# How long should nibbling be allowed?



## TexasBlaze (Oct 4, 2010)

I have a 3 week old colt and he loves to nibble. I know they do this to learn about objects and ive never disciplined him for it and he has never bitten my skin but i was wondering how long they should be allowed to "explore" before theyre old enough to learn that getting mouthy to a human is a bad thing?


----------



## yukontanya (Apr 11, 2010)

its all personal choice... i let both my geldings lip me... play with my clothing, hair, lick my hands and gloves... they are 6 and 7 years old... I let my horses do to me with respect what they would do to another horse.... Thats just my point of view


----------



## myhorsesonador (Jun 21, 2009)

It should never EVER be alowed


----------



## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

I don't allow mine to do it. Even as babies I created very clear boundaries that it was not allowed on people. It can lead to a real bite really quickly and its best to start them as early as possible that its not allowed.


----------



## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Yup, it's a personal preference. In a young horse, it's natural for them to explore their surroundings. However, I wouldn't let them be mouthy to me. That leads them to nipping and then biting. It is easier to nip it in the bud when they are young than try to fix it when they are older after they have developed the habit. When they are older and have respect for you may be different. I feel the same way about hand feeding them treats. Until they have respect for you, I wouldn't feed them by hand. It makes them more likely to bite at your hands even when you don't have a treat.


----------



## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

It really depends on what you are using them for. A pet/pleasure horse could probably be allowed to nibble all the time as long as it doesn't start to bite at people. But a show horse might have to behave. I don't think a judge would be pleased if someone's horse was munching on their handler in a halter class.

I personally do not mind a nibbling horse as long as they do not bite me or slobber on me too bad. It's really a personal preference, no wrong or right to it. But I don't punch my horse in the mouth for being curious like some trainers do.

Looks like I've caught myself a pretty good fish...​


----------



## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Personally I don't allow it at all under any circumstances at any age. Everyone has their own idea and that is fine by me!

I don't allow nibbling, nuzzling or rubbing of any sort _ever_ and my reasoning is that all these behaviours, whilst very 'cute' under some circumstances, are sending the wrong message to the horse in my books, especially youngsters. While these behaviours don't start as overt disrespect, they pave the way for more disrespectful behaviours in the future.

If I am handling a horse, no matter what age it is, I expect it to be patient and not fidget, either with me or with the things I am holding e.g. lead rope, brushes, keys etc. These types of things can be dangerous to them too if they are playing with something and accidentally swallow it. Very scary for the handler when you are finding yourself extracting a lead rope from your babies throat! Best to teach them not to fiddle with everything in the beginning.

If you want some bonding time with the little guy - YOU scratch HIM. He will enjoy it and it gets him used to the feel of your hands all over him.

Sure at a young age they like to experience things by popping them into their mouth but they are free to do that to their hearts content on their own time in the pasture, not when I am with them!

ETA: Butt in the dirt my comment about nibbling lead ropes was not directed at you, we just posted at the same time :wink:


----------



## annieapplecake (Mar 19, 2011)

*Nibbling*

Yes this can prove a problem... Well young horses like to nibble like human babies they teeth on things - my 5 year old still nibbles but he is growing out of it - he used to be very bad because his old owner spoiled him. It is definitely okay for your colt to still nibble but don't let him nibble you - that is teaching him to disrespect you - you should start to get stricter when he turns older about a year old maybe but its very natural for young horses to nibble!

Hope i helped!


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Buttinthedirt,

Judgeing from some of the other issues that are coming up for Moe, you might rethink letting him nibble on you at all. Maybe he needs to see you in a whole new light.
I am very blase about it with Mac, and I realize it is a bad habit. He is , however, overall very respectful of my space and has never been even one iota aggressive to me.


----------



## ssquared (Mar 13, 2011)

It depends on your preference and the horse itself. My mare likes to nibble (she's 5, but she thinks she's still a baby!) and I don't punish her for it. My view on my personal horses: I try to bond with them as a horse might, I let her nibble or play with my clothes but she knows when I am angry and if I raise my voice to her she will stop. We have gone through the biting stage, and she won't bite me, so as long as she is respectful and knows where the line is drawn, I don't see a problem with her behavior. I see it as her being playful with me, bonding, whatever you want to call it. 
My gelding is 28 and he loves to nibble/lick my hand. I have the same approach with him. He would never in a million years bite me or another person, he is just searching for treats. He is a W/T lesson horse, and the kids love him! Beginners are just forewarned not to give him small treats (and taught how to give them with a flattened palm) so he doesn't mistake their fingers for treats, but he usually finds the treats with his lips and tongue and pulls them in that way, he's never bitten a child- accidentally or purposefully. 

I usually leave this behavior at the stall or grooming area, and they both know that if they are being tacked up or led, they should respect my personal space. I'm usually the one to initiate the behavior, and they respond. If they initiate the behavior and I don't feel its appropriate, they usually back off if I raise my voice and raise my arm. I just feel its a form of communication, and as long as they are gentle, there is no harm done. 

However, if I was training someone else's horse or riding a lesson horse, something along those lines- I would draw a clearer line and make it more of a professional relationship with that horse. The owners can develop that sort of relationship on their own time, and I am not going to encourage what someone else may consider bad behavior. I will give them treats or praise, but I won't be as personable as I am with my own horses. 

Since he is a baby, I would let him be a horse and a baby horse at that. The only time I would correct him or draw any sort of line is if he gets real pushy, bites, kicks, or otherwise tries to invade your space when he is clearly not welcome to. Because he is young, simply raising your voice to him should work with raising or waving your arm. If it doesn't, then carry a crop with you and just smack him (just hard enough to sting a little, I wouldn't try to hurt him as he's still figuring things out) in the chest [so he instinctively backs off]. If you are going to punish his bad behavior, you should reward good behavior, so maybe start halter training in the stall or something like that, so you have a base to reward once you establish the base to punish.


----------



## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

The thing with these behaviours is, as Sarah said, they can start out as cute, but where do you draw the line? Is it fair on a horse to allow it to nibble here and there, and then suddenly they pinch your skin accidentally and you get mad? The horse thinks "but this is acceptable behaviour I never get punished for it!".
My horses, from day one, must NOT put their mouth on a human, must NOT put their feet on a human and must NOT move their body into a human's space. Basic horse rules, not difficult! 

A nibble turns into a bite very quickly. Particularly with youngsters!! They test the boundaries, they push, and push a bit more and see how much they can get away with. A mare doesn't allow her foal to nibble and nip, so I figure if a mare wouldn't allow it, neither will I.

But if you're into getting lovely bruises with teeth marks that don't go away for weeks and change colour at least 5 times in that period, let him nibble to his hearts desire


----------



## christopher (Feb 11, 2011)

it's not a matter of black and white, not specifically a yes/no situation.

personally if it's a curious little nuzzle with just the lips and no teeth then i'll take it, any more and i discourage it with a similar force that the horse puts into the infringement


----------



## Heatherloveslottie (Apr 12, 2010)

I think it depends on the horse as well as the person. My horse Tazz is about 7, and he lips me quite a lot. He is never pushy or disrespectful of space. If he does ever start using his teeth, which is rare, he gets my hand taken away and he can't lip me at all. As a result, he hardly ever uses his teeth. 
When you see horses in the pasture, it isn't as though they never go near each other or groom them. When I groom Tazz, he always 'grooms' me back, by lipping me. I don't see any problem because it never turns into anything more than lipping, and if i feel his teeth it isn't a vicious bite by any means. But then, if it was another horse and they did try to bite, I wouldn't do it.


----------



## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

The way I see it is that yes, you have to be the dominant 'horse' in the relationship. So yes, you have to act like a horse at times to get that point across - forcing them out of your space, being loud when they are giving you attitude etc. But at the end of the day, you are not a horse. You are a human. And even if you are on the heavy side, chances are good that your horse weighs 5 to 10 times your weight. Their jaw pressure can snap your bones. Their kick can kill you. While it is all well and good to 'let them be a horse' and such, they should not act out these impulses with a human. It is just too dangerous. 

Set your horse up for success. Always. Remember that you might not be his forever home - we can't see into the future after all. Don't give the horse bad habits. Letting a horse 'nibble' is a habit that I hate. If I see a horse that does that, I will walk away and not ever consider it to buy. Biting is a vice, and I won't pay good money for a horse with such a serious vice.


----------



## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

To each their own but for me personally nibbling is a big no-no. Its never allowed at any age, period. Its asking for bigger problems down the road. Yes babies are cute, yes its cute when they lip you or try to suck on a finger but its much less cute when they remove a finger. 

I had a close friend who let her filly lick, nibble, be all over her. Her first trip into the show pen she ripped the sleeve off the judges shirt. My friend was mortified and had to do corrective training on a baby for an issue that should have never become an issue. 

Our babies are expected to be respectful and polite from day one. Does this mean they aren't allowed to be babies and have fun, not at all. They can nibble, lick, play fight, whatever tickles their fancy...amongst each other.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

My little one [she's almost 3! Not so little anymore!] loves to snuffle and give cuddles. With her, it is very easy to allow it when I ask for it, but not any other time. When we are working, or I am busy, she knows to leave me alone. I have to open up to her to allow her to snuffle around my neck, an I lay my cheek against her face and rub her face. It's adorable and we both love it. 

My older mare also snuffles when I am picking her feet or when I reach a really itchy spot with the curry comb.

Neither horse has ever come close to biting me, and while my older mare snuffles when I clean her feet, they both have excellent farrier/vet manners.

It's not all that different from dogs. I will allow/give out affection but only on my terms.


----------

