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Post by rideanotherday on Sept 21, 2016 12:13:57 GMT
Another area that horse owners/riders tend to overlook is mouthy horses. Young horses like all mammals tend to be mouthy. They nibble, some bite, and it is often considered "cute". This is a boundary that must be established in a horse. No mouthy biting or near biting behavior can be tolerated. Horses have very powerful jaws and teeth designed to cut thick high grass. I child's finger mistaken for a carrot can end in an unintended amputation.
I use a simple finger flick to the lips to establish a boundary with a horse's mouth.
I set up a situation that will cause the horse to do their mouthy behavior and I wait until they do it and give them a surprising finger flick on the lips. Works great.
The things I will do for mouthy behavior are entirely dependent upon why the horse is being mouthy. Young male horses will get hard rubs on their muzzle until it's not fun for them to be mouthy. They are kids doing kids things. Once it's not fun, it typically goes away. Older horses I will pinch and twist the lip, sometimes using my fingernails for added correction. You do need to be really aware of the horse and when they are going to try to put their mouth on you. Catching them with their mouth open before they make contact is best. I have seen horses that are allowed to "play" by lipping at their owners hands etc turn into sneaky, nasty biters. Since a horse's bite power is equal to that of a rottweiler, I do not allow a horse to get that friendly with their muzzle. I do not give my horses treats either. I also won't let my horse get too much time sniffing at the farrier or vet when they are busy. Simply bumping them with the halter is usually enough. I'll always tell the farrier to get clear if a sterner correction is necessary. I've never had one be upset at the interruption.
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Post by horseguy on Sept 27, 2016 16:50:22 GMT
I have always been a step up stock trailer owner. I think these kinds of trailers are the easiest for horses. In all my years I think maybe I have had only 4 or 5 horses that didn't like a step up. Now having retired, I have a 2 horse goose neck with a ramp. Here in the east, everybody wants a ramp so that is what you find when you go looking for a trailer. Yesterday we moved Karen's horse to the new barn. She is a TB mare and a pretty picky mare at that. When one corner comes down on the ground higher than the other, a horse's weight on it will make the ramp move. Big deal, I think, but this mare doesn't like that.
When I am in a hurry and don't want to be bothered (when I am not in the mood to make this mare better) I will shim up the corners so the ramp won't move and let the horse train me. Yesterday I was in the mood to train her and I left it alone. It was pretty even when she got in the trailer but when we got to the new place the ground was very uneven where I parked. The ramp moved a lot when she began to back off. She hesitated quite a bit, looked around behind her and did a bunch of "worrisome" things. I really dislike a self indulgent worrywart horse. So, I thought, I have time and we waited her out.
Having been a racehorse, she was spoiled as a baby. She brought $100,000 at The Keeneland Sale as a yearling, which actually is not a lot at that sale but still a valuable horse.
I have been to this sale and its pretty unique. The place where you check out and pay is like a very high end bank. I expected to see movie stars and Saudi sheiks but the bidders sitting in the plush chairs were mostly young people talking on cell phones, and that was long before every kid had a cell phone.
This well bred mare was pampered from birth, treated like a treasure until, of course, she didn't win a dime. Then we got her and have been teaching her her new job ever since. I am convinced this trailer stuff is not going away anytime soon. Picky spoiled mare stubbornly teaching me how to load and unload her. Sometimes its a pain in the butt to make your horse better.
The good news is that the barn is working out. Nice people, not a fancy place but down to earth. A couple boarders there have their first horse. I am learning to hold my tongue.
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