# Biting and Rearing foal



## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

I pinch the lip when they bit or bump him in the nose.
Have you got a halter on him yet? I've found almost all foals go through this sort of stage because they're still testing their boundaries and dont know that they have to respect you. This will start to develope more as you start halterbreaking & making him do stuff.
Is he out with other horses or just mom? Being with other horses can teach him lessons as well, such as personal space & respect. 
As for the rearing, i would push him back & bump him in the chest or legs like you said.


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## BlondeHorse (Jan 28, 2011)

lilruffian said:


> I pinch the lip when they bit or bump him in the nose.
> Have you got a halter on him yet? I've found almost all foals go through this sort of stage because they're still testing their boundaries and dont know that they have to respect you. This will start to develope more as you start halterbreaking & making him do stuff.
> Is he out with other horses or just mom? Being with other horses can teach him lessons as well, such as personal space & respect.
> As for the rearing, i would push him back & bump him in the chest or legs like you said.


Thanks for the advice. He does wear a halter, but he just now got comfortable with wearing it so I havent started to lead him or anything yet... And yep he is just with mama right now. I have another mare and a gelding and thought about putting one in there with them. My other mare is a witch towards other horses tho, I would be scared she would try to kill him or something.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Well mama will take care of him. She might take him off somwhere for a little while, but foals are usually pretty easy to push around, so i havent seen very many "miserable" horses get too aggressive with them (unless it's a stallion who wants to breed the mom).
I got my foals used to halters before actually training them too. When they were about a month old & used to wearing the halter, having it put on & seeing ropes around, then i started teaching them to lead. It helps that your guy sounds friendly.


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## Ladybug2001 (Mar 15, 2011)

lilruffian said:


> Well mama will take care of him. She might take him off somwhere for a little while, but foals are usually pretty easy to push around, so i havent seen very many "miserable" horses get too aggressive with them (unless it's a stallion who wants to breed the mom).
> I got my foals used to halters before actually training them too. When they were about a month old & used to wearing the halter, having it put on & seeing ropes around, then i started teaching them to lead. It helps that your guy sounds friendly.


At first I thought you were trying to say the dam would take care of the foal, I was about to go after you but I re-read it.

Though, don't worry about the gelding, the colts mother will not let him touch her foal. 

I agree on one thing, I think all foals go through the stage of rearing and biting. Though normally the rearing happens a bit later. But it could be because the children that have been messing with him that he has started it pretty early. Biting is normal for foals, they are practically teething though it doesn't make it okay, I know. So what you should do is either bump him on the nose and tell him "No" firmly or grab his lip like the other person suggested.


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## BlondeHorse (Jan 28, 2011)

Thank you !


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## FeatheredFeet (Jan 27, 2010)

I would have a serious word with the parents and grandparents of these children. It sounds as though they are teaching this colt, that humans are siblings. You can bet your life, that the first time the colts kicks one of them in the teeth, you will be the one to pay. This will only get worse as the colt grows.

Can you move your horses to a different facility?

Lizzie


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## twogeldings (Aug 11, 2008)

FeatheredFeet said:


> I would have a serious word with the parents and grandparents of these children. It sounds as though they are teaching this colt, that humans are siblings. You can bet your life, that the first time the colts kicks one of them in the teeth, you will be the one to pay. This will only get worse as the colt grows.
> 
> Can you move your horses to a different facility?
> 
> Lizzie


Agree'd. You already got great advice on dealing with his behavior issues. But boy oh boy, I would go off the wall if I found 'unauthorized children' playing with my foal!

Not only because they could get seriously injured and YOU will be at fault, but also because they are severely degrading the worth of the animal by encouraging behavioral problems. Your (for example) $5,000 dollar foal is suddenly a $500 foal because he thinks it's okay to bite and rear on people. 

Kids think it's cute because he's what, 100-200 pounds? Can you imagine that at 1,200 pounds? Oh my god. 


I love to play with my horses, but they understand that rearing and kicking is not okay within 'My Area'. If they take off racing around the pasture, they can do backflips if it tickles their fancy! But within two horse lengths of me, any kind of behavior that could lead to a dangerous situation is strictly forbidden. No biting, no kicking, rearing, bucking, etc. 

A lot of horses and youngsters absolutely love to play with 'their people'. My little two year old gelding thinks it's the greatest thing since pelleted grain. 
I make a 'scary' noise or posture, and he tries to mimic it. It's hilarious watching him bounce and snort and squeal then stop and look at me all: "DO IT AGAIN! 8D" 

The rest of the time however, I expect calm, attentive behavior. No nibbling on the lead rope, no dragging me across the yard for grass, no invading my bubble and running me over, no kicks, no bucks, no nothing. 

Playing is a great way to bond with your horse, but at the same time, it has to be done safely for both you AND your equine. What those kids are doing is borderline suicidal.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

If parents don't deal with their kids behavior, THEY can be held accountable. These kids may be chasing the foal, as play, and they seriously are in danger of running him into fencing etc.

I would go to the parents, tell them in no uncertain terms, that you will hold THEM accountable if this continues. Tell your barn owner that if this does not get addressed, you will consider looking for another barn where your foal will not be so endangered....and MEAN it.


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## BlondeHorse (Jan 28, 2011)

I am just now reading this because of all the crazy storms and TORNADOES we have had this afternoon. 

I did finally get a chance to speak with the kids parents/grandparents this morning and told them pretty much the same thing's yall have mentioned. I was told they will not be back in there anymore. Amazingly enough (probably just a coincidence i'm sure) when I went out today he made no attepmts towards rearing at me and only tried to bite me once which he stopped after i pinched his lip. 

The only thing that concerns me now, is the feild he is in is right on a road and EVERY car that drives by wants to stop and go pet him over the fence, and I'm sure all these people wont know any better than to let him get away with the biting.. Guess I am going to have to make a sign to put up or something to not pet the baby. 

Wow I talk too much! Thank you all for the feed back!!


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## jwells84 (Mar 29, 2011)

Be carefull putting out signs. it may attract more people rather than keep them away, How bout just moving him to a different pasture?


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## Annanoel (Mar 29, 2011)

jwells84 said:


> Be careful putting out signs. it may attract more people rather than keep them away, How bout just moving him to a different pasture?


**Glad to hear you're okay after all the storms first of all..

Definitely agree, I know with my colt even farther off the road people still stop and try to pet him. The signs most likely would get more attention as JWells said, I moved Jurne to a back field and he does fine now, and he only gets my attention to. I want to make sure he bonds with me, not trying to sound conceited, but he seems really calm and excited to see me. My little cousins hung around him for a while and he did the same thing. After working with him myself and making sure they weren't around he stopped in about a week. Having the others kids around him enforcing his bad habits and creating new ones, just isn't good in my opinion. Unless, they do know limits and boundaries and what not to do etc...


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## Ladybug2001 (Mar 15, 2011)

Sounds like you have one problem after another. Glad to hear the children are going to stop messing with her. Not sure one what to do about the people going up to the fence... I agree though that a sign would attract more attention, if you can't move him and you need to put a sign it would be more like, "Don't pet" sweet and simple. They can look but not touch. 

Its hard to hear you have such bad luck though, I had a foal born and my place. Thankfully where he was born you can't see him unless you go out to the pasture, even when I moved him to the other pasture no one messed with him. People that rode by on horses stopped and looked at him but gosh I feel sorry for you.


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## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

I agree with not putting out signs. Some people are so dumb and/or so offended that you would presume to put out a sign to warn them away that they would do exactly what you _don't_ want them to do.

My Dancer and her filly, Rain were in the front lot next to the road (Rain is still there, but she is now confined to the round pen for weaning.) When Rain was tiny (and I mean TINY - I've never seen a foal that small born to a full sized horse), people would stop and look all the time. Some even took pictures. Most were neighbors that just love babies of any kind, and nobody that I am aware of tried to go in the pen with them. 

Rain was/is a friendly critter that just ate up all the attention. She went through her terrible phase, but momma and Auntie Misty (she and Dancer are buds, and we didn't see any need to separate them when Dancer was born) were pretty strict with her and didn't allow much bad behavior. With five grandkids living with us, it's a good thing Rain is well behaved and has good herd manners.

Do you have another mare that gets along with your mare? Sometimes having an Auntie helps foals learn good herd manners faster than just momma alone. We also had a gelding (well, we thought he was, anyway) in the lot for a while, too. I know that you said your mare was a bit of a witch, but she might settle down after a few days of getting a companion.


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