Biting

[midnight star stables]

Any time someone trys to feed joy(our new weanlying filly)grass or a treat from their hand she bits to much &ends up bitting our hands, at first it just hurt, but its starting to get worse, today she bit through a friends skin & made her bleed!

how can we stop this?

 

[midnight star stables]

No, its also when we train her for halter... if she does not get her grass(what i'm training her with) she will get impatient, but when shes good she gets the grass... & bites

The treats are from my family, who are new to minis... many of the kids are under 7 & know nothing about horses.

please help

 

[~Palomino~]

okay, I will try, when she is taking the treat, say take it easy, and kidna move your hand down when she puts her nose in your hand to get the treat, like she is pushing on it and moving it! so that way she learns to take it easy and not bite, try that!

-Gage-

 

[RAPfrosty]

She might not understand yet that she is only going to get the grass when she is good, just stop grass eating during training time even as a reward. Instead of a food reward try a scratch on the neck or or a pat on the shoulder. When you are working with her do not let her eat the grass, and if she does then pull up her head and firmly say "NO!". Also, feeding from you hand (or others hands) can cause it, I didn't believe that so much until I got my yearling! The day after we stopped feeding him treats from our hands he stopped the nipping

! If you still want to give treats then try keeping a bowl or bucket near her stall and or pasture and feed treats only from a bucket or bowl. Good luck with your baby

!

 

[Marty]

No, its also when we train her for halter... if she does not get her grass(what i'm training her with) she will get impatient, but when shes good she gets the grass... & bites

OK, well think! Think it through. What is this telling you? You are indirectly teaching her to bite by going after your hands! She has now got the idea that everyone has something for her in their hands so just quit it. And you do not need grass to train her with.

Do what RAPfrosty says and quit the hand feeding altogether. Reward her training sessions with lots of joyous praise and many scratches instead of a food reward. Just forget the handfeeding. You don't need that. Keep the little ones the heck out of her mouth area because they are going to loose thier fingers and teach them just to pet her on the neck. Hold the horse closely at the beginning of the lead rope with your hand near the snap and control her head while they pet her neck if they really have to pet on her. But no fingers or hands near the mouth! Got it? Simple as pie.

 

[midnight star stables]

oh just to add, now reading this over i did word it wrong!

see gets the "treat" when i'm baiting here, like you know, for a halter class, they strech their necks out... i use food to get her neck out.

Rarely do i give her alot of treats... she been her for almost a month & outside of training, shes had 2 treats.

Marty i see the point with the kids very clearly, but i'm not & can't always be on the end of her lead

i didn't mean i was the won "letting" the kids play/ feed her

thanks guys

dessy

 

[Anne]

I agree, you aren't going to stop this unless she isn't "handfed" treats. And she needs to be disciplined when she tries to bite even if she's just "looking for treats". No two ways to do it.

They can't feed her treats and she needs to be supervised by someone who "knows" when the kids are there.