How do I cope with a horse who doesn't like riding with other horses?

I have an eighteen year old mare mare who has recently gone through ground manners training. She has learned how to give and such using a snaffle bit. She is calm when I take her on rides alone, but when other horses are with us she acts up by side-passing, throwing her head and not listening to me. She understands leg and rein cues. Any ideas?

You said the mare recently received ground training, but you didn't mention whether she was broke to ride or not before then so I'm going to have to guess a bit in order to answer your question.

Your mare may be acting up when ridden on the trail because of one of the following reasons:

• She was recently broke to ride and has not been ridden around other horses.
• She's a very timid mare and other horses make her nervous.
• She's been kicked, injured or otherwise hurt by another horse and she's scared of having them close to her.

In any of these cases, the mare is nervous about other horses near her so she's acting out. You'll need to take a step back to fix this problem and take a little time, but the results will be worth it.

Go back to riding in an arena or small field. Pick a friend with a calm, quiet, and non-dominant horse to ride with you. Start off by having your horse stand in the center of the field or arena while your friend walks around the ring/field. Instruct your friend to give your mare plenty of space. If you your mare is nervous, dismount and stand next to her until she quiets and settles down. Pet her and reward her for quiet behavior and then mount up. Ask her to continue standing in the center of the ring for a minute or two. If she's quiet and calm, then go to the rail and ride with your friend on the opposite side of the arena. Over time, let your friend get closer to you. (Never allow your friend to get closer than a horse's length from your mare).

The first ride or two, keep your mare and your friend's horse at a walk. As long as your mare is quiet, reward her with petting. If she gets upset, ask your friend to stand still and put your mare to work trotting or cantering - ask her to leg yield, sidepass, circle, etc. until she's got her mind on you. When she does, let her go back to a walk. Make the right behavior (being quiet with another horse in the field/ring) easy by letting her walk. Make the wrong behavior (getting upset) harder by making her work harder when she's not listening.

If she handles the first ride at the walk well, then have her and the other horse take turns trotting on the second ride. Again, give her some space but let the other horse drift closer and closer to her. Over the next few rides, you can let her trot and canter more.

When she's doing well with one horse in the ring or field at a walk, trot and canter, add another horse and over time add several more horses. Once she's comfortable in the ring with several horses, you can venture back out on the trail.

When you start back to trail riding, go with just a couple of friends who have helped you out in the arena. Your first ride should be at a walk only, and your friends need to give your mare space so she won't feel crowded and get nervous. If your mare stops listening to you, do circles on the trail, leg yield back and forth or side-pass and make her work. When she's quiet, pet her and give her a loose and relaxed rein.

Over time, build back up to faster trail rides with more riders. Just remind riders to give your horse space to relax and make trail riding a good experience for her.

Good luck! Soon you should be enjoying trail rides - with a horse who enjoys them, too!

How do we cope with a horse who is constantly biting or trying to bite?

We have a horse that we've had on trial for about a month and have an option to lease him for six months. He's a 16 hh, 10 year old, Appy/TB cross. He has experience in hunter equitation and has evented for the past three years. My daughter loves to ride him, but he is so mouthy! He bites and reaches out constantly. Eben when you try to bring him in from his turnout, he won't move and if you give him a tug he will bite. He has already bitten me and my daughter and several people at the barn.

Biting is one of those behaviors that some people think is trivial, but it can be truly dangerous. Although you haven't said whether the horse is nipping (pinching the skin with his teeth) or really biting (breaking the skin, leaving sizable bruises, etc.), biting often starts as nipping and can then escalate.

Nipping often starts in young horses who are exploring the world with their mouth. It seems to be more common in colts, especially those who are not yet gelded, but fillies may also nip. Some people ignore the behavior, thinking it'll go away on its own. Others even think it is cute when a young horse nibbles their shirt, hair or skin and pet them, talk to them, or otherwise give them positive attention when they do it. This encourages the horse to continue nibbling and then the owner or handler is surprised when one day the horse bites them, breaking the skin. The horse is surprised when the human yells or scolds them. In his mind, he was just doing what he had been encouraged to do in the past.

In my barn, if a horse nibbles or nips, he is immediately reprimanded. If he's wearing a halter and leadrope, the reprimand is normally a loud NO followed by a jerk on the leadrope or making the horse back up. If the horse is loose, I give a loud no and walk away and ignore the horse. If the horse repeats the behavior, I will smack him or hit him in the chest, neck or shoulder in additional to giving a loud NO.

Some people think it is cruel to smack or hit a horse. I do not advocate hitting a horse with a whip or other "tool/implement", repeatedly hitting a horse, hitting a horse for no reason, punching a horse or hitting a horse in the head. However a firm smack or hit on the neck, shoulder, or chest is similar to the punishment horses give each other for inappropriate behavior. Watch a mare with her older foal or a group of horses in the pasture: if the foal bites his mother, his mother may bite him back, gently push him with her hoof or even kick. If a grown horse bites or nips at another, the punishment is often more stern: a hard bite or kick from the horse who was bitten. A single smack from a human is a pretty mild punishment compared to a strong bite or kick from another horse.

If a horse in my barn bites, he is immediately reprimanded with a loud no and either a smack/hit to the chest, neck or shoulder. I'll follow that up by backing him out of my space. Since bites can do a lot of damage, I make sure to make it very clear that biting is not an acceptable behavior.

If you discipline a horse this way, you need to keep a few things in mind:
- The punishment must be immediate. If the horse was loose and runs away, you cannot chase him down, catch him and then smack him. By the time you've done that, he doesn't understand what the smack is. Likewise, you can't walk off, grab a whip, and smack him with the whip because by the time you get back and smack him with a whip, too much time has passed and he's not making the connection between biting and getting smacked.
- If the horse is loose, smacking or hitting him may not be safe as he may whirl around and kick you. If he is loose, then make a loud noise, shoo him away and then walk away and ignore him.
- Learn the signs that your horse is about to bite (pinned ears, swishing tail, tightness in his mouth) and move away from him when he displays those signs. Don't give him a chance to bite.
- Rarely, disciplining a horse for biting makes him more aggressive. If your horse reacts this way, get professional help.

I've known some people who have carried a stiff bristle brush, a tack or a nail in their hands and when the horse goes to bite, the person thrusts the brush, nail or tack towards the horse so that the horse hits the sharp edge(s) with his muzzle. For some horses, after a few times of hitting the sharp edge when they go to bite, they decide that biting is painful and they stop.

Another thing to keep in mind: if you have a biter or nipper, do not hand-feed him/her treats. Some horses can eat hand-fed treats with no problems, but I've found that some horses become pushy, look for treats constantly, and bite your hands, clothing, arms, etc. while trying to find them.

You also mentioned that your horse is constantly reaching out towards you. Don't let him. Set a space around yourself that's your personal bubble. When your horse wants to intrude on that space, push him out with your hand or make him back up (if he's haltered). You need to be consistent - any time he invades your space even if only part of his body (like his muzzle) invades your space, make him get out. Don't give him that opportunity to get close to you and then bite.

When dealing with a horse who nips or bites, you must be consistent. Any time he nips or bites you (or even at you), you must discipline him. You can't ignore the biting sometimes because you are tired or it was cute or it was minor or he really didn't mean it. You must stay on top of this behavior if you want it to stop.

If your horse continues biting after you discipline him, then you'll need to seek professional help. And until you do, don't let your daughter handle the horse and consider putting a muzzle on him so he can't bite you (or anyone else).

Is ear-pinning a sign of worse things to come?

I bought and adorable 6 year old small show pony this week at the auction at USEF Pony Finals in Kentucky. He is great when you ride him but very green. The problem is that he pins his ears at you when you approach him. He then licks you if you don't show fear. I am confused by this behavior and worry that it is a sign of bad things to come. The previous owner says that he was gelded just two years ago and broke to ride a year ago. She also said that he needs to get to know you and has been ridden by many children. He is also very hand shy and it looks like he might have been abused by his reaction.


Congrats on the new pony! You've brought up a few different issues here, and I want to address each one.

1. The pony pins his ears when you approach him. You say he then licks if you don't show fear, but you don't mention what he does if someone acts fearful or how you approach him. Horses like humans are individuals, and some of them are just grumpy. I have a one here that I call Mr. Grumpy Pants (a non-scientific term!). He walks around with his ears back and puts them further back when you first approach him, especially if he's in his stall or its dinner time. He has good ground manners, though, and I ignore his pinned ears. He's just a grumpy horse.

You don't mention where your pony is nor how you approach him. If he pins his ears when he's in his stall and eating, then leave him alone during dinner time. When I feed my horses, I figure that's their time to eat and hang out. I don't ask them to do anything else and if they put their ears back at me, I ignore it (I will not ignore bad behavior like kicking, biting, etc.).

If the pony's ground manners are otherwise good, then I would ignore his grumpy attitude. By good ground manners, I mean that he doesn't kick or bite, he leads and stands tied, etc. You can't really discipline a horse for having his ears back - all you are likely to do is make him more grouchy.

2. He was gelded two years ago. Unless he's displaying stallion-like behavior (calling to mares, chasing and attempting to mount mares in the field, etc.), I wouldn't worry about this. Four isn't a late gelding age, and many stallions are gelded at four years (or even later) and adjust just fine to being geldings.

3. He is hand shy and you believe he was abused. You've touched on a big pet peeve of mine: horses being labeled abused because they act a bit headshy. Truly abused horses are few and far between - there are many who are not taught properly, but there are very few who are truly abused.

You don't describe what he does when you move your hands around his head, but I would wager that he's not headshy/abused. He may have learned that if he moves away from contact with his head, he'll be left alone and not have to work. Or he may never have been taught to stand nicely while his head is handled. Another possibility is that he just wants to be left alone or doesn't like being petted on his head. If that's the issue, pet him on his shoulder instead of his head and see how he reacts.

If your horse is violently headshy meaning he throws his head into you, strikes out with his front feet, tries to spin around and kick or displays other behavior that could get you hurt, then seek a professional trainer who can help him overcome these issues.

If he just moves his head away, puts his ears back or walks off, then you can work with him and start desensitizing him to having his head handled. It is best to have him in a halter and leadrope and leave him untied. Hold the end of the leadrope with one hand. Move the other hand around his head. Let him toss his head, move around (keep enough pressure on the leadrope, though, that he moves in a circle around you with his hindquarters away from you). Keep moving your hand until he stops moving, drops his head and licks and chews. This is a sign he's relaxed. Stop immediately, pet him, let him rest a minute, and then start again. If he's ok with your hands moving around, move closer to him and repeat. Keep this up until he's letting you touch his head and standing quietly. This is not necessarily something you can accomplish in just one training session.

During the handling sessions, if he gets worse or starts to react aggressively, then back up and repeat the last successful step. If you are unable to complete even one step successfully, then seek professional help.

Good luck with your new pony - I hope he turns out to be just what you were wanting!

What do I do if my horse bucks again?

I was recently trail riding my 10 year old gelding that I purchased about 5 months ago. As we were riding down a ravine, my horse appeared to slip. When he slipped forward, I fell forward onto his neck. Then, as he was trying to get out of the ravine, he began to buck and bucked me right off. He has never bucked before with me, but now I'm concerned he will buck again. What do I do if he starts to buck (besides hold on for dear life)? Do I pull one rein to my hip, as if to stop? Any suggestions?

Congrats on the new horse! It is always exciting to add a new horse, but it can also be frustrating to adjust to a new horse. Of course, riding different horses in different situations is what makes us good horsemen and horsewomen.

You don't mention how experienced a rider you are, and that can make a difference in my answer. For example, if you aren't an experienced rider, you might not be able to tell whether or not your horse was bucking. Sometimes when a horse comes up out of a ravine or up a very steep hill, they take bounding or leaping steps that can feel like bucking. And if you aren't prepare for those leaps, then it is easy to be unbalanced and come off.

However if you are an experienced rider, then you probably know the difference between a leap and a buck. Your horse may have been bucking because you were unbalanced - you said you had slipped forward onto his neck. Sometimes an unbalanced rider can make a horse uncomfortable enough to buck. Or you may have startled him when you slipped onto his neck, and that may have made him buck. You can prevent those two things in the future. More riding time and lessons with a good instructor can help you develop better balance. Desensitizing your horse to you moving around in the saddle - leaning backwards and leaning forwards onto his neck can help him be better prepared in the future. You also should get your horse used to having you touch him on his neck, back, sides, etc. when you are on his back.

These bucks may have been an isolated experience: a reaction to stumbling, you slipping forward and then being unbalanced when coming out of the ravine. However if he bucks again, here are a few tips:

• Try pulling his head up and sending him forward. It is more difficult for a horse to buck when their head is up and they're moving.
  
• Teach him the one rein stop ahead of time and use if he bucks.
  
• Teach him an absolute "whoa". That means teaching him that no matter what he's doing, when you say whoa he stops moving. This is what works best with my mare who occasionally bucks. If she starts, I say "whoa" loud and firm and she stops. However, she's been taught in training sessions that when I say "whoa" I mean to stop right now!
  

Good luck with your horse. I hope this helps and that you have many more enjoyable rides together.

How do I deal with separation anxiety in my show horse?

I have a 13 year old, Quarter Horse that is shown in western pleasure. He has been in training since his 2 year old year, and I purchased him as a 6 year old. When I bought him, he had no problems. However, over the years he has developed severe separation anxiety. Last week he and another horse went to a huge show. He was shown the first day, and then not shown again because his mental state deteriorated. He climbed the walls whenever the other horse was taken away to show or lunge. As long as someone or another horse was with him he was ok. I am at my wits end on what to do.

Separation anxiety can be such a frustrating problem for owners that I've published an article in EQUUS Magazine called Happy Together which discusses separation anxiety, and my first Behavior Q&A Column was about separation anxiety. Click here to read that column.

When dealing with separation anxiety, look at the horse in question. Is he normally a high-strung horse? They seem to be a little more likely to form such close ties to other horses. You said your horse had no problems when you first got him, so I'm guessing he wasn't overly prone to stress and creating such strong bonds. So something may have changed in his life to cause him to be easily stressed out at shows. You said he's been in training since he was two - so that's eleven years of training and showing. That in and of itself can be quite stressful. Maybe it is time for him to have some downtime, hang out, and just be a horse.

I would also have a vet check him out for physical problems. If he's in pain or uncomfortable, he's going to be stressed out at shows. And that stress may cause him to bond to another horse for comfort and companionship. Since he's been showing for so long, I would ask the vet to check him for ulcers as well since they can cause discomfort, leading to more stress.

You didn't mention if he was ok at home and only a problem at shows. If showing is the problem then once you've eliminated your gelding's sources of stress and given him some time off, it is time to go back to showing. Unfortunately, showing itself might be the source of his stress. So I would take it slowly: take him to some small, schooling shows. At first, just ride him around the grounds and don't enter him in the competition. If he deals with that ok and is willing to leave his buddy at the trailer or in the stall, then you can start showing him again. Make sure the experience is low-key and not stressful. You aren't showing to win ribbons, you are showing him so he can learn that the show ring is not so stressful and scary that he needs to cling to someone else for comfort.

If even riding him at the show grounds is difficult, then you have more work to do. I would start by taking him to shows and taking him on short walks around the grounds - start with five minutes. If he stays calm and doesn't get upset after five minutes, praise him and take him back to his stall or the trailer. If he gets upset, then you'll have to have even shorter training sessions. The goal is to have him listen to you and not panic for his friend. I would also haul him to the show with different horses - don't set him up to have one friend he relies on. Take longer and longer walks, always rewarding good behavior and heading back to the trailer/stall before he gets nervous and tense. Once he can handle walking around the grounds without his pal, then start riding him at the grounds, following the same procedure - short, low-key rides where you return before he gets upset, increasing the length of the ride over time. And eventually heading back into the ring.

This isn't a quick fix - but it is one that's more likely to get him back into the ring and winning again. If he's ok at shows now except when his pal is taken out of his/her stall, then you need to make sure to stable him at shows where he always has a companion.

Good luck!

Why has my quiet horse suddenly began rearing and striking and bolting?

We desperately need help. We own a 7 year old, 15.3hh, Heavy Cob. He's been my young sister's riding horse for the last two years. We got him from a woman who allowed him to do what ever he pleased. We knew this when we took him on but were sure we could fix his behavior. In the beginning, we put his odd moments down to babyish behaviour as his was only five. Now he is seven and his behaviour has changed dramatically. It started on the ground when he would bolt when we led him to the field. It then progressed to his ridden work: he started bolting and rearing. In the last week his behaviour has become more aggressive: he rears and strikes at his handler. We cannot catch him in the field as he will turn on you. Why has a nice placid cob become so nasty? We have always disciplined him when he has shown bad behaviour and praised for good. Now he will turn on you when you discipline him. He is going to be vetted but he is a very fit and healthy horse so I don't think it would be anything medical.

I'm glad you plan on having a vet see this horse, and that's something that needs to be done ASAP. Although he seems fit and healthy, he may have health problems you haven't noticed. Blindness, pain and dental problems can all cause bad behavior. Those conditions may be subtle and something you could miss. A thorough vet exam can help rule out and physical causes of bad behavior or recommend treatment if any are discovered.

After he has been vetted and either cleared of any health problems or treated for health problems that exist, you need to get him to a trainer. His behavior is escalating and someone is likely to get hurt if you continue as you have. He sounds like a spoiled young horse who has learned he can intimidate people, and however you are disciplining him, it is not working. Rearing and striking are two of the most dangerous behaviors a horse can display - they can get you badly hurt or killed.

I would talk to local trainers, explain his history and current behavior, talk about how you have disciplined him and how he reacts, and then send him to someone who has experience with problem horses and is willing to work with him. He sounds like he will need a trainer who is firm and consistent without being overly harsh. He's going to need a trainer who is attentive and able to keep up with him.

Once the trainer has worked with him and seen improvement in his behavior, you, your sister and anyone else who plans to handle this horse need to take lessons with the trainer to learn how to properly handle him and discipline him.

If this horse is a stallion, I also suggest getting him gelded. Unless you have experience handling stallions, the proper facilities to house a stallion and plans to promote him, you don't need to own a stallion. Stallions take time, attention and consistency and are best left to people who have experience with them.

Good luck with your horse. Please get professional help ASAP so no one gets hurt by this horse.

The Question: How do I get a degree in equine behavior?

I am in my last year of an undergraduate and have found animal behavior studies very interesting, and I would possible like to pursue this for my MA and PhD. But I am having a hard time finding information on animal behavior with horses. In one of my searches I came across your website and I am wondering if you could help. Do you know of any universities in Canada, specifically Alberta, that offer similar masters and Ph.D degrees like what you have?




I'm often asked how I got my degree and where others can go to get a degree in equine behavior.  I don't know of any schools that offer a Masters or Doctorate of Equine Behavior.  You'll actually be getting your degree through another department, likely Animal Science, Equine Science or Veterinary Medicine.  You'll want to pick a school that has an ethology section, an equine section with a professor/advisor who is interested in behavior or a behavior section.  My degree is in Animal Science, obtained through the ethology section.  I chose to focus my research on equines.  My Masters' thesis was on imprint training and my doctoral dissertation was on clicker training.  I took classes in ethology and immunology, in agriculture education and in learning (through the psychology department).  The combination of my research, class work and previous experience working with my own horses and for various trainers gave me the background to become an equine behaviorist.


Before traveling down this road, I advise you to consider what you what to do with your degree and training. If you would like to work in academia, teaching classes and doing continued research on equine behavior, then you'll want to go to a university that has a strong research program and publishers papers in scientific journals (Applied Animal Behaviour Science,  Equine Veterinary Journal, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, etc.) and one that presents data to scientific conferences.  You might look at Pubmed (www.pubmed.com) for research that interests you and contact the person doing the research.  


If you would like to become a veterinary behaviorist, one who treats animals for physical as well as behavioral issues, you'll need to go to veterinary school and take behavior classes.  If you want to become a practicing behaviorist (one who takes on clients and works on behavioral issues), you need to know that it is a tough job to get started in and does not pay well.  

You might check out the Animal Behavior Society, International Society of Applied Ethologists, Equine Science Society, and Equine Nutrition and Physiology Society.  I don't know anyone in your area specifically to refer you to.

Good luck!