Monty Roberts Equus Online University | Monty's Horse Training Post: Horse nibbles and bites in my clothes, tow rope, halter.

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Horse Behavior and Training

Horse nibbles and bites in my clothes, tow rope, halter.

By:

joanjensen07

Date:

2021-Feb-20 at 02:55PM

Hey,

I'm all new in this western riding world, and i have startet studying training videos from Monty Roberts.
I have recently bought a 2,5 year old quarter gelding. He's super nice, stable and he responces perfectly to the dually halter i have bought.

my challenge is, that he likes to nibble and bite my clothes, his halter and tow rope and other things.

I would like a little help finding out, if this is something i need to worry about?

dont know if it is of any importance, but he has'nt lost his first set of teeth yet.

Hope to hear from any of you, who has tips & tricks to help me get him free from this "bad habit".

Best regards

Joan, Denmark

mydakota18 2021-Feb-21 at 12:10PM

Nipping at clothes can eventually turn into nipping at your hands or an attempted bite if you allow it to persist. It’s common to find them chewing or nipping at the halter rope, there’s always a possibility that it could be neurological (I have to chew something) or he could be acting playful due to his age but in any case this behavior is considered undesirable.
I am not a vet but as I recall most of the time horses loose most of there baby teeth after 2-3 years and should have their adult teeth by the time they’re 5. Consider talking to the vet over the phone and he/she will have more insight.

Check out Monty’s video series “Bad Behaviors” under the “Ground Work Problem Solving Lessons.”

Be kind and fair with your 2.5 year old boy, he sounds like a nice horse!

joanjensen07 2021-Feb-21 at 01:49PM

Hi Mydakota18.

Thank you for a nice reply. i will take it easy with my youngster, and be aware if it turn into an even bigger issue.

thank you for your help and your insight in which Monty videos I can seek help in.

Joan.

JoHewittVINTA 2021-Mar-15 at 01:58AM

Hi Joan. Welcome to our forum. I have two homebreds who both communicate with me by licking & gripping the outside of my hands with their teeth. Kirk used to jump on my back - couple of weeks old & hooves the size of a large coin. He gave up that habit of his own volition, when introduced to the excitement of the great outdoors. Kirk has his eighth birthday next week. Moley is 14 months younger.
.
My guys use their mouths & teeth to communicate. They have been schooled with the Dually for rope grabbing (Kirk - Moley's never done it). Humphrey - their most gentlemanly sire, licks my jumper at my chest level because Kirk has one hand, licking & gripping the outter edge & Moley the same with the other hand. Horseman have historically shut down this inconvenient behaviour but perhaps our equine friends are still reaching out to us? I feed from the hand,daily. My guys don't bite coz they know when to expect stuff & when it's not happening. Extra strong mints saved Holy Moley's life when they stopped her runnng into traffic aged about 2 months. Biting is not to be encouraged but let's be a bit more enlightened & encourage herd acceptance. For 6,000 years we've accepted a slave/owner set up. Let's be modern & change that! Cheers, Jo.