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We've been raising a Welsh pony for
the kids. At about nine months of age, he started with constant nipping
at your arm and the lead shank, kind of playing with you. We read on the
Internet that this biting is a "colt thing," and that it
should go away with maturity. Our vet thought that gelding him as soon
as possible would help. After he was castrated, the incessant nipping
and playing pretty much stopped, but he then started less frequent, but
more serious biting. When you were leading him he would make a quick
turn of his head and bite your forearm, usually just your sleeve. After
he put a big welt on my daughter's wrist right through her winter
jacket, we decided to start punishing him by whacking him on the lips
each time he did that. He tested each of us, but once we all had had a
chance to let him know he couldn't do that, he hasn't really tried
anymore. He has never gone back to the nipping and playing with the lead
shank.
But now he has two new problems. One
problem is that he has become pretty head shy--it's like he's got his
eye on you all the time and can't seem to relax when you are leading him
or working around his head. He holds his head high and cocked sideways,
looking down at you like he's always afraid of being hit. The second new
problem is that he has a completely different type of attack. Every once
in a while when you go to get him in the stall or pasture, for no
apparent reason, he just lunges with his mouth wide open straight for
your arm or shoulder. It's just one quick snap of his jaws on whatever
he contacts. If he misses you, it could be the wall or the gate that he
bites, or he might just snap in mid-air. After the one snap, he
immediately retreats and quivers like he knows he was bad. This morning
he came at my shoulder, and when he backed off, he had the hood of my
parka and a chunk of my hair hanging from his teeth. I was on my butt in
the stall doorway. He was cowering in the corner of the stall. I realize
now that he is too dangerous for the kids. Any ideas on where to go from
here. He's two years old.
Gayle,
Vermont
Dear Gayle,
Let me begin by commenting that you are
not alone in either the initial problem or with the apparent
complications, where attempts to eliminate biting seem to lead to head
shyness or increasingly dangerous behavior. In most horses, correcting
biting is easy and quick, but for certain individuals, it can be very
challenging. The head shyness and the quick attacks you describe mean
that the pony has failed to get the message that it is only the biting
that is bad. As you said, he is confused about what caused the
punishment and afraid of people. Now that he is truly dangerous, it
becomes difficult to relax and behave normally, let alone respond
effectively to his misbehavior.
At this point, the savage attacking
represents a serious safety threat that must be addressed immediately. I
should mention that there are some horses, usually intact stallions,
that periodically attack people as if they are trying to kill the
person. These horses typically have no history of biting or any type of
aggression toward people other than the sporadic savage attacks. Unlike
with your pony, the savage attack is usually much more than a single
lunge and bite. The recommendation for a truly savage horse would be
euthanasia or very specialized management (similar to management of stud
bulls) in which people are never in direct physical contact with the
horse. It is difficult to be sure your pony is not one of those rare
savage horses, but my long-distance guess is that the attacks you
describe likely represent fear-related behavior resulting from your
attempts to correct his milder form of biting. If that is correct, then
there is hope that the behavior can be corrected and that this pony can
be a useful and safe companion animal.
At this point, I would recommend a
trainer who is experienced and competent with rehabilitating this sort
of case. It would be great if you could find someone who specifically
appreciates pony personalities. The trick now is to get the pony to feel
completely safe with people and to understand that it is specifically
and only biting that will result in punishment. Most successful trainers
use a gentle, reassuring handling technique. They use ample positive
reinforcement for good behavior and very well-timed, judicious
punishment for the biting. After the well-timed punishment, they
immediately relax and proceed.
It typically takes a couple of weeks or
less for the pony to return to normal, dependably safe behavior. I have
seen horses and ponies with very severe problems get the message within
a few minutes of interaction with an expert. The trainer might wish to
take the pony to his/her facility for initial evaluation and retraining,
then later work with you and the pony together. There sometimes is an
advantage to beginning the retraining in an environment that is new to
the animal, and working with one or more expert handlers who are
relatively consistent in their methods. Some trainers prefer to work
with you and the pony in your home farm environment from the start. This
has the advantage that the pony and you learn together. It is very
frustrating when the pony becomes a gentleman with the new trainer and
returns to his old ways with you. It has been my experience that for the
particular problem of biting, and especially for ponies, relapse is a
lifelong concern. So, once the behavior has been corrected, you or
anyone who ever works with the pony should handle him consistently in
this regard. This often is a challenge when the goal is to have a kid's
pony.
On one hand, this might be an
opportunity for your family to learn a lot of good horsemanship. On the
other, it might be wise to find a pony without the biting tendency and
history for your family project.
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