# Biting The Lead Rope???



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Sounds to me like he's bored and looking for ways to entertain himself. Do you tie him for very long at a time? Do you do it every day? You might consider trying to teach him to ground tie so that you can groom him away from everything his wandering mouth is drawn to. Or maybe change up the routine, work with him first and then groom him before turning him out. Catch him, groom him, and then turn him back out without working him. Just anything to break up the monotony and keep his mind focused.

That being said, however, there are some horses that are just mouthy. I cannot leave a hose in the tank unattended with my horse Jesse in the pen. He will drag the hose out as far as it will go if I walk away for even a minute.


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## Tessa T (Aug 6, 2010)

Oh no, not at all. Its usually like 10 to 15 minutes and he's untied. And usually every other day. I vary it up so he gets used to rolling with the punches whenever I switch up our schedule and gets used to everything. He just started doing this more and more to the point where he's to ancy to groom and gets a little nippy when you try taking the lead away from him. I've never had this problem before which is when its strange. Also when leading him he'll almost act as if he can't slow down and get up real close to try and bite the lead then when I turn around to sen him out of my space he throws up his head all spooked like I hit him or something. Its like he knows he shouldn't be doing that an over reacts when I just face him. Its so odd.


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

sounds to me like hes just mouthy, most geldings i know LOVE to chew the lead rope, some mares i know like it too.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Since this issue has suddenly gotten worse, I would guess he either has a problem with being worked and gets nervous about it, or he could possibly be having some pain issues somewhere. My first thought after reading your second post is ulcers. For him to be so manic about it all of a sudden, there must have been some trigger that caused it to get so much worse so quickly.


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## Tessa T (Aug 6, 2010)

Oh yeah, I never thought about ulcers. Well he's due for some shots and when my vet comes out I'll have him checked thoroughly. He is fine in every other respect. It seems like he's gotten more hyper all of a sudden. I have been feeding him beet pulp to put a little weight on. I've heard it can make a horse hot. The being too close when leading is nothing new, he's always had a bit of a my space, your space problem which we're working on, but the acting nippy and going for the rope is new.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

A gelding I used to lease had this issue. For us, a firm 'whack' and growling "NO" fixed it. *But*, he learned the behavior because a school student thought it was "cute" and encouraged it. Sounds like this has come on all of a sudden, and I second what others have said - have a vet check him out.

Of course it sounds like you already have a small respect issue going on, so if everything checks out with the vet, take him off the beet pulp and see if he settles down. If that doesn't help, start really getting after him about it. If reprimanding doesn't work, try getting an old lead you don't care about and putting something non-toxic but totally yuck on it, like hot sauce. He should object to the bad tasting lead and decide not to chew.


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## Shenandoah (Aug 9, 2010)

smrobs said:


> Since this issue has suddenly gotten worse, I would guess he either has a problem with being worked and gets nervous about it, or he could possibly be having some pain issues somewhere..


Or the third option is just that he's learned he can get away with it, or possibly even been encouraged to continue.
I'm not discounting your options. They are very real possibilities that need to be considered. But I just wanted to suggest an alternative.
I've seen situations where a horse starts getting mouthy, and the owner at first ignores it, so it increases.
The worst is when the owner encourages it (Oh look, he's leading himself! How cute! Good boy). Before you know it, he's got his mouth on everything.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I think having the vet check him out is a good idea too. Especially because this is a new behavior. You might want to get his teeth checked too.

Soda is extremely mouthy, he's always chewing on lead ropes when he's tied (or the other horse's lead rope if they're tied). First thing he does when I put on the bridle? Grab the reins and chew on them. He used to try and chew Flame's halter if I had her tied up. He'll also chew on the metal gate pipes if he gets really annoyed that I'm not letting him out. And I've seen him bite peices of the wood supports in the barn, not cribbing, just biting a chunk out of it. But he's never mouthy towards people. Some horses are just like that, but I have to watch him so he doesn't eat something dangerous. Like the time he bit the trailer light off.


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

MNTigerstripes, Sunny is the same way. She bites bridles, posts, metal, leads....no cribbing, just biting. I'm worried she may have an ulcer.
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## Tessa T (Aug 6, 2010)

Shenandoah said:


> Or the third option is just that he's learned he can get away with it, or possibly even been encouraged to continue.
> I'm not discounting your options. They are very real possibilities that need to be considered. But I just wanted to suggest an alternative.
> I've seen situations where a horse starts getting mouthy, and the owner at first ignores it, so it increases.
> The worst is when the owner encourages it (Oh look, he's leading himself! How cute! Good boy). Before you know it, he's got his mouth on everything.


I see where you're coming from, and I have met people that encourage them to do it also and say its a cool trick. Never felt that way and when he used to do it when I first started tying him he got corrected immediately. Its why the sudden fascination with it that puzzles me, but maybe he's just coming into his mouthy self.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Sunny, if it's a newer behavior it might be a sign of ulcers or mouth problems. I'm not too worried about it being ulcers for Soda, he's been doing it as long as I've known him (he bit the trailer light off the day I bought him!) He doesn't show any other signs of ulcers and I've managed his environment to eliminate factors that would lead to ulcers. Free choice forage, limited grains/concentrates, herd mates he likes, 24/7 turnout, and limited to no showing all decrease the risk of ulcers in horses. 

If it isn't a new habit for her, but she has a stressful lifestyle (limited forage, stalled, lots of shows, etc) she could very likely have ulcers that have been around for awhile.


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

She's done it since I bought her 9 months ago. She doesn't show, has 24/7 pasture(with the exception of winter nights). I think i'm just a worry wart. 
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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

LOL, probably.  I don't blame you though, I have a tendency to do the same myself.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

At 29 months, he may be going through a "teething" type stage. Just another possibility. =]

My girls will do it too. My little one learned it from my first horse, the bum. I usually just give them a sharp "Ah!" since they will chew on anything, the fly masks, lead ropes, chains, it doesn't matter the material. Your guy might find it less appealing if you find a chain to "tie" him with. Instead of nice, soft, chewy lead rope. Worth a shot? Good luck. =]


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

I still say put some hot sauce or other "yucky" tasting something to soak the lead in, and that way, he will get a surprise when he bites it and will be discouraged from doing so any more.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

DressageIsToDance said:


> I still say put some hot sauce or other "yucky" tasting something to soak the lead in, and that way, he will get a surprise when he bites it and will be discouraged from doing so any more.


Good idea! I didn't read the whole thread, so maybe I missed the first time you said this. I was wondering what kind of product you could put on it to make it unappealing but not damage the lead rope. The only thing I have at my barn for things like this is tar, and that doesn't wash out. =]


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Haha, I have got a couple of old cans of pepper spray, I wish I could send you one. I didn't even think about that, if I ever end up with a horse that's a wood chewer, I may give that a shot. You'd be hard pressed to find anything spicier.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

Well, you want to make sure it's non-toxic of course! :lol:

But seriously, I think hot sauce or anything bitter or spicy that is very strong would encourage the horse to refrain from chewing. Should be a very cheap fix, and you could wash the lead if need be.


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

I've heard that a bar of non-toxic soap works well.
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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

It could also be awesome for a horse with a bad swearing habit. LOL!

...Couldn't resist.


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

DressageIsToDance said:


> It could also be awesome for a horse with a bad swearing habit. LOL!
> 
> ...Couldn't resist.


 :lol: :lol: :lol:
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