Whoops she bit me again...

[Trewsers]

Can't believe it, the little minx took a chunk out of my arm last night!!! She totally caught me unawares, OH was helping me as we were running late, so he was just tightening her girth for me when she struck! :mad: It bloomin well hurt - good job I had a long sleeved top on, otherwise I'd have been bleeding profusely (not being dramatic or anything ;) ) Needless to say, she received a VERY sharp poke in the side of her face and a VERY severe verbal reprimand. Am getting quite concerned about this biting though, its made a mess of my arm, will prob take a few weeks to go down, really swollen. Nasty mare or what????! My main concern is that I've spoken to her previous owner and apparently she never bit them, do you think its a way of saying she's no respect for me????? Any ideas folks????

[Ehley]

hey there it sound like your horse has no respect for you what i would do i start lunging her until she starts bowing her head for you ...because if she has no respect for you on the ground she will have no respect for you while you are in the saddle
peace
Hayley

[Tangle]

Don't know much about your mare, so forgive me if you've already checked these out :o But in my experience, horses don't react in this way as a dominance issue - it's more a pain response, either current or remembered.

If she tends to bite when you tighten the girth then I'd be taking a serious look at your saddle and the way you girth up and your mares back. I've known a few horses that will try and bite while you girth up. One did it all the time - she'd been a school horse for 15 odd years, and had the girth tightened too quickly a few times too many. She was much better if you took time to tighten the girth a hole at a time, with lots of breaks. The other was an Arab x gelding that had a sore back - he'd learnt that saddle = rider = pain, and so tried to avoid being saddled. After having his back treated and some time off (and being shown over a couple of weeks that it wasn't going to hurt anymore) he stopped being so aggressive. A third wasn't overly fond of being tacked up, but his standard trick was to turn his quarters. One time he tried to bite when I put the saddle on - his back was really sore.

If you know she didn't use to exhibit this behaviour, is there anything you can pinpoint that you do differently? Do you have a different saddle? So you sometimes tighten the girth up quickly? Might she have rolled on a stone in the field and have a sore back?

[hannah:)]

Naughty! :mad:

As you haven't had her for very long then maybe she is trying it on to see if she can be boss horse! Although think that suggestions about checking for possible causes - like changes from her last home - make lots of sense too. But groundwork of some kind might well be a good plan anyway, just to help you build up a relationship.

I assume your bottom is still in one piece - she's not tried that one on again?? :p

[KarinUS]

I am with Tangle on that one.
I read an interesting book on horse behavior written by Gincy Bucklin where she describes the difference between nipping and biting.
What I found especially interesting is that a nipping horse that is dealt with aggressivly can turn into a biting horse. Once the horse turns into a true biting horse (as opposed to a nipping horse) it is very difficult to reverse this behavior.
If she was mine I would be firm with her to protect myself but also find out whatever I can to make her feels less like she has to protect herself with her teeth.
No matter how rushed I am I never have other people tack my horse. If I am too rushed to tack myself I probably should put off riding to another day! ;)

[shirley]

Have you been rushed before when she bit you doing up her girth - could be when you are feeling rushed or hurried you may not be as sensative as normal and that it hurts her. Perhaps try doing one girth hole at a time and leaving the precise tightening until you get on etc.
Does she bite you at other times?

[Trewsers]

Thanks for all your replies! Yes Hannah - my bottom is still in one piece, she hasn't tried that one again!!!! :D I am inclined to think she is just testing the boundaries as she was vetted just 3 weeks ago and was checked over including her back. The saddle was professinally fitted so I don't think thats the problem. Her previous owner works on the yard and has never known her to bite like this. I don't think it was because my OH was tightening the girth - far from it, I think she just seized the opportunity to have a go at my arm simply because I wasn't on the ball - what happens is that when she's tacked up and ready,and waiting for me - say for instance if I'm waiting for the lesson to start or I'm waiting for a peg up when we're standing quietly, she chomps on her bit and then has a go at the nearest hand / arm!! :mad: I will do her girth up more gently tonight, gradually, but I don't think its that. As somebody has suggested perhaps some groundwork will build our relationship. To make matters worse, she's just moved box - so is quite jumpy at the moment (she hadn't moved boxes when she bit me though). :)

[LesleyR]

You do find a lot of mares are a bit tricky about being girthed up though. I've sported lots of interesting coloured bruises on my arms through not being on the ball.

The answer is to be very slow with the girth - very loose to start with and then keep going up a hole at a time with breaks in between until it is tight enough. You may even have to wait until you're on before you can get it up to its final hole.

If I'm tacking up a mare I always adopt a position with my arm which looks a bit peculiar whereby I stand with my left elbow sticking up and back towards the horses head. That way if they turn to nip they get a bony elbow rather than a nice fleshy upper arm.

And it means that they get a 'punishment' (that's too strong a word for it but hopefully you get my drift) - without it actually seeming to come from any movement I've done. Not explaining myself very well here but it's something that a NH bod once said about the horse not associating the chastisement with your actions but that it is an automatic consequence of it doing something.

[eventerbabe]

i'm with lesley on this one. my mare WILL take a bite when having her girth done up but never attempts to bite at other times. maybe try putting her saddle on first and make sure she's on a short leadrope so she can't turn round to bite.

[Trewsers]

That does make sense - Lesleyr - what you mentioned about it just being a consequence of their action (ie, not letting them know its a punishment). The biting doesn't just seem to happen with regard to the girth being done up - she tried to have a nip through my waterproof last night as I was saying goodnight to her! She just had her head over the stable door - naughty girl :p