Horse gritting teeth?

I have a female paint horse thats about 3 years old now. For some reason she is a huge pain in the butt with a horrible attitude. Everytime I get around her she throws her ears flat against her head and grits her teeth. If I get near her she grits her teeth, and if I load or unload hay she grits her teeth. So basically I would like to know what I can do to get her to stop being such a butt. She also likes to try to bite be from time to time and will try "nibbling" on me which ultimately leads to a bite. I havent worked with her much recently (bad winter) and so I dont know if shes getting spoiled or what her deal is. Any help would be great. Oh and shes very well taken care of, shes just a butt.

Horse gritting teeth?
100% agrees with Roadapple cider
Reply:You may want to have a vet check her out, just to eliminate any medical possibilities. Other than that, maybe you could try making every moment you spend with her as positive an experience for her as possible, pet her, walk her around (if she'll let you) and just do things that please her in general. Once she comes to associate you with positive experiences, it may be easier to work with her. And also, by no means should you let her nibble on you, it just condones the biting behavior and ensures that she will keep doing it. That's all I can think of, good luck!
Reply:some horses grit their teeth when their teeth are uncomfortable, they may not be correctly positioned or rubbinng the gums etc. and pain could be the cause of her nasty behaviour
Reply:First off, I'd have a vet check to see if she has any bad teeth or if her teeth need to be floated or whatever, just to make sure there are no medical or dental problems. If she checks out ok, I would say she is being willful and spoiled and does not respect you or recognize you as the leader (or boss) My guess is that when she acts up, you let her have her way, or leave her alone, instead of teaching her that she is exhibiting unacceptable behavior.


Horses are herd animals, so think about the natural structure of a herd. A herd has a leader that keeps them in line; not with soft nuzzling and gentle stroking. If they get out of line they are corrected with a kick or bite, etc. You need to be the herd leader and you are letting her assume the position every time you back off and leave a situation uncorrected.


Carry a 2 foot piece of garden hose with you. When she shows disrespect, bites at you, or turns her butt to you, anything that shows she has no reguard for you as the leader, give her a good smack and a firm word (NO!---HEY! or whatever) YOU need to be the one in control. It isn't being cruel. It's doing things like they are done in a herd. (Don't try kicking or biting her----all you'll get is a 'horse laugh!!')
Reply:As a 3 yr old its likely her 'adult' teeth are coming in, that's why she is bad tempered and mouthing you. It would be a good idea to have a horse dentist take a look. It seems all of her bad behaviour revolves around the mouth area, i'd say this is where the problem is. Good luck.
Reply:get a vet to cherck her out and if she still grits her teeththan get a animal behaviorist out to g=check on her
Reply:I agree about the teeth issue, she would be getting new teeth at that age, and that could be the problem, I have a horse that nibbled on me a lot at that age, and it did develop into biting which I then had to break that habit, I couldn't hit him because it scared him too much as he had been abused before I got him, I firmly held his nose on the end for a few seconds every time he nibbled or bit me, and made it uncomfortable for him and he stopped doing it very quickly.





I also agree there could be an underlying health issue and the vet could help with that. I don't know if this would help but my daughter grits her teeth when her neck or her bones in her head are out of alignment, and I need to take her to the chiropractor (back doctor), my horse had his top vertebra out of place recently and the chiropractor put it back in place, made a huge difference in helping him bring his head down and he is much happier. A lot of young horses backs go out of place when they are first ridden as their back isn't used to the strain of a rider.





That sort of teeth barring behaviour sounds very dangerous and should be dealt with by someone who has a lot of experience (I don't know how much experience you have had). Without meeting the horse it is hard to know if it is just bluffing or he really is plain old nasty (and I dont mean to be awful but if he is really nasty he is not much use to anyone and is extremely dangerous).





Whoever is going to handle him needs to be very firm with him and MAKE him do what he is told, the more he gets his own way the worse he will get, he needs boundaries and discipline, by discipline I dont mean hurting or starving him, at all, I mean make him be nice before he gets any treats, when you work him make sure he does what he is told and finish on a good note, he probably should be handled every day, and rewarded when he is good. If he does something bad make him keep working till he does something good.





I find training horses is like disciplining children, if you have a naughty child you don't say ok you have done something bad, if I ignore you for a week the behaviour will get better, you deal with the issue there and then, and show the child what it should be doing.





Hope this helps good luck.





Sandi
Reply:Well other than having a vet check her teeth and seeing if they need to be floated I have no other suggestions for the teeth grinding or gritting..But for the biting you or pinning of ears and that sort it sounds like you need to go back to the basics and work some respect training into the schedule. Seems to me your horse no longer sees you as the herd leader or a leader at all. I suggest you look into that part of it emmediately as this only gets worse and alot more dangerous...I really hope I was somewhat of a help to youl...
Reply:Have this horse checked/ treated for ULCERS. Gritting teeth is also a sign of pain.





She is at the prime age for that.


Agree with the others as to teeth as well,
Reply:Lets cut to the chase here people..... whats she needs is a good ole fashion whack. Claim your status in the herd, become alpha mare and show her you are no longer dealing with her attitude that you will no longer allow her to get away with. If you do not nip this behavior in the butt your mare is going to become even more dangerous and soon will escalate to charging you which is even more dangerous. Don't be afraid to show them who's boss. A whack to a horse is a attention getter but a whack From a horse can land us in the hospital or worse.





Is she gritting her teeth or grinding her teeth? Your horse has attitude problem but if she is Grinding her teeth deffitinely have a vet check her for ulcers.
Reply:try getting her teeth checked and check her back and quarters throughly, use your fingers and push gently up and down her spin, if she dips away from you then somethings wrong. Sometimes mares can just be nasty with attitudes as one of my mares use to be like that, try working with her more and she her your in charge and you wont put up with any antics such as biting
Reply:Horses usually grit there teeth if they agitated. (sometimes when experiencing pain, so first rule that out) My TB does the same thing every time he sees me messing in the feed room or another horse gets fed before him. The only thing you can really do to stop them from gritting their teeth is to feed them first, or turn them out where they have other things on there mind while you're doing anything with the feed. The fact that she does it ANY time you get around her, well, I honestly would have to say it sounds like she doesn't like you much, or sees you as an annoyance. If that's her reason for this behavior, you really need to work on your relationship with her.
Reply:Biting or threatening to bite is dangerous behavior for a horse! They can do real damage to you and anyone else. This mare needs to learn now, that she will not be the Alpha horse when people are present! At three, she's just starting to "feel her oats". And even if there is a medical reason for her agressive behavior, how will the vet be able to treat her if she has no respect for people! I like John Lyons, "three second rule", when a horse threatens you, you have three sseconds to correct them, after that, they forget and don't know why they are being punished. So, your response when this gal "grits her teeth" should be swift and sure, and then forget it. Even a mare will correct her baby by nipping it in the butt or on the back when it bites the nipple! I would whack her quickly and decisively on the nose, with the flat of your hand, once, and throw my ears back, make a noise (even growl) and make her step back! But you must be quick, if you wait, she won't know why you did this. It should ony take one, maybe two times and this mare should stop her bad manners. She's just decided that you are the inferior horse and she's trying to establish her dominance. Don't let her, or you'll be setting her up for a life time of harsh treatment. She must "know" that those behaviors are NOT allowed. And until her bahavior is better, I'd carry a crop, she could get worse.

Broken Teeth