When the horse reaches to bite you, look straight ahead and tap him lightly on the shin of his leg with your foot. Do NOT create pain, just surprise. You want him to associate his effort to bite with a distracting tap on his shin. No fights.
Typically, a horse bites someone as a sign of aggression. However, in some cases, a horse can bite you in a playful manner or even as a sign of affection. Although this can seem sweet at first, any type of biting should be immediately discouraged.
Very athletic horses and young horses tend to develop this habit. The bad news is that mouthy behavior often turns into biting—a very dangerous vice. The good news is if you give your horse a job, as simple as making him move his feet forwards, backwards, left and right, his mouthiness will disappear.
Signs of Aggression
They will swish their tail aggressively. Some may stomp or paw with their feet. The horse's muzzle will tighten and the white in their eyes may show. They may threaten to bite by showing you their teeth or they may actually bite.
There is a risk of infection any time the skin is broken by an animal bite, including those caused by an equine. Horses can spread viruses including Hendra, rabies, vesicular stomatitis, and equine influenza through a bite wound.
Horse bites are relatively infrequent but are associated with crush injuries and tissue loss when they occur. This article describes a 23-year-old man with amputation of his middle finger at the level of the proximal phalanx after being bitten by a horse.
He says when the opposing tooth catches in the space where there was once another tooth, the horse's jaws can lock up and prevent the horse from completing that circular chewing motion.
Your horse throws his head up and down or from side to side at a standstill or when you cue him to move forward, backward, or turn. Possible bit problem: The bit could be causing pain or irritation on the bars (the gum or inter-dental area between the front teeth and the molars) or on the corners of your horse's mouth.
Remain calm so that the horse will respond to your behavior in a positive manner. Use your voice. When your horse needs to be disciplined, remain calm, and say a simple, but firm, “No.” Do not shout at the horse. Use this command consistently, and the horse will begin to understand that this means it needs to behave.
The ears laid flat against the neck, head raised and the horse may lunge at you, whites of the eyes showing, and their mouth open showing their teeth. You should avoid approaching a horse from behind. If you do, they may warn you if they're angry and want you to stay away or go away. If you ignore this, they may kick.
Let the horse release some of its nervous energy by giving it a simple and familiar task. Doing one or two basic training exercises or going for a brisk trot can put your horse's attention elsewhere and lessen their anxiety. “He [the horse] can think of just one thing at a time,” said Zdenek.
Researchers found horses tended to move more slowly and have slower heart rates in the presence of fearful humans. Equine head carriage was lowest when horses were around fearful people and those who were tired or stressed following exercise.
The number one trust builder is to be predictable by being consistent! Be consistent with your energy level, emotions, and how you show up around your horse. Stay consistent with your communication, always sending and receiving messages in the same way — a way that both you and your horse clearly understand.
Every time you move him out of your space, you emphasize your leadership and dominance in the herd of two. You should be leading from the left, so turn him toward the right to move him out of your space. To turn, simply look right, move your shoulders and guide hand to the right, and change the direction of your feet.
The varieties of aggression toward people include fear, pain induced, sexual (hormonal), learned, and dominance related. Some horses, especially young ones, play with each other while showing signs of aggression such as kicking and biting. Although benign to other horses, this can be dangerous to people.
Horse bits are made from a variety of materials. Stainless steel is one of the most popular choices because it doesn't rust, is easy to clean, and can be combined with other materials. Rubber is another choice. It's soft and flexible, but often thicker than metal bits.
In the majority of occurrences, horse bite injuries are minor and self-treated. However, in some cases, the injury may be destructive, and limb- and life-threatening. In these instances, the patient will require complex surgery and compound perioperative care.
Fractures have been reported mainly following falling accidents in horse-related injuries [1]. Peel et al [8] reported a case of fracture of the forearm bones following horse bite that was treated with open reduction and internal fixation primarily.
Another good spot is the back and the cheeks and forehead. Be sure to stay away from the sensitive areas of the horse like the eyes, ears, muzzle, and belly of the horse. While some horses might be OK with you petting these areas, many are sensitive and won't like to be touched there.
The nose, lips, mouth, and possibly the ears are the most sensitive areas to touch. Although hooves do not respond to touching, various parts of the hoof are able to feel touch. Understanding the degree to which horses are sensitive to touch can be valuable to the trainer.