is sending you a message, loud and clear! He sees himself as dominant and is telling you no! If you let this continue, his behavior could escalate quickly to include striking and kicking at you.
It’s time to learn how to effectively control him on the ground and earn his respect. I recommend watching some trainers’ videos on Youtube to learn about ground work. There are many different ways to earn your horse’s respect through ground work. I personally like Pat Parelli’s Seven Games to gain control of a disrespectful horse. They are broken down into small understandable steps. I don’t follow his methods exclusively, and I think everyone should use the techniques that feel natural to them. Once you find a method you like, take a break from riding for a week or so. Work on these new skills with your horse. Any time he acts aggressively, ask him to back quickly out of your space. Most horses will become model citizens with consistent ground work. If you still feel like your life is in danger and his behavior doesn’t improve, please contact a professional trainer for help.
Play
Sometimes young horses try to play with us like they would their equine counterparts. They naturally nip and play with each other in the pasture, and they may try to do the same with us. They should simply be asked to do something else when the attempt to play with us roughly. Put their mind to work on something else and it will end their silliness. Most horse will outgrow this tendency in time. The key is not to turn this innocent behavior into a negative experience for the horse. If they tend to try nipping, back them out of your personal space when they act frisky.
Hopefully these methods can help you and your horse get closer to those dreams you had in the beginning of your horse owning experience.
