Posts Tagged ‘aggressive behaviour’

Your horse has just tried to bite you! You can’t understand why this animal that you love and care for would behave in such a way. Horses that bite people are displaying an aggressive, unsafe behaviour that needs to be changed.

The first step in changing any behaviour is to understand the underlying cause of it. Horses are prey animals that live in herds and run from danger. Their first instinct is to run away when they feel their safety is threatened. If they are unable to run away, they will fight to defend themselves by aggressively biting, kicking or striking.

What causes a domestic horse that is being cared for and loved by humans to become aggressive and bite his or her caregiver? There are 2 reasons for this undesirable behaviour.

1) The human is inadvertently causing stress to the horse by their own behaviour and body language and the horse is unable to leave. Usually this is caused by the human sending forward, impulsive energy towards the horse’s head and neck area while working around the horse that is tied up or confined in a small space such as a stall. Horses feel most vulnerable around their head and neck because this is where predators attack to kill.

2) Young colts tend to bite because this is stallion behaviour. In the wild, stallions must compete with each other to win a band of mares and the right to breed them. This is why young colts and even some older geldings play fights can look quite aggressive. The play is practice for potential future fights.

The traditional method of breaking the behaviour of biting people is to smack the horse in the mouth or face. Some people even go so far as biting the horse back. Neither of these tactics is particularly effective in stopping the biting. Hitting the horse in the face, from the horse’s perspective, is a very aggressive behaviour. It either makes the horse head-shy and/or escalates the behaviour as the horse becomes more aggressive. In both cases, the human is being reactive after the horse has bitten them.

A better way to stop this behaviour involves working with the horse’s psychology and being proactive to prevent the bite. In the herd, a horse that misbehaves or shows disrespect to higher ranking horses is pushed out of the herd. This is the absolutely worst punishment for any horse as isolation from the herd increases the vulnerability to predators. The exiled horse is only allowed back into the herd once he or she has shown signs of respect and submission.

Prevent your horse from biting by following these steps:

1) Be respectful of your horse’s personal space (head and neck area) by not sending forward energy from your body into that area. If you are standing beside your horse, stand with your weight even on both legs or resting on the leg farthest from your horse’s head so that your hip is not aimed into your horse’s head.

2) Ask your horse to be respectful of your personal space. Picture your personal space as a bubble around you. Block your horse from coming into your bubble unless you invite him or her in and he or she is respectful – low head, not pushing, etc.

3) Be aware of signs that your horse is threatening to bite or be pushy to you and proactively send him or her away from you with a push or a tap on the shoulder. Even if your horse manages to get in a nip or a bite do not hit him or her in the face. Only ever hit you horse on the body and send him or her away from you. Do not let your horse come back into your space until he or she is completely calm, non-threatening and showing signs of respect.

Working with an understanding of horse psychology as well as diagnosing the cause behind behaviours is a much more effective way of working with and training horses than simply focusing on the symptom (in this case, biting). You will develop a stronger bond with your horse built on mutual trust and respect. Your horse will no longer see you as a potential threat, but as a benevolent leader and trusted herd mate.

Author: Anne Gage
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card