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Horse Behavior and Training

Horse swings head in to bite the rope and head collar when putting it on.

By:

Nikkijw71

Date:

2025-Apr-09 at 10:01AM

Hi all, I wondered if you can please help guide me. I'm a first time pony mum (rising 4 year old gelding) and I am struggling with my pony swinging his head round and in towards me and trying to bite the lead rope and head collar when I try to put it on (which has caused me to step back as I've caught the brunt of his chomp a few times - a mistake on my part I now realise). This makes it tricky to get on and particularly the dually with the extra strap and clanks. Once it's over his nose and done up, he is accepting of it and will stand nicely wearing it. However when I lead him, he constantly wants to chew on the clip and rope. I feel like I need to break down the process somehow.

As some back story, prior to me taking him, I had seen him tethered in a field on a chain. He had a head collar on permanently. One day I saw him and the head collar was broken across his nose and hanging round his neck. I went into the paddock and removed it for safety reasons as the then owner was rarely around. It had cut into his nose where he had outgrown it, which took some months to regain shape. Maybe this influences his behaviour, maybe not...? He has always been bitey and a bit impatient. I realise there are a few things to work on here and I want to do it in a calm kind manner. I have promised him that. Any support and guidance would be very welcome. If you can point me to a video that would be better still! Thank you kindly

Miriam (Holland&Germany) 2025-Apr-10 at 03:15PM

Hi Nikkijw71,
Welcome to the Forum!
Like you already said, your young gelding has more than one issue with being haltered.
- First rule out pain where the noseband of his old halter used to sit.
You cannot train pain, so make sure the halter doesn't cause any discomfort.
- At the Dashboard of this website there is "What's New" on the left side.
The upper article (Febr.2025) leads you to a video about biting horses and how to train them out of the habit.
Hope this helps, please let us know about your progress.
Kind regards,
Miriam

JoHewittVINTA 2025-Apr-10 at 10:40PM

Hi & welcome to the Uni. There are 2 lessons on 'Horses and bad behaviours' the first of which deals with nipping. With regard to the Dually head collar placement, if you have a problem putting it on try with the back buckle undone so the halter slips over the ears & face before being closed around the nose. Given his experience of a broken halter, if he has a 'memory' of pain rather than actual pain perhaps a sheepskin cover would help - changing the sensation across his nose to break the association of a restraint = pain. Please keep us updated on how you get on. Cheers, Jo.