What is or isnt abuse?
- Codismama
- leo5
- thebattwoman
- Harimad_Sol
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» Codismama - Im confused
Everyone has their own opinions on raising/training a horse and since I am new at this with a yearling I take in everyone's advice but I am getting overwhelmed with do this and do that. I am trying to use my own judgement as I do as a parent but the people I am surrounded by have horses and some are trainers. My problem is I am at a stage of teaching manners. My stallion tends to forget his manners at times like nipping. Am I supposed to give him a smack on the nose or the chest and tell him No? I dont want to have to hit him in order to make him stop biting. When I am trying to lead him and he all of a sudden starts to rear up, I tug on his lead giving pressure on his nose and ask him to stand. Okay well that sounds logical but what do I do about the other stuff. He bit the farrier and I just dont know what to do. I am not comfortable with smacking him. I sometimes hold a whip in my hand and have never hit him with it but he seems to respond to it but not everyone is gonna hold it to keep him from biting. Does anyone have any suggestions?-- posted by Codismama
» leo5 - Re: Im confused
In response to Im confused posted by Codismama:I personly dont believe that you have to hit a horse but if you do a gentle slap will do. Horses are flight animals or prey animals and this means thwey dont like confontations so they will back off.They like to be in heards and so we have to play on this.I believe that you can put youreself higher in the heard with simple body actions.
-- posted by leo5
» thebattwoman - Re: Im confused
In response to Im confused posted by Codismama:What you have to remember is that within a herd, horses have a pecking order. The dominant animal lets the others know their place but he/she will also offer protection. It's a give and take relationship, yes they get scolded, but yes they also get protected. Your horse nipping you is letting you know exactly where you stand in his herd, lower than he is unfortunately. For successful training we have to become dominant but not in an abusive manner. Horses use a series of stances and threats to make their point, usually with warnings first, such as a nip, or ears pinned back. If another horse doesn't pay attention then it will resort to more forceful methods such as kicking.
What you need to do is give your horse a warning, maybe two or three but if he doesn't mind you, you need to follow it through, so he knows that there are consequences. This isn't abuse, you've asked and asked and will probably ask again, before you react. Believe it or not horses respect this and will understand you far more quickly. Once they do, like the dominant horse, you'll be minded but you'll gain trust and your horse will look to you in moments of needing protection.
As for nipping, especially with a stallion, I wouldn't tolerate that at all. It can become a very dangerous habit. My suggestion would be to look for some warnings signs before he bites you, such as swishing his tail in irritation, ears pinned etc etc and try to avert him then just by waving the whip at him. If he comes to bite you anyway, just keep waving that whip. He came into your space, not the other way around. I would try to get on this quickly as I dread to think what might happen with him if he comes around mares in heat and you have a hold of him. If he has no respect for you, then it could be disastrous. Good luck! 
-- posted by thebattwoman
» Harimad_Sol - Im confused
I personally believe that some horses do need a little smack every now and then. I would never strike a horse with a whip or any other object; but a little smack on the nose after a bite is completely in order in my opinion.Please remember that while I would rather not smack a horse either, sometimes they do need discipline, and you are NOT going to hurt a horse by giving him a little smack on the nose or chest. You're letting him know that behavior is not acceptable, and by doing this, you're preventing a lot of unnecessary discipline in the future. You're just showing him where you draw the line, and reminding him that he needs to listen to YOU.
If you do this sort of disciplining, your horse should respond just fine and begin to respect you enough (assuming, of course, that you spend time with him separately from discipline) that you'll rarely need to discipline him in the future.
-- posted by Harimad_Sol
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