# biting the lead rope



## Reiterin (Mar 28, 2010)

no ideas, but my friends horse does this All the time. he chews on the cross ties and everything. he's just a mouthy horse.


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## FHF (Jul 11, 2010)

I bet your horse is super smart and full of personality. Some horses are "mouthy" as another reader mentioned. There is really not much you can do about this when you are not present and say they are tied at the trailer or something. However, like any undesired behavior it should be corrected and to do so requires commitment and consistency. 

The most effective method is to give your horse a slight spat on the nose everytime you see him think about biting the rope. Do not wait for the actual bite. Your spat should only be as firm as needed to deter him from continueing to go for the rope. Set him up for failure and correct him for any attempt to bite the rope. In a few days or even minutes he will learn that this behavior is not acceptable. 

Its just like kids. Make it hard to do bad and easy to do good.


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## Gus (Oct 22, 2010)

hahahah that sounds just like my horse! When he's tied I will find him nibbling the lead rope the same position he will have his bit everytime I will say, "You ding bat (never meaning it) I haz your bridle right here!" I wouldn't worry about it honestly. I think it just means they have good personality. cause Skylar is extremely sweet and he has never offered to bite ME. So as long as he doesn't go that far I wouldn't worry about it. But if you don't like it I wouldn't yank it out he's probably thinkin, "Hey I was playing with that!" and just go back to it. i would gently scold him and play with his mouth to get his mind off of it like gently grab the top part of his upper lip God luck!


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

It is definitely partly an age related thing. All babies go through a chewing stage, it helps them feel secure chewing on something, its also their way of seeing what things are, and showing that they are submissive to the leader. It is your choice to correct it or not. I chose not to with my mare because it was truly a stress related issue, and getting after her just increased her stress, but ignoring her, and letting her settle in, and get used to all the people she now sees and all the activity, its gone away on its own, that being said, if she starts to get grabby which she has, I do get after her about that, because grabby for the rope, or whatever she's going after down the road turns into grabby for treats, or grabby persons arm or leg or head for attention, and that is unacceptable. She knows her boundaries, and what is acceptable and what is not, and that is my ultimate goal with her, is her being respectful. My reprimand is a swift tap to the shoulder or neck, as I'm removing the lead rope from her mouth, as she does not need any more than that, and I refuse to do any sort of tapping smacking pushing ect. to her head.


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## momo3boys (Jul 7, 2010)

He is VERY full of personality and I doubt that it is stress related, he is only stressed when we take his sister out without him! He is mouthy and that is my concern because he can be playfully mouthy with me and sometimes he crosses the line. It honestly seems like he is trying to take the lead rope away from me...smacking him on the nose doesn't work because he thinks it a great game... 

any other ideas?


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## FHF (Jul 11, 2010)

momo3boys said:


> He is VERY full of personality and I doubt that it is stress related, he is only stressed when we take his sister out without him! He is mouthy and that is my concern because he can be playfully mouthy with me and sometimes he crosses the line. It honestly seems like he is trying to take the lead rope away from me...smacking him on the nose doesn't work because he thinks it a great game...
> 
> any other ideas?[/QUOTE
> 
> Your reprimand no matter where you apply it should be firm enough that it is definitely not a game he wants to play. If you are uncomfortable spatting his nose try somewhere else but the most important thing is to be consistent and to deter him from grabbing the rope before he grabs it. Good luck.


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## WickedNag (Sep 7, 2010)

Lol, sounds like my Shunke, the horse in my avatar. He will even unsnap his reins if I am not paying attention on a ride. I should switch them over to ties but snaps are so easy when I want to switch headstalls.


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## Super Nova (Apr 27, 2010)

We have a horse that is a real goof ball and has a personality more like a dog and he puts the lead in his mouth he also does this with his reins......he always has a real mischevious look on his face........he will also very quietly mouth your shirt and then take a hold of the sleeve and try and walk away taking you with him.....he will bring branches and wave them in your face......or the cloth dog bone he has.,,,he will also stick his tongue out in hopes that you will grab it and play with it.

I don't think it is anything to worry about he will probably do it less and less.

Super Nova


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## tduke (Nov 1, 2010)

I have a horse who is 9. Hes acts like a big dog! He has been chewing on things and putting things in his mouth since he was 3. 
It hasn't got better with age for him. He will pick up the lead rode, his brushes, if im on him or if he has a bit in his mouth he will reach for the reins. Hes like a big baby!

The only thing i have found that stop it is, a firm Quit, and cup my hand and pop him.
Also i have learned he does it when he know im not around a lot now, so i will get a hand full of pebbles and make myself incognito. He will start going for something and i will throw a pebble. The expression on his face is priceless.


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

hahaha I love some horses personalities. Hunter has BIG personality too. He hates the cross ties and tries to bite them all the time. He also know how to untie his lead rope if I have him tied to the hitching post. I have been having trouble getting him to stop and he nips too.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Soda does the same thing. I don't mind that he chews on the lead rope so much. He doesn't chew on me or other people so I'm not worried about that either. He's 9 and a high energy, intelligent, alert horse. 

My problem is that he insists upon chewing the reins when we aren't moving. He's destroyed one pair of reins already and obviously I don't want my reins weakened by the chewing. 

I started pulling the reins out of his mouth and saying "NO" while tapping him lightly on the mouth. It hasn't made him headshy yet and he's starting to stop. I'll be investing in some chains to attached between the bit and the reins to help stop the habit too...


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## momo3boys (Jul 7, 2010)

I am SO glad that I am not the only one with a DOG horse!!! ON a walk in the woods he was sniffing the ground like a dog and even picked up sticks and threw them! LOL 

As far as biting the lead rope though I don't want him to make it a bad habit, especially when I start using the bit more! I just need to pick a reprimand and stick with it. He'll have to grow up some day right?


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

You might try attaching a chain between the lead rope and the halter. He won't like chewing on that and it may help enforce the "no chewing" rule.


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## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

Don't bet on them not chewing the chain. Rain does it. She chews on the chain on the gate. She chews on _everything._ Of course, she's only a few months old and is still exploring her world. The funniest thing, though, is when she chews on Momma's lead rope and tries to lead Momma around!


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Soda will occaisionally bite on the metal pipes on the gate. Usually when I'm taking Lily out instead of him. He's probably threatening her, like "See what I can do??? You're next... " :lol:


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

My 3 1/2 month old colt is going through a terrible chewing stage right now. I have pretty well discouraged him from nipping/chewing me on the ground, but then he is nipping/chewing on my gelding when I pony him. And not just the gelding, but my tack and leg as well. 

Basically, my discipline hasn't been firm enough, because he also thinks its a game. On the advice of a friend I've started ponying with a dressage whip with me, and when he goes to bite or chew on anything, he gets a firm smack on rump. I've only done one ride this way so far, but it seems to help. But basically if you reprimand and he does it anyway, the reprimand isn't working. 

As for the original question of chewing the lead rope, my foal does that too, but we have so many other things to work on, that I am not getting overly worried about it right now. Sigh!


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

My 5 yr old likes to hold and sometimes lightly chew on his lead rope too. I don't worry about it, and let him carry his own lead with me holding the droop, it makes him happy and is not a problem as he is not mouthy with me. He will also do this with a chain, and take the odd chomp on it. 

However I would not tolerate any level of mouthiness with me, that is a line that should not be crossed in my opinion.


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## csuebele (Oct 25, 2009)

We're slowly breaking our 12 year old pony of biting the lead. The previous owners let him lead himself around. I didn't like it from the start, as he can drag you around rather than you leading him around. My method, which has worked pretty well is to hold a crop in the same hand as I hold the lead, and when he tries to grab the lead, he gets the end of the crop in in nose or mouth, so the action is like he is running into the crop rather than me hitting him with it: make them think what they did caused the unpleasantness rather than you.

Our pony is also a goof ball. Loves to grab just about anything and shake it around, as you can see by my avatar. One time my daughter won a medal final and they gave her a bag of carrot for the pony. Well the pony did want to wait for them, so he grabbed the bunch out of the presenter's hands and started shaking them in his mouth. I shot a series of shots of it then made an animated gif file of him shaking them. You can see it here (bottom right of the web page).


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

^^^ Based on this I assume that there is a different severity to holding a lead rope, my advise was based on my horse not dragging me around and just holding it and chewing it like a dog would.


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## csuebele (Oct 25, 2009)

AlexS said:


> ^^^ Based on this I assume that there is a different severity to holding a lead rope, my advise was based on my horse not dragging me around and just holding it and chewing it like a dog would.


Yes, when ours got the lead in his mouth, he would try and lead me around. He still bites at the cross ties, which I really don't care about, but you would not want your horse to start geting in the habit of dragging you around. If you can break the habit early, the better I think. It also helps to spray the lead with something like McNasty that does not taste good.


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## momo3boys (Jul 7, 2010)

what would be a good nasty thing? I was thinking about doing that


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## csuebele (Oct 25, 2009)

momo3boys said:


> what would be a good nasty thing? I was thinking about doing that


McNasty works very well, just don't breath while you're spraying it!!! Also wash your hands after touching the lead rope. We also use it on vetwraps to keep him from ripping them off.

McNasty Anti-Chewing Spray (Equine - Stable Equipment Supplies - Cribbing)


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Young horses (and young humans!) go through what is called an 'oral fixation' stage - where they experience things by popping them in their mouth and playing with them, he will most likely grow out of it.

However, you should still train him not to do it as it can be dangerous, just like when a toddler puts a marble in their mouth - although it may be fun for them, there is a choking hazard. Just keep a watchful eye on him and when he does it reprimand him and remove the offending lead rope (or brush, phone, camera). It is cute I have to agree but it can also be a hazard if he actually starts to swallow the rope, trust me given a few seconds he will do this faster than you can imagine!


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## csuebele (Oct 25, 2009)

sarahver said:


> Young horses (and young humans!) go through what is called an 'oral fixation' stage - where they experience things by popping them in their mouth and playing with them, he will most likely grow out of it.
> 
> However, you should still train him not to do it as it can be dangerous, just like when a toddler puts a marble in their mouth - although it may be fun for them, there is a choking hazard. Just keep a watchful eye on him and when he does it reprimand him and remove the offending lead rope (or brush, phone, camera). It is cute I have to agree but it can also be a hazard if he actually starts to swallow the rope, trust me given a few seconds he will do this faster than you can imagine!


Totally agree! Ours will playfully start gumming you or your clothing with his lips, and if you let him continue, in very short order, you're missing a pocket on your pants or a chunk of skin. I could very easily see them chock of something too. Geldings are mouthy and may not grow out of it, if not nipped in the bud.


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## momo3boys (Jul 7, 2010)

OK, so I walked him the other day with the bit in his mouth and he stopped biting the lead rope....but started biting the reins! i think I am going to invest in a roller bit for this guy! (eyeroll)

If I reprimand him for biting it, he thinks it is a great game....2yo!


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

csuebele said:


> We're slowly breaking our 12 year old pony of biting the lead. The previous owners let him lead himself around. I didn't like it from the start, as he can drag you around rather than you leading him around. My method, which has worked pretty well is to hold a crop in the same hand as I hold the lead, and when he tries to grab the lead, he gets the end of the crop in in nose or mouth, so the action is like he is running into the crop rather than me hitting him with it: make them think what they did caused the unpleasantness rather than you.
> 
> Our pony is also a goof ball. Loves to grab just about anything and shake it around, as you can see by my avatar. One time my daughter won a medal final and they gave her a bag of carrot for the pony. Well the pony did want to wait for them, so he grabbed the bunch out of the presenter's hands and started shaking them in his mouth. I shot a series of shots of it then made an animated gif file of him shaking them. You can see it here (bottom right of the web page).



Sorry off topic but your pony is gorgeous. How tall is he?


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## csuebele (Oct 25, 2009)

Hunter65 said:


> Sorry off topic but your pony is gorgeous. How tall is he?



Thanks! He's 14.1

Chuck


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