How To Deal With Horse Aggression?

How To Deal With Horse Aggression?
How To Deal With Horse Aggression?

Video: How To Deal With Horse Aggression?

Video: How To Deal With Horse Aggression?
Video: Clinton Anderson Presents Running Scared: Training An Aggressive Horse 2023, September
Anonim

Like all herd animals, horses follow a hierarchy. Sometimes they believe that the owner is on a lower rung of the hierarchical ladder, which can provoke aggressive behavior towards him. Since a blow or bite from an animal many times larger than a human can cause serious injury, it is important to know how to control horse aggression.

The main thing is that the punishment should immediately follow the offense, otherwise the horse will not understand what it is being punished for.

Most often, aggression is manifested during grooming, saddling, especially when tightening the girth, when trying to lead a horse into a stall or catch it in a levada. The horse can also get angry if you try to get him into the trailer or do some painful procedure such as a shot or washing a wound. Aggression manifests itself in the form of an attempt to bite or kick. Sometimes the horse takes a threatening pose, bares his teeth, presses his ears.

And the horse is biting
And the horse is biting

Related article And the horse is biting

There are several methods to combat this behavior. The main thing is not to encourage him. If punishment is used (a jerk for the reins or a firm "no"), it is necessary to do it immediately after what happened, not hard, but firmly. Any punishment must follow immediately, otherwise the entire effect will be lost. Many horse owners believe that physical punishment will not lead to anything good. Better to use the positive reinforcement method.

Another method of dealing with aggressive behavior is to distract her attention, such as giving a command. You can defend by pushing the horse with your fist or elbow.

Fighting horses stallions, photo photography
Fighting horses stallions, photo photography

If the horse becomes dangerous, work with a professional. In severe cases, even the use of drug treatment is indicated.

Horses can be aggressive towards other horses as well. Sometimes this is just an attempt to assert one's position, but in some cases the aggression is very strong and the horses at which it is directed are in danger so strong that they have to resort to euthanasia of the aggressive animal.

In milder cases, it may be sufficient to remove the horseshoes from the horse or separate it from the rest during feeding. Usually same-sex animals coexist more peacefully than opposite-sex animals, although sometimes mares and geldings get along well with each other. If one of the horses is aggressive towards the others, you can change the composition of the herd, or isolate it from the rest for a while, or place it with more dominant animals so that it is in a lower hierarchical position. In difficult cases, contact a horse behavior specialist or trainer who knows how to deal with problem behavior in your horse.

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