Acting Out

[HooverH]

History: Hoover is a standardbred/ pony mix, received from a rescue. He was underweight, and I was told he had been beaten by the Amish, who bred him. He was a pet to his second owner, and not ridden. I brought him home in October.

Hoover had never been in a herd or stall situation before, so his new home scared him at first. My riding instructor has 40 head, but they are kind and used to new horses, so he wasn't needlessly picked on and made friends fast. He's still horrible in stall, very nervous and tears up his bedding, but we're hoping he'll grow out of it.

When I originally got Hoover, I could do anything with him except touch his front legs, as they had been beaten and he had had his chestnuts squeezed by his former farrier. He punched me in the shoulder with his head once for pushing him too far there, but never acted out otherwise.

Hoover has put on good weight and muscle, and looks so happy. He has buddies he plays with out in the field, but started recently to act out towards me. At first, he pulled on my coat out in the field to try to get me to play. I cuffed him for it, and haven't had him do it since.

A couple weeks ago, he started biting hard in stall. Not the "play with me" pull, but a definite "go away" bite. When cuffed for it, he challenges me violently, coming at me snapping. I will have to cuff him five or six times before he'll stop. He's pinned me in the stall corner twice doing this. He has only pinned his ears once coming at me, and that was after a disciplinary cuff...I think I may have cracked him with the brush that was on my hand. It took my riding instructor to get him to stop that particular fit, as he was aiming for my face. He usually tags me on the body, which causes small pinch-type bruises. He's also started holding my fingers in his mouth tightly if I let him play with them, and it is taking a number of soft cuffs to get him to let them go. Previously, I could go in his mouth and he was extremely gentle with me. I can still go in his mouth, but I have to be careful now of him getting fingers by themselves.

Yesterday, for the first time, he nipped me at tie up. It felt like a "play with me" pull rather than a threat, and I chucked his chin for it. He didn't persist, but he's never acted out at tie up before.

I'm planning on having my riding instructor do ground work lessons with him, but what can I do in the meantime? I feel like he's not being bad, but just recently learned how to talk to other horses, and is trying to talk to me in the same way.

[rhapsody]

Hi Hoover,

My you are having a worrying time. What does your riding instructor think? Do you ride him and what is he like when you do.

From what you have posted and I will read it a few times more times is that you have a horse that is used to being beaten and used to pain and that is his only defense that he knows for situations.

Can you leave him in his field? Why does he need to be indoors? Many horses dont like stalls and he may have bad history with them. Also it puts you in a very dangerous situation anytime you go in there as he has the upper hand. Is he only like this in the stall or out in the field etc?

The fact that he challenges you violently and has come towards you face even after disciplinary cuffs is worrying and dangerous.

Is he a gelding or a stallion? Many stallions are 'mouthy' if they can get away with it.

I dont know if being around other horses has anything to do with this, not unless he is being bullied by any of them. Horses are herd animals and there is always an order of hierachy and he needs to see you and respect you as the herd leader and he doesnt.

Dont be fooled by thinking that he is not being bad but just playful, any horse that comes at you, pins you, snaps at you has a behavioural problem and it needs to be fixed.

You need to find someone that can help you with this (Parelli, Natural Horsemanship etc) do the research and find something and someone you are comfortable with. There are other ways of making a horse understand right and wrong other than by pain and that is the only thing he knows at the moment.

In the meantime, wear your helmet even on the ground around him. Carry a riding whip, you dont have to use it but it will be useful if you are in a dangerous situation and may stop you getting hurt and try to make sure
that there is another person around when you are handling him (your instructor if possible).

Please post back with more info if you can.

Good luck and let us know how you go with the progress....please stay safe!

[HooverH]

He's an 8 year old gelding. He's stalled for breakfast and supper, and if the weather is bad. He gets field otherwise. He has pulled at my coat in the field once, and didn't response to discipline to the point my instructor's horse, who is very intelligent, came over and told him to quit. I only groom him in stall when the weather is nasty, otherwise I spend time with him on post. The worst behavior has been in stall, and he seems very nervous in it. He paces around and tears up his bedding badly.

Bill, my instructor, is always around when I work with him, and doesn't leave the barn if I'm in stall. I am looking into Natural Horsemanship, and was planning on buying a book/ going to a talk at Equine Affair in April.

He's wonderful under saddle or bareback. He starts out a little headstrong, excited about being out, but he settles down fast and gets so calm I can guide him with two fingers. He's calm at mount and dismount, and comfortable enough with me on his back I can lay down. He's perfect for saddling, and takes the bit after a little asking.

I guess I connect his acting out to the herd because he's just started this behavior. I've had him since October, and it's just been within the past month or so he's started snapping at me. Bill thinks the problem may be that he doesn't see me as a superior, but an equal, and is reacting to me that way. He never snaps at Bill, but I spend more time around him than Bill does in a stretch. Hoover seems to almost get tired of me after a time, since he doesn't start out snapping but does it after I've been there for a while.