A biting horse is extremely dangerous, no matter what the cause of his bad behavior.  If your horse has a tendency towards nipping or outright biting, it is important that you understand why he is exhibiting this behavior, and what to do about it.  In mild cases, it is annoying to constantly watch your horse to ensure he’s not nipping at you, and at the other extreme, people have been killed and seriously injured by horse bites.  It is not a behavior to take lightly, and if you are unable to deal with the problem on your own, enlist the help of a good trainer.  Remember, if your horse bites he is putting all those he comes in contact with at risk, not just yourself.

Horses will sometimes bite out of pain or fear.  It is important to rule out these factors when assessing your horse’s behavior.  This could be the case if your horse always tries to bite at particular times, such as when you are cinching up the saddle, or if he suddenly shows this behavior when you are touching a certain area.

Most horses who bite are simply showing dominant behavior.  In a herd, horses nip and bite at one another when playing their hierarchy games.  The best thing to do with a horse like this is calmly send the horse out of your space when he makes his biting attempt.  This mimics herd behavior of the more dominant horses refusing to engage in this play.

In rare cases, the horse may be actually aggressive towards humans.  If you suspect that this is what is going on with your horse, it is vital that you work with an experienced trainer to help the horse to learn that he must respect humans.

Overreacting to your horse’s behavior, even in the case of an aggressive horse, will not teach your horse manners.  Hitting or yelling at your horse will be counterproductive and also will not solve the problem.

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