From: Amanda
Dear Jessica
First let me say how much I enjoy horse-sense. I am new to the list and I'm enjoying myself and learning a lot. I hope you can help me with a couple of questions.
I have a recently gelded ( one week ago ) QH yearling. I have never started a new horse before and I'm concerned about how to handle some of his behaviour. Lately he has started biting and nipping which concerns me, especially because I have small children. I don't want to get into physical punishment, but I don't know how to curb this behaviour effectively. Is there something besides telling him "No!" and snapping his lead shank that I could be doing ?
Also, I'd like to know how soon I could start longing him ( nothing serious, just walk and light trot ). I'm hoping that some type of training might help in curbing any negative behaviours.
Thank you
Amanda
You're doing the right thing with your young horse. Horses at his age are very "mouthy," colts more so than fillies, and he's recently gelded, so you have several factors encouraging him to nip and bite at things. Snapping the lead, or, if you have a lead with a bullsnap, bumping him under the chin with the snap, and saying "NO" sharply will have an effect in time. Hitting him would be a mistake -- it makes YOU an aggressor, and his natural reaction will be to fight back. If you keep hitting him, you'll make him afraid of you, which would be a pity. There are some other things you can do, though.
The most effective punishments are the ones that horses inflict on themselves and don't associate with a person. If he nips while you're brushing him and you raise your arm to strike him, that's not very useful. If he nips while you're brushing him and you quickly bring up the wooden back of the brush so that he smacks the underside of his jaw on it, that's VERY useful, especially if you just keep on grooming him as though nothing had happened. If he nips while you lead him, you might use a lead with a chain wrapped over the noseband of his halter. That way, the chain can't tighten and stay tight, but it will give emphasis to your snapping the lead! He needs to learn that this behaviour is NOT acceptable to you, and that he isn't to do it.
Simple precautions: Keep your children away from his head -- this is actually a good idea with ANY horse, especially a young one -- and don't hand-feed him treats or allow anyone else to hand-feed him a treat. If you want to give him carrots or apples, put the pieces in his feed tub.
After a couple months of very consistent, quiet discipline, he should be much better about this. His hormones will also have subsided by then! But remember that even geldings are still "mouthy" by nature -- just watch any two geldings playing in a field together. And keep in mind that for the next few years, he will be cutting teeth and losing caps, which will make him want to chew on everything. As long as he doesn't chew on PEOPLE, you can let him play with toys -- a plastic milk jug can be a nice toy. So can a piece of soft rope with a few big knots tied in it.
Longeing -- please don't. He's much too young, and at this age, working on a circle is likely to cause permanent damage. He should be turned OUT as much as possible -- around the clock if you can arrange it! He needs to develop his body, and he has to be able to move freely. If he's out all the time, he will be MUCH easier to work with. If you are desperate to do SOMETHING organized with him, get a longeing cavesson (a proper one, with a jowl strap and three jointed metal plates (NOT just sewn-on dee rings) on the noseband -- Millers has a good one in nylon for just under $30). When he's a well-grown two-year-old, you can use it for light longeing at walk and trot, every few days for just a few minutes on a large circle. ;-) In the meantime, you can use it and a leadrope to pony him from another horse. That way, he can get used to seeing a rider above him, he can learn to go when he's asked and stop when he's asked (he won't have much choice!) and you can take him all around the pasture on straight lines and wide turns. Ten minutes of this won't hurt him.
If you just want to teach him things and get his attention, there's a lot you can do from the ground! Clipping, braiding, sheath cleaning, leading, turning, backing, stopping, tying, cross-tying ... you can take him for walks and teach him to walk over poles and through tires and into puddles. You can teach him to be calm around rattly plastic, and even to walk across a tarp! You can teach him to be calm about getting into and out of trailers. It'll be a pretty full year, and you won't have to do ANYTHING that will endanger his body or his future career.
Longeing is wonderful when done correctly, but it shouldn't ever be done with a yearling, or even a slow-developing two-year-old. If you plan to keep this horse as a riding horse, and want him to stay sound (of course you do!), wait until he's AT LEAST two before you even THINK about longeing him. In the meantime, look for a good dressage instructor in your area who can teach you how to longe an experienced horse quietly, with no gadgets. Then when your own colt is old enough to learn, you'll be ready (and you'll know who to ask for help for those first few sessions!). You can spend the first few months longeing him for a few minutes every two or three days, on a large circle (you'll need at least a 30' longeline, plus your cavesson and a longewhip), and only at walk and trot.
Horses can't grow up any faster than nature will allow. Your horse is still very young -- he won't be fully mature until he's rising six. Take your time with him NOW while he's still growing and developing, and you'll maximize your chances of having a sound, happy horse for many, many years.
- Jessica
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