Training Tip: Horse Bites When Asked to Flex

Question: My horse either grabs the reins, bites the stirrup or tries to bite my boot when doing lateral bending. I have tried kicking him in the mouth when he goes for me, but that doesn’t stop him! I am riding him in a sidepull currently until he gets his teeth floated. My mom bought him last November, and we aren’t sure if he still has his wolf teeth. The snaffle seemed to really bother him. – jagswmr1323

Clinton’s Answer: Whenever your horse is having issues with the bit or bridle, it’s always smart to rule out a dental issue. You may find that this problem goes away as soon as you have your horse’s teeth taken care of.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, you can try a couple of things. I’m not saying this is the case, but most of the time when someone says their horse is biting their foot or the reins, it’s because their timing is too slow. The horse’s nose has already touched their boot and they’re still pulling on the rein. So out of pure frustration on the horse’s part, he usually starts to nip and bite at the rider’s foot. Honestly, I can’t say that I blame him.

Every once in a while, you’ll get a horse, usually a stud colt, that will constantly be mouthy toward your foot even if your timing is good. In that particular case, I’ll just ignore it for a few days; often, the problem will just disappear on its own once the horse becomes softer and more respectful. If it doesn’t seem to get better, you can jerk up hard on the rein every time he goes to open his mouth. When you jerk up, do it hard enough to get the horse’s attention and make him feel uncomfortable.

If that’s not effective, you can kick the horse in the nose with your boot when he starts to get mouthy. How hard do you kick him? Hard enough so that he really doesn’t think it’s much fun. It’s not going to be a game. If you use this tactic, mean business. Remember, one good whack is better than a thousand little taps. My point is, get the message across to the horse that his behavior is unacceptable. If you kick him in the nose and he keeps biting at your foot or the reins, you’re not being effective.

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