From: June
Dear Jessica,
Thank you for Horse Sense!
In August I purchased a 10 year-old TB gelding after having ridden him 3 or 4 times for lessons in July. I knew he was what the people at the barn call "cranky" (grinds his teeth, swings his head to bite, sometimes stamps his feet), but I attributed it to being very ticklish or sensitive because his is really puppy-dog like when he's not being groomed. He was in full training with my instructor when I bought him and I left in the same situation for 2 months until I would have time to ride him frequently. Since the beginning of October I have been riding him 6 days a week. Now that we are bonding, he has really cut down on all of the antics, but yesterday while I was sponging him off after our ride, he bite me--hard. I usually have him cross-tied so that he can't reach me but yesterday there wasn't enough space for him in the cross-ties. I didn't actually think he'd bite me, I thought it was theatrics to get me to stop brushing or toweling or in this case sponging him. What do I do with that kind of behavior? Is he possibly just very sensitive or is he being aggressive/dominant? And what can I do to "fix" it? I grew up with horses, but none of them ever were biters or especially ticklish, so I am at a loss for experience in this situation.
Thank you in advance for your input. June & Chewey, who is in the figurative doghouse (and cross-ties) until he figures out how to behave himself.
PS "Chewey" is Malibu Native, but his nickname is short for Chewbaka since he's 16.3 and very red.
Horse behaviour is rarely "theatrics" -- if he wants you to stop brushing or toweling or sponging, he probably has a reason. Either you've reached a sore area, or you've reached a ticklish area, and he's trying to tell you that something isn't right.
Have your vet take a look at Chewey and check for sore areas; if you're brushing/sponging over a deep bruise, for instance, it WILL hurt. If he finds anything, you'll have a better idea of what is going on. Check your saddle for fit, and check your own riding position. Is the saddle rubbing him anywhere, at a standstill or in motion? Are you using a mounting block so that you don't pull the saddle onto his spine during mounting and dismounting? Does the saddle fit BOTH of you -- or is it an old saddle that you've outgrown? If the saddle is too small for you, your weight will be concentrated in one small area, just under the cantle, and that will make a horse very sore in no time at all. And if you've been riding him six days a week, he's had enough time to develop a seriously sore back if there is any saddle or riding problem.
If you and your vet don't find anything painful, remember that "sensitive" or "ticklish" are possibilities too: some horses can't tolerate really hard, stiff brushes in certain areas, notably the flank and belly; other horses are truly ticklish and find light touches with soft brushes extremely irritating, and with those horses, a harder brush and more pressure will usually help.
Another possibility is the expectation of trouble: grooms at the track (and elsewhere) are not always perfectly gentle and kind with the horses; a horse that is expecting to be hit while being groomed is going to get anxious and unhappy during the grooming process.
In addition to having the horse checked out, you are going to have to do two things that may seem contradictory at first. One is to show the horse -- by doing it over and over and making it pleasant -- that you are NOT going to beat him up during grooming. To make it really pleasant for him, though, you're going to have to pay attention to what he is saying to you, and when you get to an area that is sensitive, ticklish, or sore, LISTEN to him when he says "Don't brush me that way" or "Don't rub me there." I'll bet there are places on your own feet (for example) that you can't stand to have tickled or poked -- your horse has sensitive areas too. And I'm sure you know someone who can be slapped hard on the back or grabbed by the arm without collapsing into giggles, but who starts to giggle and laugh and wriggle when you poke him in the ribs, no matter how hard or how lightly you do it. ;-)
The other thing you need to do is make it clear to your horse that although you ARE listening to him and you ARE trying to do what feels good to him, he is not permitted to bite. Ever. Full stop. Be ready to make a very loud "wrong answer" buzzer noise if he so much as swings his head toward you; that will let him know what you think of the idea. If he swings his head with serious intent, be sure that what he runs into is either your elbow or the wooden back of the brush -- you aren't going to HIT him, you're just going to be sure that IF he swings into you, he encounters something hard. And be very aware of where he is at all times -- it's your job to keep the bite from happening in the first place, and if you can do that, you'll never have to deal with the consequences of being bitten.
Good luck -- think safety first -- and do a thorough check so that you aren't punishing the horse for saying "Help, that hurts me!". Then show the horse that (a) he's not allowed to bite you or even to THINK about biting you, and that (b) he doesn't need to escalate, because you're going to be paying attention and responding to his body language at a much earlier point, when it's still at the twitching-skin and ears-slightly-back stage. Sometimes we have to listen when our HORSES whisper -- that way they never feel that they need to SHOUT to get us to pay attention.
Jessica
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