Have you ever been bitten?

Mary Poppins

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Oct 10, 2004
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Share your stories about biting horses.

I had never been bitten before last night and I would have sworn that my horse would never bite me. But he did, it bloody hurt and now I have a purple bruise.

Who else has been bitten? Make me feel like my horse isn't the only one who takes a chunk out of their loving owner.
 
Hank is a nipper, if you treat him and then don't, he will give you a little bite to tell you he's upset about it, the main reason he is very rarely given treats!

Bo bit me once, and that was a proper aggressive bite (like you see a horse in a field lunge for another horse), he got me on the back of the thigh as I climbed through a post and rail fence, needless to say I was back through that fence and squaring him up before he knew what happened. He never bit me again. He did bite my mum once after that, right on the shoulder blade. I had been away and the person looking after him went and saw him twice a day for 2 weeks with treats, when I got back mum came over, went to see him and went to walk away without giving him treats and that's when he got her.

I don't think Jess has ever bitten me, she talks with her feet rather than her mouth!

ETA, Dan has nipped me twice, once I was crouched down scratching him and he forgot himself and he had me on the cheek...probably only going to mutual groom but I'm afraid I don't allow teeth to make contact with skin under any circumstance however cute and fuzzy. The last time he was getting pushy about his bucket, and gave me a little see-em-off nip.

That sounds like loads, but this is all the nipping incidents I've had in the last 20 years!
 
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Sorry to hear Ben has bitten you, hopefully will you get to the bottom of why he did it when it seems so out of character for him.
When I first got Marley I only had him about two weeks and he bit me hard on my upper arm while grooming him. He did get a sharp quick slap in the face, it wasn't done out of intention just a quick reflex on my part. It was sooo painful and I was left with a massive bruise, swelling and the skin was broken,
Marley was was allowed to get away with lots in his last home, he became too domineering that's why he ended up for sale and I came along. He did try a few more times but he got yelled at and I would have pushed him back at the same time.
He is a very mouthy horse and loves to nibble me and give kisses etc but to this day I still keep a close eye on him just in case.
 
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I have to say I screamed blue murder at Ben immediately after he did it, and I gave him a slap on his shoulder with the brush I was holding. He was under no illusion that he had done wrong and he went very still and stood like a rock after that. Everyone on the yard stopped and looked at me and said they had never heard me speak in that tone before. It is the tone I reserve for telling off my kids when they have done something bad, I have never had to use it with my horse before! I don't swear at my kids, but I did say many bad words to Ben!
 
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When I first got Ale he lunged at me over the stable door, he hadn't meant to get me I don't think as when he did he recoiled in shock (or perhaps he was expecting to get beaten as he obviously had been previously) but he drew blood on my cheek and chin. Think I was lucky to get away with more of a hit with his teeth than a bite.
 
Amber has bitten me. I was very upset by it initially. We were away at camp and I was hanging up a hay net and she bit me in a 'get off my hay' kind of way. It it very hard not to take it personally but a bite to a horse does not mean the same as a bite to us. It is just one of the ways they communicate or seek to have their own way. Not acceptable of course as it bloody hurts! But it does not necessarily mean anything other than a horse who forgets their manners momentarily in pursuit of hay or a treat or whatever.

Ginny bit us all at first and tried to bite regularly! That was defensive. She hasn't bitten us recebtly but I have no doubt that under stress she could and would try to bite again.
 
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I was bitten by YO's stallion a long time ago. My friend who is a nurse said I was lucky not to have some permanent damage to my arm:(he just reached over his stall door and got hold. It was a shock as prior to that he was always friendly and allowed most people to stroke him. I was just passing and stroked him like I usually did. Awful really as he was in the barn full of kids ponies but when I told her what happened she insinuated that I had in some way provoked him:mad:we left shortly after that episode:(

Storm has bitten me many times in the past. Through frustration mainly at not being able to get at either J or Chloe. The bite was not meant for me, but I happened to be in the way:(nothing serious but they so cause pain and bruising. She doesn't do it these days. I guess her bites are more of a sleeve plucking effect. Difficult to describe, they are not particularly malicious. She would never ever bite other humans. Just me:rolleyes:but it was never mean for me.

Zi can nip but it's more like mugging for treats. Nothing nasty and if you firmly say no, he does not attempt it again. I blame us really because we do feed treats and I don't blame him for looking for them.
 
Both my mares will threaten to nip when being girthed when they're in season, but actually neither of them has ever bitten me.
 
Sox has bitten me a few times. Most recently he was annoyed hay was late snd lunge at me so he got s bollocking. He didnt wsnt to stand dtill while i picked out his feet and attempted to bit me while i was sdoing the first one. So i threw the hoof pick at him. Then i was very firm in voice and he stood like a rock
 
Hehehe I forgot the school horse that used to bite my feet every lesson. Every time, until I bought MH steel toe joddy boots. Hahahaa he reached round for a mouthful, of - hard toe:p:D
 
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Ziggy has only bitten me once. I had had him a couple of weeks and the physio came for a first visit. He was in pain everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE. When she went to work, he reared a little (he's never done that since either) and when he came down he bit me on the arm, hard. I didn't get cross with him because he was so clearly desperate, and as I say he has never bitten anyone since that day.

When the physio had finished as much as she could do that day, he stood very still, then gave himself a shake and a big shaky snort and came over to her and put his head against her. It was the first sign I had of what a kind, forgiving pony he is. He couldn't have said, "Thank you, that feels a bit better now," any more clearly.

My friend's mare also bit me (she is a dreadful biter) very hard, on my breast, over the stable door. OMG that hurt. I could hardly see for the pain and then I threw everything I had to hand at her - head collar, feed bucket - and bellowed until she cowered at the back of the stable. I thought she might have learned to leave me alone but she tried to bite me when I was visiting recently. She doesn't like me: she had awful undiagnosed ulcers while she was in our field, and my friend thinks she associates me with the pain of that time. I don't like her either, I have to say. I still have a lump.
 
When the physio had finished as much as she could do that day, he stood very still, then gave himself a shake and a big shaky snort and came over to her and put his head against her. It was the first sign I had of what a kind, forgiving pony he is. He couldn't have said, "Thank you, that feels a bit better now," any more clearly.

That is so lovely xxx
 
My PRE bit me once accidentally - he dropped his carrot so i picked it up and gave it back to him, I was already crouching down in front of him watching him eat, but as I put my hand up to give it back to him I forgot to remove my fingers and he took the middle finger with the carrot. A noise came out of me like an animal dying:eek::oops: I could see by his face that he didn't know what the problem was as he held onto his carrot and my finger. It seemed to take me an age to figure out how to get him to release his clenched teeth. I eventually realised I'd have to hit him in the face and as soon as he saw my hand coming he let go in shock. I was convinced my finger was down his throat. A&E explained to me he'd just bitten down through all the nerves and ligaments!
 
P is a bit nippy. He’s a very touchy-feely pony in general, but he doesn’t always distinguish between touching, nudging and nipping. He does it to his owner too. I have been working on letting him know that touching is okay but nudging and teeth are not. I am sure he is bright enough to learn the difference between touching with his nose and nipping/pushing me. The only time P gets a treat is as a specific reward for coming to call in the field.

D gets treats (low calorie pony cubes!), sometimes just for being handsome, but has never nipped anybody in his life. I realise this is terribly bad practice! But even when he was young and a bargy lummox it just never occurred to him to nip or bite.

Hopefully Ben's nip won't be repeated! It sounds like a moment of frustration, and you dealt with it at the time.
 
Properly once, and I'm afraid he didn't even get shouted at because I was struggling not to faint. It made me realise why other horses were so wary if he threatened to bite - he'd got me by mistake & let go the second he realised, if he hadn't I'm fairly sure I'd have lost at least my thumb. As it was my whole arm swelled up very quickly & it ended up with a visit to A&E where they x-rayed twice because they didn't believe the first one that showed no break.

I won't have biting, kicking, or slamming into people. Even on box rest or worried those rules stay because I don't want to be killed by my horse. His reaction to his mistake was so drastic that no punishment by me would have come close - he was horrified & shaking. When I managed to go back to him after running it under the tap to numb it he treated me like I was made from spun sugar, he'd barely touch me & was the look on his face said it all. He hated making mistakes & he'd turn himself inside out to protect me so in his mind this was clearly a disaster, I ended up reassuring him!
 
My PRE bit me once accidentally - he dropped his carrot so i picked it up and gave it back to him, I was already crouching down in front of him watching him eat, but as I put my hand up to give it back to him I forgot to remove my fingers and he took the middle finger with the carrot. A noise came out of me like an animal dying:eek::oops: I could see by his face that he didn't know what the problem was as he held onto his carrot and my finger. It seemed to take me an age to figure out how to get him to release his clenched teeth. I eventually realised I'd have to hit him in the face and as soon as he saw my hand coming he let go in shock. I was convinced my finger was down his throat. A&E explained to me he'd just bitten down through all the nerves and ligaments!

:eek::eek:
 
My - my only experiences of being bitten by F is quite mild compared to some of your experiences. Once I was doing up her girth when I'd only been riding her a month or two and she turned and bit me quite hard on the bum! I had a massive bruise. I roared at her and she cowered so she knew she'd done wrong. After that for a long time I made sure I had her reins over my arm when doing her girth up just in case but also that I always do her girth up slowly, and bought her a nice sheepskin girth sleeve because she does have sensitive skin and I think I probably did accidentally pinch her. The only other time she has bitten me - on the the thigh - she was in season and generally being a grumpy mare when I was trying to groom her. I'd just found out my gran had died and wanted a nice bonding session but F had other ideas!! I have to admit I burst into tears :rolleyes:. She is still a bit inclined to pull faces when she is in season but I think she knows better than to bite now.
 
Had a few nasty ones off P in the beginning, but he was scared and wanted to get away, none of his bad behaviour bavk then was acknowledged so i had to just grit my teeth snd try not to show it bloody hurt or i was annoyed...
Now if hes hand fed treats he nips! So i always know if another livery or someone on the footpath has fed hIm!

then another one, hes quite playful, an absolute baby! Constantly bugging the others to play and they wont so i end up being playmate *rolls eyes* which i dont mind untill he decides to involve teeth, then i storm off the opposite direction and he comes bounding over like a giant dopey dog trying his best to wrap his neck round me to say sorry

one other time he got a right telling off, the mare he loved hated him and he used to try be affectionate and she used to tell him off, i was poo picking once and was right near him she told him off so he bit me! Little prat lol
 
Nope, never been bitten thankfully, reading all of the above I don't want to be either. Been kicked a couple of times as a child but that was my own fault anyway.
 
Been nipped plenty by mouthy youngsters but only bitten properly once.

I was bending over to pick up a water bucket in a stable I worked at (Arabian stallion never previously showed any agression towards me) and the old bugger Got a good hold of the back of my head ripped a nice little chunk out as he just about pulled me off of my feet. My automatic reaction was to hit him with the water bucket which thankfully made him back off.

Lesson that day learned, be wary of stallions on box rest.
 
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