Monty Roberts Equus Online University | Monty's Horse Training Post: Agression at food time. Try This!

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Horse Behavior and Training

Agression at food time. Try This!

By:

helene

Date:

2012-Dec-14 at 09:59AM

Hi All, I just thought I would share this very simple thing which we discovered by accident. My 4 yr old has alweays had an aggressive streak at meal times. It is always different for every horse I am sure but this is such an easy thing it's definitely worth a try. Shadow has always been putting his ears way back and trying to nip or bite people walking down the passage between his stable and the feed room at meal times. After much work we got him to back up respectfully and wait with his ears forward before he would receive his meal which was then put down on the floor in-front of him. Our stables are just gum pole boxes not closed stables except at the back.Although he is much better there is still a bit of agitated ears back etc around feed time.Recently Shadow had a case of suspected strangles.Due to the swelling under his throat we tied his feed bowl up on the railing so he wouldn't have to bend down to eat it. I noticed a remarkable reduction in his negative behavior, much less ears back and pacing up and down. As we would just come out with the feed and tip it into his bowl he seemed more interested and eager at what was coming (ears forward) rather than agitation and threatening gestures. Not quite sure why it worked for him but hey, great!Hope this helps.

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia 2012-Dec-14 at 11:00PM

An interesting change of behaviour here - maybe he felt less threatened when his food bowl was closer to him and he was confident that he could reach it and eat without been threatened by having someone else take his food. Many horses will act protectively at feed time hence Monty's instructions to leave them be while the eat. Tricka knows now to go to her feed bowl and waite for her feed but she will still put her ears back at me if I interfere with her while she is eating. Although the bowl on the fence seem to work in your case it would not be recommended by horse nutritionists who tell us that horses can digest their food better if eating from the ground which is more natural for them.