# What do you do when a horse bites you?



## EmilyRosie

At the barn I ride at the horse I ride is very nippy. If she just pins her ears and opens her mouth "her name is dixie" so I just say in a stern voice "Eh!" or "Dixie!" and that is usually enough, but the time she did make physical contact I was shocked and just didn't do anything (mistake) I asked my trainer and was told if a horse makes physical contact with you make physical contact back. I didn't the next time she bit me I yelled "Dixie!" and made a huge movement with my arms she didn't do it again so far me that was enough.


----------



## Snookeys

But the ear-pinning-teeth-baring biters are the aggressive ones. And they are dangerous! I would definitely "bite her back". Yet I just can't smack a horse in the face... just how I was taught, and I can't bring myself to do it. I'll pinch, but not smack


----------



## annaleah

bite em back! I did this one time with a former horse of mine and it completly confused the horse and he never did it again. Not real hard, just enough to say 'hey!,that's not ok.'


----------



## EmilyRosie

I couldn't bring myself to hit my horse either so if the yelling and flailing arms doesn't work then would try (instead of face) when she turns to bite you put your elbow up so she hits your elbow that way you are not hitting her she is hitting you and it is her fault.


----------



## dressagebelle

With my mare, especially because she is so sensitive, I won't touch her face at all. If she is just getting a bit too mouthy, I too just kind of pinch her lips a bit, and on the couple of occasions that she's actually tried to bite me, both because I was messing with an injury, and she's still unsure about people, I will smack her on the chest or the shoulder, but never the neck head or nose. I also don't smack as hard as I can, a swift tap is enough for her. 

My first horse used to bite for whatever reason, and his previous owner would wheel back and punch him in the soft part of his nose, so he started making a game of it, bit the human dodge the fist. He was definitely dangerous because he would take hunks of skin, because he was trying to get in and out quickly, which meant that he grabbed whatever he could. So obviously smacking him just made his biting worse, and made him head shy. It took me 3 years, but I basically just ignored him. He wanted attention, he learned that biting got him attention, so I took that attention away from him. He bit me, I just walked off back to the tack shed, grabbed another brush or whatever, walked back and continued grooming him, and wouldn't even acknowledge that he'd bitten me. At first I definitely wore THICK clothing, but as time when on, he got more gentle, and finally he just stopped one day. I still wouldn't trust him enough to knowingly and willingly turn my back on him and focus on someone else when I was in his reach, but he finally had learned that he wasn't getting any extra attention from biting me, so he may as well stop, and just act nice.


----------



## Snookeys

EmilyRosie said:


> I couldn't bring myself to hit my horse either so if the yelling and flailing arms doesn't work then would try (instead of face) when she turns to bite you put your elbow up so she hits your elbow that way you are not hitting her she is hitting you and it is her fault.


*Like*

I wish we had like buttons, like on FB.


----------



## EmilyRosie

Snookeys said:


> *Like*
> 
> I wish we had like buttons, like on FB.



haha thanks and i agree there should be a like button


----------



## Redial

My horse got a slap in the face onc, it was more a reaction because it hurt like ******, just straight across the muzzle, he walked away offended whilst i stopped my hand from bleeding and got butterfly stitches on the bites and he never bit me again. the last horse that bit me i cracked across the rump with a dressage whip, he was so stunned he didn't bite for month and then he went to try it again saw me lift the whip and changed his mind. neither of the horses were mentally scarred. We have to remember that even though we want to eb kind and all-natural all of the time, horses out weight us, out power us and can sometimes be downright nasty things. as my grandfather once said, **** the day horses work out they are stronger and bigger than us. we have to be proactive and assertive in our approach to them or they'll walk all over us, i've seen horses drag people across paddocks with their teeth because people never taught them not to or corrected them when they did, because it wasn't "that bad" now they either have scarring or muscular issues in that arm, i've seen this happen 4 times. I take horses misbehaving very seriously, biting is a massive no in my barn as is backing up to you, striking and walking all over you. We have to be cruel (to an acceptable extent) to be kind both to ourselves and to the horses, because one day you may have to sell it and no one wants a horse with habits like that


----------



## Redial

never mind it turned up


----------



## Creztina

Hmmm, depends on how they act. If they are mouthy, nippy or just being playful I just say "no" or push them away. Usually that is enough. I don't mind the horse lipping or licking or even using his teeth as long as it doesn't hurt. Sometimes they don't realize that it does hurt and you have to tell them seriously or they don't take it seriously. A firm no.

If they are biting, being mean and challenging me I shall defend myself. Usually a slap to the neck gets to them becasue of the noise. If they get a hold on me, sorry I will slap what I can. Slapping is the best way I'd say, it makes a lot of noise but doesn't hurt.


----------



## ChevyPrincess

If a horse is trying to be mouthy or playful, and he keeps wanting to nip at you, boredom is also a factor. The best advice that I have been given is to just annoy the horse back. If he starts trying to get all up in your space, rub your hands over his eyes, all over his nose. Soon enough, he's gonna say 'hey, that's annoying, I don't want that,' and turn his head away from you. 

A lot of people, wether they realize it or not, ag the horse on. If you always stand close to the horse's head so his muzzle can find your shirt, what do you think is going to happen when he gets bored? Horses are like babies, they always have to put things in their mouth that they smell and are interested in.

As for an aggressive horse, people ag that on too. John Lyons says the best thing to do with a biting horse is give it love. When a horse is dubbed as a 'biting' horse, of course no one wants to get bitten, but people will poke at it with sticks, yell at it, hit it in the face, so it only learns to be more aggressive. John says to just stand by the horse where it can't bite you and love on it, so it learns it doesn't have to bite you (he goes into a more detailed process, I will have to borrow that tape again) lol.


----------



## Kay26

I've always believed the best method is to 'bite' them back by nipping them on the neck with your hand, simply because that's what another horse would do!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SlapLeather

Snookeys said:


> Because I just say "Ow." :?
> 
> I see a lot of horses get smacked in the face over nipping. Some do it to be naughty, but some do it just because they're mouthy... then I see the horses that are getting a nice scratch and they start to "groom" you back, but some people, as soon as they feel those teeth or the lips wiggling, they'll backhand that horse's muzzle without missing a beat. I was always taught to never strike a horse in the face. I'll pinch their lips slightly as a warning if they are play-nipping, and that seems to work.
> 
> Anyway, what do you guys do?


Bite him back! :lol:


----------



## LuvsArabella

My mare was getting very teethy, and pining her ears, every time I would touch her. So one day when she was really aggressive she got an upper cut. I socked her hard. She hasn't ever come at me with her teeth again. She has snapped at me a few times since but hasn't needed full out punches. Just a wack does the trick. Now she has been very well behaved since her discipline. No aggression is needed cuz she knows that I am the boss-NOT her!


----------



## SlapLeather

My little mare knipped at me one time when i surprised her with a tightening of the cinch. She didn't mean any harm. She was just startled. I told her I was sorry, and then I was slower in cinching her, giving her a chance to readjust her mind to what I was doing. Never had an incident cinch. :lol:

It's a "getting to know each other" relationship. Sometimes yu gotta do the upper cut thing. Depends on the horse and their attitude.


----------



## Clair

Bite 'em back!
I quickly give the nose a good pinch.
Wait too long or hold back too much and it won't send the correct message.


----------



## dee

I usually smack the snot out of their nose if they try to bite me. Daughter's stallion tried to bite me once, but I couldn't get to his nose, so I grabbed the lead rope away from her and ran full at him. He had to back up nearly the full length of the pen. The look on his face was priceless, he was so shocked! He hasn't tried to bite me but once since then. Second time, I did get his nose. Hard. I can't hit nearly as hard as a horse can kick, so I don't pull my punches. I haven't made him head shy, either. 

I just can't have a biting horse on the property. I have five grandkids that live here with me, and I don't want anything to happen to them. I have a friend who had a pony that nipped - they thought it was cute until the day he nipped off four of her daughter's fingers...


----------



## Dreamer1215

_I was told once when I 1st got my horses, that if you are a woman, and you have male horses, you know they "accept you" when they nip/bite you in the breast. Well, I don't know how true that was, but both my geldings bit me in my left breast! It was a quick surprize "Gotcha!" nip & they have never got me since. (Mustang got me in 2005 when I got him & the Appy when I got him) _

_They have been "mouthy" to me since then, but I recognize that they aren't being malicious. I usually treat them like I do my kids: raise myself up, look right at them & with a stern voice "OI! I don't THINK so! You know better than that!" Usually does the trick. If not, then they meet my elbow or get a quick rap (kinda like a flick of the wrist). _

_My mare is way too laid back & even when we were treating her medically when her leg was sliced open, she never nipped or bit._


----------



## MacabreMikolaj

Their nose gets introduced to my fist, that's what. A horse will bit me once and he will never, EVER, consider it again. Biting is incrediably dangerous and I will not allow someone else to be in danger because of my horse's bad habits.

A nippy or mouthy horse I will discourage with an elbow or pinching the nostril. My filly was getting pretty nippy, so I stopped hand feeding and kept my guard to discipline her immediately. The issue being she started grabbing at clothing and half strangled my friend once who was kneeling to check her leg. She got a couple slaps to the nose before she wised up, having neccesitated me to increase my force when pinching wasn't working.

I have zero issues clocking my horse if and when s/he deserves it. I refuse to own an animal with dangerous habits. Risking my own safety is one thing, risking the safety of others is a unacceptable.


----------



## ridergirl23

I hit them in the nose with whatever body part i can! and i do it without missing a beat or even looking at them. theyre nose ran into my elbow!!!
haha thats funny that i found this thread today because m moms horse bit her today and then someone at the barn laughed and said 'BITE 'IM BACK!!' and we all started laughing, but in reality, thats what you should do (ok, maybe for healths sake, dont use your mouth!) but if a horse in the feild nips the lead horse they will get a boot, or bite, sooooo, the rules shouldnt change just becuase the lead hrose walks on two legs and rides them.


----------



## Marecare

Most people are afraid of mouths in general.
Maybe it is a throw back to when we were running away from the lions.

I have to work with all my horses and do regular inspections of the condition of the inside of their mouth and so handling of that area is very comfortable for me.
I would encourage horse owners to explore the idea of becoming more familiar with the mouth and it's parts.
A horse will allow your handling of that area with the right approach for regular exams and even simple de-worming.

This allows you to be aware of small abscesses in the lip/gum/tongue area and a tooth that is giving trouble to your horse.
It allows inspection for proper bit fitting also.

*Biting is reduced in many cases with handling.*


----------



## whitetrashwarmblood

This happened to me the other day... or I should say it almost happened. 
There was a 3 y/o Oldenburg gelding in the indoor following me around while I was working the other day. The hallway to the front of barn goes along the arena, so that's where I was walking and that little sh!t waited until I walked past him before he pinned his ears and tried to take a chunk out of my arm. He got an elbow to the face. 
I will not hesitate to hit a horse if they're trying to bite me.


----------



## ShotgunsAmmo

I have 2 horses, i have worked at many lesson barns in the past, with biters, kickers, .blah blah blah...any horse that has bittn me that was NOT mine, i bite back, if its my horse, they get smacked in the face, (not hard) but enough to realize they screwed up, i know your never soppost to smack a horse in there face, andthat is the only time i will, Breeze bit me once when i first got him, popped him right in the nose and that was the last time he has ever even tried, let alone made contact, and he is not the least bit headshy,
gemini bit me when he was 7 months old...same thing..POP. he freaked, and has never bitten anybody ever again. he is not head shy now either,..


----------



## Strange

If a horse tries to bite me they get a firm pop in the nose with my hand. End of story. After that I've never had one try to do it again.


----------



## NicoleB

If it's a quick bite just to be naughty I pop them in the nose. Not enough to hurt, just to startle. If it's really hard and deliberate, I grab their lips and twist, or if their head is in the right place, I bite them back on the ear. It really confuses them.


----------



## LeahDaisyD

I had this happen yesterday with my new and first horse, a gelding. Thankfully, the farriers assistant had just given me a talk about ground manners and cutting out the treats as my guy was all over me trying to get me to produce the treats that were in my pocket. So, after we finish, I am there talking to my neighbor and pushing him back from me and he put his teeth on my arm -- didn't bite down, but I felt teeth. I puffed up like a guy about to get into a fight, fixed my eyes on him, yelled NO! while slapping his shoulder, and just about backed him up through the whole pasture. He had a look of of awe -- like "****, she's not such a sucker after all". 

He's a good boy overall, and I am certainly more of a lover than a fighter. But, reading these posts made me feel like I was right to rise up in righteous indignation. And, I don't think he'll ever do that again  

On that note, I have my horse at home and am not convenient to a trainer and am still looking for a horse trailer, so that we can go to a trainer. In the meantime, I would like to start a program that will help me with things like ground manners -- is Parelli the best bet? Any suggestions for good program for an adult beginner looking to increase my knowledge of horse behavior and something I could do with my horse where we are both learning and becoming better partners? I want to make sure that I don't take a good horse and turn him into a bad one by encouraging bad habits, if that makes sense.


----------



## Tennessee

I bite my horse back, no matter the situation. 

Just like when my cutting horse kicked me, I kicked him back. Needless to say, he didn't do it again.


----------



## mbender

Laughed when I saw some of your answers! I would never...... Of course.. I bite back! Lol I've always smacked em right in the mouth but that was way back when I didn't know any better and now I will do unto them as they do to me. Course, a little carefully but I'll get after them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## equiniphile

Bite the horse back! My mom's friend used to have horses, and when his horse bit him unloading him from the trailer, he punched him square in the face and the horse never did it again, nor was he headshy from it. I don't completely agree with this (injury possible) but you do what you have to do with an aggressive horse. We used to have a big Paint Clydesdale who bit and kicked, and when he bit it was because he was aggressive or wanted attention. I backhanded him in his nose when he did it, but he probably barely felt it under all his layers of muscle and fat. I think the correct response is to simulate what horses do with each other: "bite" him back by squeezing his mouth or neck and pushing with your fingers. An elbow to the mouth does the trick, too.


----------



## beau159

Snookeys said:


> Because I just say "Ow." :?
> 
> I see a lot of horses get smacked in the face over nipping. Some do it to be naughty, but some do it just because they're mouthy... then I see the horses that are getting a nice scratch and they start to "groom" you back, but some people, as soon as they feel those teeth or the lips wiggling, they'll backhand that horse's muzzle without missing a beat. I was always taught to never strike a horse in the face. I'll pinch their lips slightly as a warning if they are play-nipping, and that seems to work.
> 
> Anyway, what do you guys do?


Biting or nipping is one of the things that I simply DO NOT TOLERATE. It is a sign of disrespect and it is dangerous, plain and simple. I don't care if they are playing or if they meant to do it. I am the alpha leader in the herd and I will not be bitten. 

If they hint as if they are going to bit, I usually head them off with a stern verbal warning. If a nip or bite actually comes out, they will immediately get one punch or slap on the horse. And hard. I don't fool around. But I do the punishment once and immediately, and then I go back to what I was doing as if it did not happen. 

It is not abuse, it is discipline and I think it is just outright dangerous to allow a horse to bite or nip under any circumstances. 

Needless to say, none of my horses bite. They know better because they know who the head of the herd is (ME).


----------



## tinyliny

*John Lyons and the three second rule*

John Lyons may say that what a chronic biter needs is to be loved on, but he also says that if your horse bites you, you have three seconds to punish him. If you wait longer, then you have missed the boat and do nothing. He describes the punishment as "make the horse think, just for a second, that it's going to die" then go back as if nothing happended.
I kid you not, that is what he said.
I am with the crowd that will not tolerate aggresive biting. One good smack on the kisser is better than a whole bunch of "no! No! " and taps.
If, however, I am grooming a horse who tries to mutually groom me, I would use a facial tap with two fingers and a discouraging vocal cue, and I would STOP the grooming until he put his face away from me.


----------



## beau159

tinyliny said:


> he also says that if your horse bites you, you have three seconds to punish him. If you wait longer, then you have missed the boat and do nothing. He describes the punishment as "make the horse think, just for a second, that it's going to die" then go back as if nothing happended.


Agree 110%

You need to reprimand the horse immediately for his actions, or he will not correlate the pushishment to biting/nipping. Spazz out on him for 3 seconds, and then go on with what you are doing like nothing happened. 

He'll think twice the next time he thinks about biting.


----------



## Western

Well, I dont smack my horses on the top of their nose. If you do that, then they will flinch when you lift your hand. If its just an attempt, then I'll just snap the lead. If they actually give me a good nip, I'll either smack them on the but with a crop or tap them under the chin. That way, they dont see it comming and dont know that it was my hand! They dont develope a flinch if you do that..

If the horse is cinchy, I just tied their head up much closer. I dont give them enough room to turn around and bite me.


----------



## NannonsWhiskey

My horse has never bitten me (tried to bite my daughter though) but he has penned his ears at me when I first got him. I would Make a loud noise, make myself "tall" and if all else fails a couple pops to the chest or side, basically make him think I was going to "eat" him if he didn't stop. He quite penning his ears pretty fast! My problem is getting him to stop doing it to the children, and what to do if he tries to bit one of them again. I was always told that the person who is getting "disrespected" needs to make the correction, not sure how to make my horse think my 18 month old daughter will eat him though, that she is the boss???


----------



## faye

If a horse bites/nips me it with get a smack accross the chops. They very rarely do it again and I've never made a horse head shy doing so.


----------



## RodinKy

Within 3 seconds act like you're going to kill it by failing your arms, yelling, etc. If that doesn't work I use a piece of 5/8" black plastic water pipe and whack them upside the neck. It doesn't hurt but it sure makes a loud noise and usually after a couple of times (only on a persistant biter) the horse will get the idea.


----------



## Marecare

*My horse bit me too!*


----------



## AQHA13

Like Snookeys said, I have an aggressive horse that pins her ears and then tries to bite. She IS dangerous if she thinks she is in control. I tried "growling" at her and making her do ground work, rubbing her mouth and letting her slightly run into my elbow, but none of it worked. One day I got really fed up and as she was pinning her ears heading at me to give a Mean nip I made a fist and hit her with the underside(not my knuckles) on the side of her muzzle/ mouth area. I felt really mean and almost started crying when I saw that I had caused her to get a bloody lip, BUT she has never tried to nip or bite me since!


----------



## Cheshire

For a mouthy horse -- I will push their muzzle away with a firm "No." If they persist after that I will smack them.

For an aggressively biting horse, they get a hard smack on the nose immediately, end of story. This is an incredibly dangerous behaviour and I will not endanger myself nor others by doing anything else than making **** sure the horse thinks twice before it bites a human again.

It took me walloping Pickles ONCE on the nose after he bit my arm (leaving a welt which took almost a month to go down). He's never offered to do so again. Now, he is occasionally mouthy but all it takes is me firmly pushing his nose away.

He's nowhere near head-shy as a result. I'm sorry but biting is unacceptable in my book, and I will not hesitate to reprimand the horse with something equal to the infraction. Ever watch them in the pasture? What does a biter get when he bites the alpha? He gets his *** kicked, that's what. And I promise you, the "punishment" horses deal out to one another, even in play, is far more painful than a human hand bopping a nose.

Where I live there are a lot of kids and people who aren't so horse savvy and I will NOT tolerate a biter around them. It is a lack of respect and it is dangerous. I'm not going to play around with growling and posturing when a quick smack gets the message across much more effectively, and oftentimes permanently. I'm not saying I advocate hitting horses, but when it comes to biting? yeah, I do. Make it quick, and then go back to whatever you were doing as if nothing happened.


----------



## ella

just the same as i do if my cat claws me , i could never hit my horse or cat


----------



## Sunny

Sunny used to bite when I was grooming her--especially when I was bent over picking her feet.

Whenever I felt her head turning back toward me I would put the wooden side of a brush toward her face so that when she turned she got a brush in her cheek. It didn't take long for her to learn.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## NorthernLights

If it's a real bite I slap them on the neck and yell "HEY!" There is a big difference between being mouthy and biting.


----------



## shadowgirl

i was returning a water bucket to a stall at the barn i volunteer at and the horse(pony) who was in the stall was one of the sweetest ponies there. I was used to him and stuff and i always give him a little pat when i see him. so before i left the stall i give him a little pat on the neck and he just freak and snapped at my face(luckily missed) and snapped again and bite my arm. it was my first time getting bit by a horse, and he was still freaking out so i got out of the stall. I know i was suposed to punish him in some way (at our barn we are told to give the horse a little tap on the belly if they are being bad), but i didn't, and kinda feel bad and now i'm worried he might do it do one of the kids who has to ride him.... TT.TT


----------



## AlexS

This might not be popular, but if Lucas bit me he would get a **** hard slap and then I would herd him off being as big as I could. 
I didn't read all the pages, so this has probably been said, but if a horse bites a more dominant horse, they will get a kick or a bite back and ran off. 

I had not owned Lucas for long when he charged at me as I was letting him in to feed, ears back canter straight at me. I was against the barn so had little way out, but I still had a metal food scoop in my hand which I threw at him with all my mite. Maybe that's cruel, but he has never charged at me since and he is safe and sane. Horses can be cuddly lovely things, but they could also kill you.


----------



## drafteventer

If my horse EVER came at me with his giant draft mouth I would slap him immediately.
Discipline him the first time and he never does it again. That's just the way it works with ones that aren't quite as bright.
But my horse would never do that because he doesn't realize he can do that to people. I also have taught him personal space because he's a big guy and he could do damage to me if he chose to break my personal bubble. I can just imagine the horror of him biting/rubbing his big noggin on a little kid at the barn... o_o
BUT anyway
Biting horse=slap/discipline
No slap/discipline="Hey I can get away with this!"


----------



## Delfina

My QH had a nasty habit of biting when you put a saddle on her. She got a very hard elbow to the nose a couple times, hasn't ever tried biting since then and she is beyond un-head shy. She will literally lower her head almost to the ground so a small kiddo can brush or halter her, she just had a crappy attitude from mishandling by a prior owner and was seeing what she could get away with.

I have a 4yr old whose somewhat nippy (getting MUCH better). He's not being mean, just very oral and testing out his boundaries. Any mouthing whatsoever from him and he gets poked in the nose (and not softly). He figured out that mouthing wasn't acceptable and tried bashing my trainer with his head the other night. Oh what a mistake that was, since he was alone in the round pen at the time, he promptly received a very good workout session. Doubt he'll try that one again.


----------

