Dealing With Biting Without Punishment
Dealing with biting without punishment
One of the most common behavioral problems people struggle with trying to get rid of in horses is mouthiness or biting. When we have an unwanted behavior there are a few things we want to go through. The first is the vet check. Especially if this behavior is new or unusual for this individual. Then we want to look at why the horse is displaying this behavior and fix the problem where possible. We'll look to see if we can use a form of management to block this problem from happening and if it can't be blocked then we'll work on retraining an appropriate alternative.
If our horse begin biting or mouthing at a human and this behavior is new for this horse, your first step is to call the vet. In what situations does this appear? This will help your vet narrow down what to consider looking at for the cause. Usually acts of aggression are caused by some sort of pain or fear of pain, especially if it's out of character. So ensure you've looked down this path before you begin any behavior modification approaches.
Next we'll want to see why the horse is putting their mouth (or teeth!) on our body! What is it they're trying to get? Are they being aggressive or are they trying to engage in play or grooming? Use the rest of their body language to help answer this question. If the horse is seeking rough play or mutual grooming we want to make sure the horse has plenty of appropriate outlets for these behaviors. Ensure the horse has an appropriate social unit where they can display all their play and care behaviors. If it's actual aggression, why? Are they trying to get something or get relief from something? Whichever it is, satisfy that need in an appropriate way. We have another article specifically on if this is food anxiety related aggression.
When we can't fix the problem (pain or fear of pain) we can use management to prevent the problem when possible. If the horse only bites out during specific, necessary situations (like the vet), using protected contact can be helpful for everyone. Because punishment would only add to the pain and fear, it's never advised. Our focus is preventing the bite from reaching the human when avoiding the problem isn't possible.
If you've done all this and the horse still sometimes bites, you'll want to redirect them to an appropriate way to communicate what they want. If they're quick to go to the bite when they are frustrated or have pain, we can start observing the small warning signs before the bite and listen to their communication then, before it escalates. The more we listen to the small language, the more the horse will learn to stay quiet with their language, they won't be pushed to using loud behavior, like biting, to get their message across. If they're wanting to get you to play or groom them we can teach them ways to do this without hurting us. We can play in protected contact, running together with a fence between us. We can chanel that play energy into training, agility, and toy play. If they want to groom and be groomed, you can redirect them to groom the air or the wall, rather than your body. Simply scratch and groom while they're keeping their head in their own space and stop and redirect them if they turn towards your body.
It takes a combination of good observational skills to see and understand what our horses are trying to communicate. We need to fix, block, and redirect the problem in an appropriate combination to help them find a better way to communicate and have their needs met.