Stallion Behavior & Biting

A stallion can be more troublesome than a gelding or a mare, because he has never been castrated and is energized by testosterone. Biting, depending on its severity, can be a warning, a serious attempt to injure you or a response to something that the horse perceives as a threat. Understanding your stallion in a holistic way can help you to cope better with his more troublesome behaviors.

  1. Competition

    • Housing two stallions in the same place is not a particularly good idea. Stallions will be in constant competition, and may bite and injure each other. Some will even compete with geldings and treat them as though they are still a threat to the stallion's reproductive dominance. Minimize your stallion's aggression and biting behavior by keeping him away from other stallions.

    Dominance

    • To work successfully with horses, you need to learn to think like a horse. When a stallion bites, there is always a reason for it. Punishing the horse without understanding the reasons for his behavior is unlikely to work. A stallion is interested in being the head honcho, so if he sees you as competition he may give you trouble. You need to either let the stallion take charge (not a good idea), or show him that you are dominant, in a cooperative, convincing, but not cruel, way.

    Fear

    • If the stallion perceives that you are both dominant and threatening, he may try to bite you out of fear. If he can't get at you, he may bite other horses or inanimate objects such as his feeding bucket or the sides of his stall. The solution is to address the fear rather than the biting. Work with your stallion to develop a positive relationship in which he trusts you. If you have insufficient experience with stallions, don't hesitate to contact someone with more expertise, either a trainer or a professional via phone or email.

    Cooperation

    • Horses communicate with you all the time -- through body language, movement, sounds and even biting. By learning to communicate with them on their own terms, you can make both yourself and your stallion happier, and reduce your chances of getting seriously bitten. You need to convince your stallion that you are both on the same team by treating him firmly but compassionately, feeding and watering him consistently and adequately, remaining calm and consistent in his presence and giving him plenty of exercise.