Yearling Play ....but Its With Me

[Jen]

My yearling is 1.5yrs and has just recently taken to trying to play with me like another yearling would, nipping at me and waiting for me to nip her back(like she does with my gelding.) then rearing infront of me(on the odd occation) I'm not quite sure how to stop this behavior. She was seperated from my other horses up untill recently I thought that maybe if she could play with them or if they would put her in her place it may help abit. I don't want to wack her in the face because I don't want her to be head shy. I've tried to push her face away and say NO very Firmly but she immediately does it again as soon as I let her head go. I have smacked her on the neck but still the same reaction. I don't have a round penn. Other than this behavior she is being great. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[NancyM]

Don't be your horse's toy or playmate. Just don't give her the opportunity to think that you are available for that sort of thing. Give her equine friends to do this with, it is normal equine development. But do not fill that need of hers with your own body. Then when you handle her, make sure that you have her respect, and give her directions about what you want her to do, eg, move forward, move back etc. If she does not react correctly, rears at you or tries to bite instead, send her away from you to do some work and gain her respect. By doing so you will rearrange her perception of the pecking order.

[SanD]

I agree with Nancy. They can get very silly and try to spin and kick at you. Nip this in the bud. I would not be scared to smack her in the face. (another horse would go for her face as well.). I do understand that you don't want her head shy, but I have been told that you give it back to them where it came from. for instance if the paw at you, you go for the leg, bite you go for the mouth, (some folks may think this is mean, but I don't. Is that her in your avatar is so she is so cute.

[imacowgirl2]

hot topic i know, but sometimes they just need one hard smack across the nose if they are a persistant biter...one of our young ones is like this...he has been smacked hard twice for biting, and he doesn't bite anymore...after i smacked him, i would give him a couple seconds of ignoring him, then pet him on the face so he didnt think that every time I reach for his face I will be hitting him. some horses it works, some it doesnt...IME, some of the yearlings/two year olds need disciplined like this once or twice if they just arent responding to anything else (seems to get the point across that I can be just as tough as the mare was). I also agree with the Nancy that along with this, you should ALWAYS be telling your young one what to do...you need to be in control 100% of the time.

Edit to add: The youngster who I have smacked hard twice is not head shy at all ~ he is actually one of the easier ones to work with his mouth and head

[NancyM]

But when you "smack" or hit, understand that this is NOT punishment, it is sending the horse away. A horse does not understand "punishment", he understands being sent away by a dominant being. A horse will only become head shy if he does not understand what is happening, and becomes truely frightened. He does not understand the intense emotion of human anger, and will become frightened, so if you hit or make contact, do it without anger. As soon as there is anger, emotion and punishment involved, things rapidly deteriorate into abuse.

[holiday]

Originally posted by imacowgirl2@Dec 2 2003, 08:14 AM
hot topic i know, but sometimes they just need one hard smack across the nose if they are a persistant biter...one of our young ones is like this...he has been smacked hard twice for biting, and he doesn't bite anymore...after i smacked him, i would give him a couple seconds of ignoring him, then pet him on the face so he didnt think that every time I reach for his face I will be hitting him.

That's what I did with The Monster (one of my babies). He was very nippy and bit me once hard enough to leave a huge bruise when I was doing something he didn't like (bathing). He got a smack on his mouth, which surprised him, but he backed off right away, and has only tried to bite one other time, whereupon he received the same treatment - one smack. He's not head shy at all and is pleasant to work with now. He also never gets hand fed. All treats go in his bucket or given to him on the ground.

[Theresa]

if done properly smacking in the nose will not make a head shy horse.

The boss horse would most assuradly do the same & you must establish yourself as the boss horse.

****The biggest thing to remember is the 3 sec rule if you do not apply the correction within 3 sec or less the horse has no idea why you just smacked it (this is one of the things that causes head shyness, they just know you hit them they don't know why).****

Since you know she is going to nip at you be ready with your correction and apply it consistantly for most it only takes a time or two before the decide nipping you makes their nose hurt so they don't do it anymore.
Just like if another horse kicks them every time they bite it in the butt they soon stop biting that horse in the butt.

[harlow]

I think as long as you smack the nose area you won't make a horse head shy....but i do not believe in smacking the "head" or the "delicate zone" as Parelli calls it.....it is the area that is a couple inches above the muzzle to just above the ear.

I have a very dominantly natured filly and she is constanly trying to nip so instead of just smacking her muzzle (this was not working).....I would smack her muzzle and go absolutely balistic on her, mostly verbal but also backing her into a corner swinging the manure fork at her....I never actually hit her but would push her with it.......you should have seen the look on her face.......the first time I tried this..boy was she shocked and not sure what to do other than cower in the corner .........the next time she made like she was going to bite me I smacked her on the muzzle and started to go balastic she was gone like a shot........the nipping has subsided for the time being.....??????/

harlow

harlow

[modHoofservant]

Mary Twelveponies did something with one of her yearlings that decided she wanted to treat humans as play-toys and would rear up infront of the person. She took a broom, house broom, dragged it behind her out to the pasture. When the filly reared up, she swatted her in the rib cage with the broom. The filly tried it one more time with another person, got the same result and that was that.
Work on teaching your filly that she needs to know how to get out of your space. Make her back up.
I am also an advocate of if a swat across the nose, properly timed, is what is needed, then do it. Buddy came at me one time with his ears back and mouth open. I gave him a left hook in his cheek and he has NEVER tried it again. He was really surprised I didn't let him bite me. I've also bit him back when he nipped me. Grabbed his wittle pink nosey and CHOMP! Shocked him then, too.
Sometimes, you have to be the bigger horse.

[Theresa]

OH YEAH been there done that with the biting them back thing too. I actually used that one with the kids as well, it works in both cases most times.