How to Stop Your Horse From Biting

Some horses are inclined to nip or bite. This bad habit can be very dangerous, resulting in serious human injury. Even though horses are grass eaters, they still have considerable strength in their jaws, and their incisors are surprisingly sharp. This behavior is quite different from windsucking , cribbing, or fence chewing 

Biting may also be a sign of an underlying health problem in your horse or an indication that it has been socialized to be alittletoo familiar with human. 1

Why Do Horses Bite?

In the pasture, horses bite in play, to defend themselves, their food or offspring, to discipline a young horse or one that's lower in the pecking order, or to show that they're annoyed or antsy. Reasons for biting may also include:

Aggression

A horse that's aggressive or has a lot of pent-up energy may act out by biting. Stallions, in particular, can become dangerous biters. This is one of the many reasons that beginning horse owners should not own stallions as they require tactful, knowledgeable handling.

Allogrooming

Allogrooming—when horses groom each other— is another time when one horse may bite another horse, especially along the top of the neck and withers . Imitating this behavior by scratching in these areas can be a form of praise.

However, your horse shouldn't be given the opportunity to initiate allogrooming between itself and its handler. In other words, don't let your horse groom you. If it tries to groom you as you're brushing it, push its head away firmly. Allogrooming is not intended to be a threatening behavior from a horse, just a behavior that is not appropriate to engage in with humans.

Uncomfortable Saddle or Tight Girth

Many horses nip if the girth or cinch of the saddle is tightened too quickly or too much. If a saddle doesn't fit well, the horse may lash out in anticipation of