Horse bite question

[OPIE]

Alot of good advise on here about horses. As far as my situation went, the nurse who checked me in didnt laugh to much (to my face) im sure she was rolling on the floor when I went back to see the doc. That wasnt pretty either. My wife (bless her heart) was trying her darndest not to laugh, but there was a couple times I cought her with her head in her hands, and she wasnt cryin. LOL . I know my son will remember this forever. I will to.

 

[Wildsky]

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thank you for the giggle, I know it must have been HORRIBLE to endure on your side.

 

[OPIE]

Well, LOL, thanks for the hugs, yea it was something to go through it, but its great to be able to laugh about it now.

 

[Wildsky]

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Well pretty much everything is funny when it stops HURTING.

 

[rjv_piper]

It'll get better when it quits hurting... or it will turn into a pig's foot... lol that's what my grandma always says...

(Except my grandma doesn't have a beard...) lol

 

[OPIE]

Very true!

 

[erthymom2]

alot of good advice coming about how NOT to feed treats - thank you for the info. and i will follow it from now on. i chalk this up as a learning experiance and a reason to read up on horses so when i take care of her or another again, i know more of the "don'ts" and lots of the "do's".

i see the ortho. doctor today for his news, glad to have excellant
health insurance!!

 

[horsejody]

Once a horse starts to clamp down he/ or she cannot reverse the process. At least that is what I have been told. Their mouths are not designed that way. The best you can hope for is to have them close their mouth slowly so you can pull your fingers out. Biting is a common stallion trait. It is also a common trait when the horse is fed treats from your hand. It makes some horses "grabby." I doubt that the horse did it out of aggression. Most do it out of misunderstanding. Some are less intelligent than others. If we pull treats from our pockets and feed from our hands the lesser intelligent can assume we are made out of food. A truly aggressive horse will pin its ears and usually go for another part of the body. A curious horse, or one looking for a treat, will go for a hand. Of course, a stallion or very young horse can nip anywhere.

 

[erthymom2]

went to the ortho. doctor - he "set the break" also found a bone chip off of the other pinky knuckle.

 

[freemotion]

I agree with the "no treats by hand" rule for most people, and all children.

I disagree with the statements that horses must continue the bite. I worked full-time with horses for many years, and raised many youngsters from birth to the showring, including some stallions. I've received my share of bites (actually, not that many), mostly from the young colts still learning boundaries. They most definitely CAN let go. Trust me. They can and do, for the lead mare, meaning me. The lead mare squeals very loudly and lashes out like lightening, hard and fast, usually a swift kick in the ribs. Then becomes calm the instant the boundaries are respected.

That being said, there is a safe way to open the horses' mouth, even the clever ponies' mouth. Look at the previous link to the diagram first. You will put your thumb into the mouth at the corner of the mouth and run it firmly along the lower toothless portion of the gums and into the tender area just inside, BELOW the tongue. Sort of where you brush your teeth on the inside, along the gums...feel for the roots of your own molars next to your tongue to get an idea of what you are feeling for.

Press HARD to keep control of where your hand is, also to cause sufficient discomfort to the horse to get him to open his mouth. This will take about a second or so if done correctly.

Ask the next professional (vet, farrier, experienced friend) to show you how. It is a skill you may need again....hope not, but you probably will, even if it is your sleeve or a button you are rescuing.

I met a woman at a boarding stable who offered someone else's horse a carrot and got the end of her index finger bitten OFF as a result. A year later, she is still having surgeries to repair the damage, which refuses to heal correctly. I also once had a mare given to me that I retrained....but on that first vet visit, she picked the poor guy up by one shoulder and carried him down the aisle before anyone could react. He was a good-size guy, too. Oops. I found out from his assistant what his favorite snacks were and always had refreshments waiting for them both from then on!