How to Stop a Horse From Biting Humans

Dealing with a horse that bites humans is an incredibly dangerous operation that must be handled delicately as one horse bite can result in lost limbs or even death. In this context, a horse bite should be defined as the horse opening its mouth to snap in your direction to ensnare your body, your clothes or the air. Ideally, training should prevent a horse from ever beginning this behavior. However, if a horse does begin biting, there are methods to prevent it from happening again.

Instructions

    • 1

      Establish from a young age that nibbling and biting is an unacceptable form of play, affection or show of domination. When a mare bites, immediately reprimand it by firmly taking it aside and loudly telling it that biting is not acceptable.

    • 2

      Take your horse's nose in your hand and rub the nose gently but consistently. When the horse pulls its head away, cease rubbing. Once the horse brings its head back to you, begin rubbing again to establish a sense of comfort and respected boundaries between you and the horse.

    • 3

      Prevent a horse from developing bite-related habits by keeping it properly socialized. Mares, geldings and especially stallions need to socialize with humans and other horses to in order to gain a sense of mutual respect.

    • 4

      Associate positive behaviors with the horse's mouth, giving your horse lots of loving attention by rubbing its nose, jaws and stomach and even playing with the sides of its mouth and tongue. Because many times a horse will bite out of a need for attention, establishing this relationship early on can significantly reduce the chance of biting.

    • 5

      Take immediate action if a horse demonstrates a biting-related behavior. Make intimidating noises by shouting or clanging metals together loudly to let the horse know that biting is not acceptable behavior. If a horse continues to bite, keep it at a distance and contact a professional horse trainer.