# My 11 month old colt will NOT stop biting!



## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Geld him yesterday!!!!

You do not need to wait another day. They mature taller, more refined and with a much nicer neck if you geld them early. If both testicles are down, get them GONE.

If you want to manner a young stud, DO NOT PECK ON HIM. Punish one severely and effectively or leave them alone. It only becomes a game if you peck at them. He will get tougher and meaner if you keep up the routine you are doing now. 

You must punish him enough to end this game quickly or he will paw at you, charge you or just plain jump on you. He looks at it like it as a game with another colt as a sparring match. 

The other thing you can do meantime is to turn him in with some older geldings. They will knock the testosterone out of him in about 2 days. They can also hurt him, but we have had pretty good luck doing this and have not had one injured beyond a few bite marks.


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## Northern (Mar 26, 2010)

Practice blocking the bite: elbow flap that meets nose swinging around for you, arm raise so nose runs into arm. Do these as if you're not reacting to him at all, so he thinks that by swinging at you, he's bonked himself. This means, don't even look at him when you block, just act like you're doing your "thing". DON'T get mean or mad, don't get retaliatory, because that means that he got a rise out of you & won the game. You can also do jumping jacks, when he goes to climb over you/ram you aside, again, impersonally, like you just got it into your head to do some jumping jacks.

A horse with this "horsenality" is not bad, it's just a mouthy personality. He needs lots of interaction. He needs you to play with him (keeping yourself safe) & play a bit harder than he likes, e.g., when he starts to nibble on your fingers, rub his muzzle, pull his lips, etc., but a bit harder than he likes, so it's HIS idea to retreat. Get him busy doing other things as a replacement for his antics,(he's bored) & they'll evaporate. Good Luck!


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

First off, look up the clinton anderson groundwork and go from the bottom to the top. Yielding everything, lunging for respect, sidepassing, backing up, etc. It's amazing how respectful the horses get after all that.

Secondly, if a stud colt ever did that to me, he would be flying backwards across the arena in fear of me getting within ten feet of his mouth. That is NOT acceptable, especially not with a stud. If he's being good, you love on him and praise him and be gentle. The second he acts up, make him think you're going to kill him. Do that once or twice, he'll stop.


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

Cherie, i don't have the money yet to geld him, will be doing that with income tax. My mom has raised 5 horses, and she told me to wait a year, to make sure he filled out enough. I don't pick at him, i push him away and continue with my business, he just doesn't seem to know when to quit. I'll even go outside the field and he tries to get me over the fence (thank goodness its electric). He is in a pasture with older geldings, but the one who seems to disipline him is my 4 year old mare. 
Northern, i've tried keeping him occupied with toys, and ropes and stuff like that. He just finds biting that much more interesting for some reason. 
Thank you for your suggestions, i'll try them!


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## Northern (Mar 26, 2010)

There are plenty of gelded horses whose biting propensities didn't disappear along with the jewels! My guess is that this guy just has that horsenality.

I'm so glad you're going to try my suggestions; he'll lose interest in going to bite when he gets consistent feedback that HE's hurting himself, & you're not even noticing anything amiss .

A horse with a high play drive, once the biting's been brought under control by proper treatment, is often an outstanding horse; all of that energy rightly directed produces great results! You'll want to discover as soon as you can what he likes to do (besides bite ); for the channel for his energy (chase cows, jump, etc.)

I'll add that if all of that doesn't work, do go to plan B, which is as SorrelHorse said: don't do anything that'd injure him, but beat your fists on his neck for 3 seconds, no longer, with your energy all-out disapproving.


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

SorrelHorse i've tried getting really rough with him and it doesn't work either. He's not going to stay a stud, i'll be getting him gelded as soon as i get the money. 
Thank you for your suggestion!


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

Northern said:


> There are plenty of gelded horses whose biting propensities didn't disappear along with the jewels! My guess is that this guy just has that horsenality.
> 
> I'm so glad you're going to try my suggestions; he'll lose interest in going to bite when he gets consistet feedback that HE's hurting himself.
> 
> A horse with a high play drive, once the biting's been brought under control by proper treatment, is often an outstanding horse; all of that energy rightly directed produces great results! You'll want to discover as soon as you can what he likes to do (besides bite ); for the channel for his energy (chase cows, jump, etc.)


He loves to run, maybe i'll make him a barrel horse? I'll have to get the ok from my husband though. Thank you for your input on the horseanality, i hope he'll become a great horse when he's finished out.


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