Teaching a Horse Not to Bite

Biting is a form of communication for horses. Within a herd structure it serves as a form of play, an assertion of dominance, and even a means of affection. However, biting is dangerous in any context if a horse thinks about biting at its handler. The following is an extremely effective strategy for dealing with biting behaviors including simply nipping or mouthing tack, equipment or hands.

The first thing to get out of your mindset is that punishing will do any good. It will not. Second you have to understand that you as an individual handler can establish a boundary with a horse that will not transform to another person or handler. In other words, you cannot train someone else's horse not to bite them. Everyone who handles a mouthy horse has to realize that they are individually responsible for establishing boundaries with that horse.

Prevent Biting Behaviors First:

It has been said that the surest way not to get bitten is learn to recognize what happens before the horse decides to bite and avert the behavior. There are a few key things to keep in mind. If it is a dominance related behavior the horse will display other signs of assertion before it attempts to bite-puffing up its chest, arching the neck, pointing the upper lip or getting in your space while leading. These behaviors are common among young colts and stallions. Establish good leading manners where the horse must walk with its shoulder at your shoulder, keeping the same pace with you and a fair distance. When the horse wants to close this distance or speed up, tell it whoa and halt the horse. Even back it up a few steps if needed to confirm the space between you. Do not hold the horse up at the base of the halter either. You will be pulling the horse directly on top of you. Likewise, giving the horse a very long rope will not give you and sense of feel for where it is and what it is doing. In the event you have to send a message down the lead rope, too much slack will delay the message or make it ineffectual. Teach your horse to back away from you

Sometimes the horse bites to communicate discomfort such as when tightening the girth or cinch on the saddle. Listen to what the horse is saying. Something doesn't fit, hurts or is otherwise uncomfortable. Check your saddle's fit, the feel of the girth, the pads, and the physical condition of the horse's back, spine and shoulders. Everything may be fine, but in the past the horse learned to be concerned and is still expressing distrust. Anticipate the behavior by breaking down the steps into small bits the horse will accept, rewarding the good behavior while staying out of the way of the negative.

Similarly, some horse will be mouthy when they want to play. Don't give the horse the opportunity by fiddling with its mouth or face, offering up parts of your equipment or tack to be chewed on. Keep the space bubble you establish when leading clearly enforced even if you are in the stall cleaning it, grooming, or out in the pasture repairing a fence.

Set Limits:

When I get a mouthy horse, and I've built a solid foundation of respect for personal space as well as a good "whoa" and "back" commands, I will do the following exercise to set limits on the mouthing behavior. I'll reiterate that I do not punish, hit, smack, or otherwise act in an aggressive manner to a horse for biting. I start usually in the stall with this exercise, a halter on the horse with the lead rope in my hand closest to the horse and sometimes a dressage whip in my left hand with enough of the handle sticking up that I can use it to block my space should I have a very aggressive biter.

Develop your "crazy person" button. Horses understand hot-wire or electrical fencing quite well. It is predictable and they only get shocked when they touch it. The "crazy person" button works on a similar concept. Try this away from your horse. Pretend that you got jolted and give a very quick, very obvious full body jerk letting your arms flap wildly for one second, not two or three seconds. That is far too long. It has to be quick, very noticeable, very shocking and have no directed intent. Once you have this quick jerking "crazy person" motion down you can use it with the horse.

In the stall with the horse on the lead line simply start to pet the horse. If the horse turns its head to sniff you, pause and allow it. Be ready, but do not incite bad behavior. Wait patiently. Now, for me, any parting of the lips is not okay. As soon as that happens, my horse hits the crazy person button and I give my quick big even scary jolt. Remember for one second. If you drag it out, the horse will quickly desensitize to it. You want them very sensitive to it. This is an occasion where the horse should become spooked. However, they will not grow afraid of you because the instant that they back off, you will go back to the petting, brushing, or simply standing there as if nothing odd happened at all. Usually within a few moments the horse will sniff you again. A less confident horse will likely not try again for some time. Confident and playful types may initially think this looks like fun. Make the next one bigger. You have the rope in your hand. If the tail of it flips around or the whip whizzes through the air (without hitting the horse), that is fine. Again, the object is to create a very unpleasant experience the horse does not want to repeat. The horse has to understand that it is in control of whether that experience is repeated simply by keeping the lips shut.

After a couple of repetitions, take the halter off and leave the stall. Let the lesson soak. I do not repeat a separate session. I simply utilize this tool from that point on whenever the horse forgets.

I missed my chance and the horse already bit:

Let's face it, they are faster and stronger. You will miss opportunities to avert the behavior. The horse already bit, or got a good nip on your jacket. Go "crazy person" anyway. Because you are not trying to tag, hit, and smack or otherwise make direct contact, you can still "win" this game. When a trainer thinks that a hit will do the trick, they are relying on being able to make good on the threat of pain. I've met plenty of biters that were far better than any human I've ever met even those that claim to be tougher or bossier. However, if I have been bit or nipped (which is extremely rare) my "crazy person" button lasts a little longer and goes a bit more wild. I've jumped up and down flapping my arms with the rope flailing and wiggling the halter uncomfortably. Be careful not to look the horse in the eye at this moment or the horse will perceive that you are doing it to them rather than that they caused it themselves.

Now, what about those instances where the horse didn't bite you, but it now has your brand new leather reins in its mouth? Shake the reins wildly up and down until it's so uncomfortable the horse lets go. The same applies to lunge lines. Be careful to think about what is in the horse's mouth. Obviously if it has a stud chain in there, do not jerk it around. If you have a dressage whip handy simply push the handle end at the corner of the mouth and keep pushing until the horse opens the mouth to let it go. The object is to make it uncomfortable without getting into a fight.

When the horse is a stallion, fighting and aggression will only yield more aggression. For horses that have a sour attitude, the most important thing is to figure out why. Punishment for a behavior the horse is using to communicate discomfort will not build a partnership. Playful horses that are biting and mouthy simply due to excess energy and mental stimulation obviously need more of this. Give them a stall toy, more turnout time, more mentally complicated exercise. Running such a horse on the lunge line in endless circles won't alleviate the behavior. Teach in-hand work, backing leg-yielding, crossing ground poles etc. using transitions to keep the horse's mind busy. The mouth will become less busy.

Always keep in mind that biting is part of a horse being a horse and its not good horsemanship to punish the animal for being what it is. Teach the horse that there are consequences to its choices, set the horse up for success and enjoy a partnership where the boundaries are clearly established.