Doro, can I ask when you're asking things of him how you are feeling inside? Does your adrenaline go up when he tries to challenge you? (He will take this as accepting a challenge) Do you back off? (This will confirm he is in charge)
There will be lots of advice given after me, but first of all for yourself become calm inside and breath. If your breathing escalates he will too, so whatever you do from now on with him take notice of how you are breathing and keep it calm and relaxed.
If he comes into your space and doesn't respond to the dually to ask him to go back, hold firmly onto his jaw and move his head away from you. He will try to fight this, but he is not allowed to put his head that close into your space in challenge. Use the pressure point under his cheek bone to enforce the pressure until he chooses to release the pressure, he will try to fight the pressure, but maintain it with your adrenaline down and feet to remain still, any sign of backing up he will view that as a weakness and try to challenge you more. When he moves his head away from the pressure, then use the dually to ask him to back out of your space. Starting softly.
Our BamBam mishandled too much as a foal had very big challenge issues when we first got him and even now at 5yrs he will occasionally challenge me and my daughter.
You will find once this initial challenge bit releases the rest will fall into place with Monty's training videos.
Mel
x

To speak the truth, I'm able to keep my adrenalin low when he is biting me, but sometimes when he pushes against me trying to send me to the fence of the round pen or when he rears, my adrenalin gets up. Especially when he starts this outside during a walk, when I don't have the space to react properly, get out of the way or let him jump around me.

And yes, I sometimes do move out of the way. He is quite impressive when he starts making himself big in front of me or if he simply pushes me out of the way while walking beside of me. Do you think I should stand still, no matter how close he comes or if he rears?

And I never watched after my breathing, will concentrate more on it in future. But I guess it is getting faster when the adrenalin is getting up.

Thank you for the tips! A lot I can try this evening, because it got worse and worse during the last weeks. And I already have some blue marks from the biting and pushing. I still wonder how this all started, because he has been such a nice horse for the years, no problems at all. And then some weeks ago he started biting, some days later he started pushing and now it is almost a fight.

Another thing I forgot to mention: He has his own box, but in his herd on the pasture (five geldings) he has become the leader. He hasn't been last summer, but became the leader in late autumn. Could this somehow influence his behavior towards me or doesn't it matter?

Please stop your interactions with dangerous horse until you can establish a proper join up with him. I would suggest you review Monty's videos involving join up with draft horses and his use of the plastic bag suggestion to send the horse away. Until you join up with your horses he will continue to try to control your feet, bit and push you and this is not acceptable and very dangerous. Working with draft horses in the round pen requires you to really amp up your energy to get the horse to respond when sending them away and I have used the plastic bag on the end of a carrot stick with success to achieve a proper join up. If you are still unable to get your horse to go away then please find professional help as you are in danger of getting severely hurt if you continue your current course of actions.

I have watched the two lessons "Ronnie the Clydesdale" and "Big Bruce". Were the only ones with drafts that I could find. To speak the truth, I wasn't able to see the signs for a Join Up in the Bruce lesson. But I might try the plastic bag on a stick to send hin away.

About amping up my energy. Last Saturday I was able to make the horses about 300 foot away run in panic on their paddock while my own horse, that was with me in the round pen, only started to trot in quite a relaxed way. But I'm gonna try the plastic stick, maybe it helps. And will tell you tomorrow the results. Thanks for the help!

Hi Doro. You want lots of plastic on a long cane. You need to send very clear signals. Monty sometimes needs to bang the plastic on the saddle repeatedly in order to get forward movement. So, control your breathing, stay calm, be consistent & confident. Once he starts moving lower the pressure but do not take it away allowing him to stop & challenge you. Keep him moving forwards but not in a panicky way. Once you achieve Join up & Follow up, give lots of praise by enthusiastically scratching his withers - where his Mother would have groomed him. If he is being positive I would end the session there. This will show him that co operation is a two way thing. He is at the age when, in the wild, he would be starting to gather mares for his own herd & leading the other geldings has caused him to get more dominant. You need to take the place of the alpha mare - the one herd member who outranks all the boys! Good luck & above all, stay safe. Cheers, Jo.

I was able to make a very slow Join Up yesterday :)

It really needed some plastic (two big garbage sacks) applied to the stick, but he went away in two quick jumps. He didn’t gallop after that, but trotted a bit faster than usual. He did lower his head in the end, but didn’t chew, only during Follow Up he started chewing. As you adviced I stroked him at the spots he liked after the Join Up and then continued with the Follow Up for about three or four minutes. I’m not quite sure about the Follow Up to speak the truth, because he trotted behind me as he always did for all those years but at one time something else caught his attention and he started to walk that way instead of continuing to follow me. I had to walk back to him and when I was in front he started following me again.

After the Follow Up I put him back in his box, not doing anything else. He behaved very fine after the Join Up, not trying to bite me or so for a single time. I just hope that he will behave as fine today when I get there after work.

But at least it was a big success to make him back away from me! It really felt like gaining the control back :)

Awesome news good luck today.

Hi Doro. That's fantastic. I'm convinced he is looking for you to take control. If you think of him like a teenager of the human variety, they group together & accept leadership. He is the leader in the field but outside, where things can be unfamiliar & scary, he will want to be a follower not a leader. You're on the right track. Keep posting & we will support your efforts. Good luck. Cheers, Jo.

The training yesterday went well. It was really astonishing how good he behaved, because due to the slow and relaxed Join Up yesterday I wasn’t sure it did work perfectly. But it did! Maybe drafts are really special and their heading away has to be less a running, but the away does the trick.

I had my dad film me, because I wanted to analyze it later. My horse tried to bite me only three times during the leading session. Two times a short pull at the Dually made him stop. The third time, after he still came closer not reacting at the halter, I turned around and looked him in the eyes, he stopped and started chewing. After that he was behaving fine again. I still don’t know what made him try to bite me the three times. Even in the movie there seems to be no reason. He is walking beside me, then suddenly his ears flap back and his head turns around in order to bite. I was faster with my reaction, but really don’t know what made him become aggressive.
Still a success, because he didn’t walk into my space a single time, didn’t rear and reacted very fine on changes in the direction. Speed changes went well if I started walking slower, not that well when I tried to speed up. After the leading I worked with him on his fear of umbrellas. Thought that might be good, because he is spooky about them and I knew I could stay calm and comfortable, so that he learns I know more about the stuff that is around than he does. It went very well. Took about five minutes and I could even touch him with the umbrella.

I think we are on the right path now and want to thank you for all the advice! I know it will take more time till he is behaving totally fine again, but at least we pushed through the fighting that had become so common before. It is almost a miracle how quick he changed his habit. Even though the Join Up was really a slow-motion one :)

That's great news, congratulations!

Hi there;
From what you've said, this behavior started quite suddenly? If it all of a sudden started, and it seems for no reason, you may want to have him checked by a vet for any pain problems. I find that sometimes misbehavior can be created from some sort of injury that we don't know about.
I am very glad that he's biting less and behaving better towards you, but if he continues to act up after a couple weeks training sessions, you may want to have him checked.
Good luck and stay safe :)

Another thing, he is walking with his head at your shoulder right? Not ahead of you? If he is ahead of you he may feel he is leading you, not you him. That is another control issue.
I'd have his teeth checked too, just in case.
Feels really good to get a join up doesn't it :)