Quote:
Originally Posted by theqbaby
A question for Evey.......
Is there an explanation for the biting horse ?
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I'm not Evey, but just like a woman am butting in.
In my younger days, I had a stud farm and often retrained horses with bad habits. One of the hardest to retrain is the biting horse and one of the things that causes a horse to bite is human error that could have been nipped in the bud with just a little understanding.
First of all, people should never feed a horse from their hands nor keep treats in their pocket and encourage a pony or horse to "find it." You just wouldn't believe how many people do those kinds of things. Put the carrot or the apple chunk or the slice of bread or the handful or grain in a bucket and step back. The horse knows you put it there for him. The food is for him, not the carrier.
I believe that 9 out of 10 biting horses became biters because people raised them to think there was a treat for them in their hand, under their hat or in a pocket.
I no longer train, no longer have a farm and no longer have horses. But I am sure to tell all who will listen, "stop feeding horses from your hand."
On another note, I too fully disagree with going to the barn when you are not well. What you do when the barn is next to your house or in your yard is one thing but to intentionally go where there are other people when you don't feel well is selfish and inconsiderate. A phone call to the barn will always ensure your horse is fed when you are unable to get there.