Busting the myth that hand feeding treats causes biting, even with stallions

[@Gushara]

My horse was nippy when fed treats when I first got him so I did what you said and just engaged his mouth and let him see there was no more. Now, after a year of developing a relationship with him he is like your guy. Sometimes I have treats and sometimes not....he is respectful either way. I love my horse and he knows it. I have used your gentle techniques and know it is the right way to foster such a blessed thing in life....a partnership with a horse!

[@sherylbenkosky5358]

I like that - "too much correction and not enough connection". I have an ex rope horse who had that in his past life. We are totally connected now. And he gets lots of cookies every day also.

[@MsDormy]

He’s a lucky horse!

[@hunterG60k]

Apart from the fact your training principles are spot on, I love the way you talk to horses 🥰

[@terrygolson318]

I love seeing the journey you've been on for the last couple of years. We met at Equine Affaire a couple of years - I was also a presenter and we shared a van ride. I told you that I did positive reinforcement training and used treats. You said "good luck with that." The best trainers are constantly questioning, observing and evolving. It's brave to do that when you already have such a large following! What you're doing is subtle and kind. It doesn't make for the most dramatic training videos, but it is what real training should be. Thanks for going public with it! As far as using treats go - I have clients who can't feed treats because they can't yet read their horse's body language to understand when and how to engage. Or their horse have backgrounds where they have to relearn how to interact with humans in a safe way. I help them with that. As always, working with horses is complex!

[@nadjadebruin6227]

I've had my horse always get a bit greedy when being presented with a treat, the first couple of months when I just got her. She was my first horse, so I never 'corrected' it (teach her to be gentle). Then one day she chowed down on my finger, probably thinking it was the treat, yikes! I let out a cry of agony. The bite was unintentional and she understood she had hurt me. From that moment she has always been super careful and polite about taking a treat from my hand. Maybe it's stupid or I'm imagining stuff, but I think that gesture of her being aware is very endearing.

[@nadjadebruin6227]

@hors3_playz oof, ouch!

[@mihakabercic4457]

same as with puppys that bite you

[@shmeeden]

My horse used to get grabby with treats because she hadn't really been taught a nice way to ask for them without trying to snatch them. I started offering them in a closed fist, palm down, and when she would lip gently at my hand to try to find it, I would turn it over and open it to reward her. It has developed to where she'll do a gentle lip wiggle against my hand any time she's seeking a treat. No snatching, no pushiness -- just completely adorable! And if I don't have a treat, I give her some attention, at least, for asking.

[@maddalenahylton]

that is genius! i’m going to try that

[@caroledavis9362]

I feed mine oranges - he LOVES them. He takes treats carefully, and with manners. He used to be a biter - without the food addition. He bit me when I was grooming him about 2 months after bringing him home... I started having my morning coffee with him, and, his demeanor changed. He began to sleep while I had my coffee. He stopped trying to bite about the same time.

[@leealexander3507]

You did that too? It really worked surprisingly well for me too. At first he threatened me and gave me evil looks then one morning he smelled me from head to toe and decided I was his human. We've gotten along ever since.

[@caroledavis9362]

@@leealexander3507 The only thing I changed about our routine was spending time being relaxed and quiet, paying attention to him with focus... ...the oranges helped too 😉

[@leealexander3507]

@@caroledavis9362 Same here except Midnite Star likes apple slices. He is very insulted unless his apples are sliced and cored. To this day if I offer him a whole apple he will become angry, throw it on the ground and glare at me. He's such a funny little guy. He's a black arabian stallion with a star and three short white socks. There's a black heart on the back of each sock.

[@caroledavis9362]

@@leealexander3507 😁 Kai, (means 'warrior' in Fresian), eats the rind first - you can see the tip of his pink tongue poking out as he anticipates that first mouthful - then he gets the segments... and I get drool, if I'm not quick enough getting out of the way! Then he likes to go into the Twilight Zone and snooze for about 30 - 45 min. Mine is a 15 : 1 (hoping he'll top out at 15 : 3) Fresian Quarter Horse, he gets copper highlights in winter, but he's only 6, so may lose that when he's physically mature at 7. He is so allergic to fly bites that he's always in his full body fly sheet, fly mask and leggins - so it's only when I bath or work with him, that his lovely black coat can be seen. 😊

[@MD-bu3xc]

I had my last horse over 40 years ago and at that time, because of how horses were viewed and treated, I just said "that's it." I loved my horse but nothing I was ever told made much sense to me about training and handling, and if you asked 10 people a question you got 10 different answers. Forty years later, I find WS and boy am I impressed! I've been thinking about having a horse in my life again and it's because of what I've been seeing here. Thanks!!!

[@jenniferlehman2464]

They know when you know, and they know when you don't. I believe that principle wholeheartedly. Best Regards and Stay Safe Everyone!! From Ontario, Canada, Jenn. 💖 💖 🇨🇦

[@unrulycrow6299]

One of the horses at my riding school is a big People Horse, and whenever we chat near his stable he tends to get mouthy and all. Personally I engage with him everytime because he just wants to hang out and be involved in what's going on. He never nipped or anything, he's a gentle boy.

[@rochellegracilla6157]

Love your awareness and ideas! My mare was shut dow, behavior problems riding too, until I started watching you and trying to be more present, engaging her - you ARE spot on !!!

[@sherryw-ponyluv-er2394]

I love this handsome horse. I don’t often fall in love with other people’s horses, but two have caught my heart. This guy and Mary Kitzmiller’s Horse Remi. Just love their personalities. ❤️

[@WarwickSchiller]

Remi is very cool too!

[@sherylbenkosky5358]

Love you Warwick and how intuitive you always are. The horses you own and work with are sooo lucky!

[@1992mugen]

I have a stallion and R+ dog trainer. Treats have always been a part of my training. I can't remember the number of times I was told not to use food, but instead show him who was boss. So glad as my first horse, that I trusted my understanding of learning theory and the importance of trust and connection.

[@BloodRayneSalem]

I’ve always learned that hand feeding an animal will allow them to bond with you more because they see you as the one who brings/leads them food to survive aka being the leader as well as causes them to trust you. Now, it doesn’t bring love because that’s earned over time with animals, but it builds towards it with strong foundations of trusting, bonding, respect, and much more.

[@lesabarnum9318]

Thank you for talking at the end about the difference between engaging and being what I call bullish..big difference between the two..

[@maryhenderson4929]

What a wonderful way to BE with your horse! Present. Again warwick explains in an understandable way what i've always wondered about. Thanks for restoring the garden of eden and truly making the world of people and horses better place to be.

[@AimEmery]

Yeah. Good one. I read a book where they said when you interact with others you are either in Love or Reprimand mode. You look at your dog and see a perfect dog, but your spouse and your horse get Reprimand. We all know too much hurts the relationships. Let’s be peaceful together is a nice goal for visiting. ❤️

[@groovychic]

beautiful. the horse and the relationship.

[@ShortOrderCook]

Thankyou! Thankyou! This is my pony with treats. He loves having a chat and interacting. When he began coming closer to me at treat time it was suggested I push him away. I didn't. I did notice though he is developing vision problems. He is welcome to have his treats and a chat with me any time.

[@amandawilcox9638]

There's mythology about nibbling? Open, flat hands help. Never worried about pushing or crowding. Mutual respect helps. Thank you, Mr Schiller. Greetings from Oregon, USA🙋‍♀️!

[@valeriestevens5250]

I like what one trainer said about hand feeding and biting. She said that if a horse got nippy because of hand feeding, she wouldn't hand feed THAT horse, but would continue to hand feed other horses. I always thought that summed it up very well.

[@syzygyfarm]

Thank you for this! I have a yearly (draft) colt who I hope will one day be approved as a breeding stallion. He has a very active mind and an equally active mouth. I like to give treats to my horses, including him, but we had resolved to exclude him if he couldn't handle it. Since doing a bit of research, we decided to go with the engagement method of breaking the behavior, and we will rub his face when he engages. He is already much better about understanding when treats are being fed and when they aren't. He still grabs the lead line and/or cross ties, but he doesn't get pushy anymore. Thank you!!

[@maria-laurahedges8208]

This was an entirely different interaction that I don't think I've ever witnessed before and I'm loving it. The baby voices that we definitely all do!!

[@lauraalbertson7821]

You have helped me so much in handling my Baby Colt . I listened to your teaching on this a few times . Different videos too , about how you now handle a mouthy Horse . I now have a Baby Gypsy Cross . I want to give treats and do sometimes .i agree when you say we need lots of connection. My Husband and I both handle him the way you are showing us . So so so grateful for your wisdom about this . Most people don’t let their Horses express with their mouth . I hope others will listen to your advice! Horses will be much happier 💜🐴💜 Laura 💜 Bear .

[@lesliepark3370]

Excellent. I recently purchased a five year old gelding just like that, I’m feeding lots of treats, it’s helped build his confidence and he’s still polite. Getting less reactive all the time.

[@Kelly_Ben]

Thanks for this! I just brought home my first weanling, and was debating treats vs no treats... but I really enjoy giving them. I have a lot to learn with the babies! I'm trying to watch all of your videos to be sure I start her on the right hoof.

[@RickyJr46]

Cookie time is a special time! And what a stunner that stallion is, wow!

[@antw23uk]

I love feeding my horse treats, he deserves everything lovely.

[@Obsidianoak]

I have a gelding who has had treats since I got him about 14 years ago. He's never bit/ nipped me. He does love to engage. He will often reach out to people or things seeking a response.

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Great video. It’s absolutely situational and timing is so important. I’ve worked with so many horses who were terribly spoiled with treats and very mouthy. I’ve watched many people get their fingers accidentally bit because the horse thought they had a treat and the human didn’t understand how to property pet a horse. I have 250 kids in my program and they are absolutely not allowed to give treats without my permission. I do teach them about feeding treats at the right time, but I do it by example instead of allowing them to give treats. I love to give my horses treats but I wouldn’t do it in a manner that would allow bad habits to form.

[@MaxNafeHorsemanship]

I used to worry that my videos sounded too much like you, but I did a video on treats and hand feeding about 3 years ago. It's not what you do, it's how you do it. I have always fed treats, and always will. No, you don't have to, but I want to...and will...and have never been bitten.

[@fafnir8714]

Oh hey, I watch your channel too. You've taught me tons of valuable things about horsemanship that I didn't get directly from Warwick =) No matter what, coming at the same concept from different angles does nothing but help solidify understanding. A unique perspective to the same idea is always welcome.

[@MaxNafeHorsemanship]

@@fafnir8714 You will find we don't do everything exactly the same, but I have found more and more good horsemen are all using the same principles. And none of us ever stop learning.

[@NoxTenebrisEternum]

Avid fan of your videos here 🙋🏻‍♀️🐴 I have 2 young warmbloods (mare is 5, gelding 3) bought them both unhandled out of a field. I used treats at first just to reward them for their efforts in being a bit more interested /present with me. He especially was terrified of people at first so the treats really helped us to make friends. They’re now both wonderful, playful, engaging horses, we hang out all the time and understand each other well - but the gelding does a lot of cute nuzzling that I engage with without treats, and then occasionally he very quickly proceeds to playfully tear any pocket on a coat I may have off in hopes of treats. Never to hurt, it’s not an aggressive bite. He’s very respectful of my space the rest of the time, he doesn’t do this often but if he can sniff a carrot in a pocket that I saved for later, he mugs me and rips buttons/ zips in a blink. When he has done this, if I stamp about and raise my arms to discourage it he feels awful, runs to the back of his stall with his eyes all petrified. It’s a very fine line with him because he’s not pushy in any other way + he was so scared to begin with. Can I discourage this behaviour in a way that doesn’t frighten him?

[@m.z.593]

Maybe you can kinda modify a leave it as done in dogtraining and heavily reward it in that sotuation so it becomes the norm m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/naPHnYaIoMecZ8U I have no clue if that'll work but maybe it'll give you an idea

[@petrakap6283]

I love the way you improve yourself. I have a mare, that is hyper sensible. She was whit a person that tryed to break her. She brought her back to the first owner. I bought her from her. She never warned me. So my mare became a big project. But a treat as a extra prove her answer at my question was the right one. Still makes her extra willing to try. So this is so nice te see. Thanks to you.

[@lauca6969]

Great video... not to mention someone who is efficient using the clicker or marker training charges the mark when the horse isn't seeking the treat. Therefore they get the idea that mouthing at the hands when treats are present doesn't pay.

[@sje70]

thank you, this is really helpful, my gelding is biting me and all people, he probably has a lot of trauma, but learning along the way.

[@Sandra-cm1du]

I really like your training approach. You are an excellent trainer. Thank you for the youtube videos. Learning new things.

[@ruthhamilton4882]

I have had horses 50 years at this point. I have always fed treats and never had a biter. Instead, I have been praised for my respectful horses.

[@claymoma]

The markings on this horse are absolutely stunning. Beautiful eyes surrounded by the pure white of his (her) face, I'll remember this image for quite some time. And, I have never had a horse (stallion included) nip me when hand feeding treats. You just have to remember to keep your hand flat and pay attention to what you're asking of your horse!!!

[@TheTeapotte]

I've always given mine treats by hand and it has never been a problem! Thank you for showing this!

[@KMJCAN1313]

Thanks, Warwick.

[@suecastillo4056]

Boy am I LOVING that bald face horse!!!Wow! Thank you for all of your videos!!!

[@28951SBDMDK]

Love the video, Mr. Schiller! You give me hope that there is a proper way to go about hand feeding. I'm a dog trainer. When I work with deaf animals, I use a light foot stomp to indicate that they need to look my way, then a double leg slap (my leg) instead of a 'click'. They see the movement (which is the same each time) & feel the vibration through their paws on the ground. I'm learning how to train horses, but I've never had the opportunity to work with a deaf one, so ... I'm not sure if this idea flies. Thank you for all you do! Be blessed!

[@CInzerillo]

My mare got great about taking food by hand when we started R+ training. The default neutral is highly reinforced so she knows that if she stands with her head in front of her, reinforcement comes, OR a behavior that brings reinforcement will be cued.

[@KingsMom831]

You are the best! We get so much out of your videos, Thanks 🙏🏼

[@naturalistegroup3978]

I love this technique. I'm often warned that hand feeding my stallions causes them to become vicious over time. Great to see the OWTs debunked again.

[@StangmanLover]

100% spot on! I have always been big on giving treats by hand. Every single horse I have owned has been stuffed full of treats and not a single one of them has been spoiled or learned to bite! I've had my paint and mustang for 14 years now, and my 4 year old nephew can hand feed treats and I don't have to worry about a thing. At one point, I had purchased a pony at an auction to retrain. She was a biter. After a couple of months of working with her, she stopped biting...and I hand fed treats the whole time. I work in the horse industry and have met several people (including some "trainers") who believe this myth. Ironically, all of their horses bite. I'll never forget the one lady.....no sooner had she finished telling me that she didn't hand-feed treats because it taught horses to bite, than I walked into the stall with one of her horses and promptly almost lost my nose.

[@Legerm87]

I found that treats have really helped my tense and nervous horse. I get a release from him and give him treats to help the relaxation means good things. I try not to discipline him but just ask him out of my space when he gets nervous. Hope I’m following your methods correctly. 😊

[@katrinamckenna1131]

He is a stunner

[@biancamatter519]

This is such a helpful video and I fully resonate with it. Thank you Warwick

[@sylviabeam9343]

What a beautiful animal! Thank you for correcting this false myth.

[@lonestar5053]

What a gorgeous horse!!!!

[@angellalee5418]

Good to see this myth getting busted :)

[@GraceMiChang1]

Reminds me of my super shut down warmblood... He used to rip his face away when being released and then get scared that he was in trouble. I had to be really aware of his mood and be careful EVERY time for 6 months for him to realize he doesn't have to pull away when I take the halter or bridle off him.

[@janeturnquist2942]

Whoa, what a beautiful horse!

[@heatherjames8030]

So funny I literally half way through was about to ask about a horse invading your space during this and lo and behold I just waited before commenting and you answered my question 😁

[@guitarsoundsaround]

One thing rarely mentioned is their sense of smell. Our drafts would go to greet our toddler - FIRST - at the fence. (Which initially seemed odd to me.) Then I realized why … He often tucked his sippy cup of apple juice 🧃 away in his coat pocket. The horses quickly learned who had those lovely tones of crisp apples 🍎 I am strict about safety whenever children are around but am mindful of this now. Horses are so intelligent at studying the human. IYKYK

[@pattawa1]

Ok so i am kind of new at reining horse. Found your channel after looking at Matt Mill and both u guys are great with gorgeous horses

[@Oregonracer2]

I love this so much. Ours get treats after we ride. They don't bite. Biting is an aggressive behavior. Treat eating is not.

[@zaaz1471]

Always love watching your vids - _highly_ educational and enjoyable. "too much correction, not enough connection" wise in so many ways. And he's *GORGEOUS*. Are you _sure_ he didn't dip his face into a bucket of magical white paint when he was a wee foal? lol

[@Carroty_Peg]

Hi Warwick, do you have plans to write a book?

[@MollyGrue1]

wow thank you. Finally. My own horse was nippy when young and still a stallion. But it was like you said it was his way of making contact. I tought him that it hurt me when he used his teeth and he stopped it. Some nip as a bad habbit but stop it the moment they notice you tell them "Im aware of what you are up to - just stop even thinking about it, mate" They are not as dumb as some humans believe. Ok, its all education and bonding. But no automatisms there, not at all. :)

[@pondarosalife7790]

Yes! Thank you for the great educational video

[@heathercollins4432]

You would not believe the static I'm receiving from people with whom I have raised this concept...(rolls eyes so far back in my head that they get stuck in my brain...) FYI - I tell mine "all gone" and hold my hands out, as you did....Then they lose interest and walk away... (He is so stinking cute - once again I had to watch this video twice, because the first time, all I could see was him...I couldn't hear what you were saying...)

[@SuperPashaKitty]

What a cute stallion ❤️

[@wendeesexton3607]

Thank you for this!

[@sarahbrochu8144]

Great video! It's about time we stop believing such non-sense. I am currently training 2 young horses (3 and a half years old), both were neglected and had no training whatsoever before, and both were mouthy and with a tendency to bite. Using treats and +R completely fixed these problems in less that a month. If the horse is not well-behaved around food, it's entirely the human's fault, not the horse's fault.

[@introvertedequinesamsara6593]

I'd love for Clint to see your videos with your stud as he literally said "Stud horses are like teenage boys, every once in a while you just gotta knock the shit out of them. You know? It’s just that simple"

[@lisawhite9885]

😳

[@judy3460]

Clint is not a horse trainer. He’s a people and women pleaser

[@introvertedequinesamsara6593]

@@judy3460 100% and he only cares about quick results

[@MaxNafeHorsemanship]

I saw that interview where he said that. That's the difference between a horseman and an entertainer/con man.

[@fafnir8714]

I get that I probably have different sensibilities as I wasn't raised with physical discipline but like, I think that says bad things both about his ability to train horses AND his ability to raise his kids lol.

[@Sandra-cm1du]

Nice horse facility too!

[@tycoonmom]

OH my gosh.. is that a medicine hat horse? Beautiful. Love the native american stories about them.

[@kidstuff44555]

Very true. I hand feed all my horses and none of them bite. A lot of this kind of "No treats, no coddling" advice is from men who think women are too soft on horses. Which may be true, but it has nothing to do with giving them a carrot

[@kathym6211]

Wow I didn't realize his stallion was deaf! Curious about the ear movements. Does this mean his ear movement is all about his emotional state and not sound?

[@WarwickSchiller]

His ears go where his thoughts are, just like one that can hear

[@introvertedequinesamsara6593]

@@WarwickSchiller that's really interesting could you make a video on that?

[@remishero8702]

Thank you

[@josephcantor481]

With Rey being deaf, do you believe he still senses/feels the tone changes in your talking to him and do you think that your tone is connected to your energy at the moment, that he might sense?

[@WarwickSchiller]

the energy.

[@teresawort9124]

Oh wow thank you so much!

[@chewar7537]

Glad to see this video!! And he is beautiful!!!!!

[@sms7782]

They unterstand subtle differences, maybe more than we do ourselves. If I was a zen guru and had total control over my mind, I could handle my mare just by thinking. I am just not focused and mentally balanced enough. But when I am in the moment and not worried or distracted, I can think yes or no and she understands. You can let them do so many things that people normally do not allow. My mare is allowed to tell me when she needs a break, she uses that freedom but never hesitates when I decide to go on with our training. I just have to make a decision, as long as I am unsure what to do it doesn‘t work.

[@roosalwaysthesun8759]

Loved this one thank you so much. 🙋🏻‍♀️🤗💪🏻👍🏻🥕

[@robotbuster1487]

I stop by what i call the Over Assertive Gelding corral, (dirt corral) and pluck grass out of the ground on my side of the rail, and hand feed 3-5 at a time. They may bite each other here and there, but i havent been bit. Do it all the time. I dont know the horses' names either.

[@gl0dy]

I think it has a lot to do with the HOW you give treats. If the horse begs and you start to give them treats when they beg, they will obviously beg more and this can totally get out of hand. I use a lot of treats and it also needs some discipline to not get a horse a treat everytime they make a cute face :D So it is really about being conscious when and how you give them treats. And if they start begging in a unwished way, just don't give them any until they relax again.

[@stellangios]

I used to go to a local pet expo, mostly dogs and cats and small animals, but a couple times I saw this young woman with a mini/small pony: she'd lead him around the venue in the same areas as all the (politely friendly) dogs and every time someone would try to say hi to the little guy, let him sniff their hand or engage with him in any way other than patting his side/back, she'd SNACH the pony's head away sharply, glare at the "offending" human and snap "He's treat trained!" Saw her do this over and over and she never offered any explanation to the confused dog people, who undoubtedly had given a dog a treat for following an instruction and never treated it like a peckish crocodile afterwards. She'd just snap "He's treat trained" at them and put handful after handful of grain under her pony's nose. I never saw the pony bite (not that he had much chance to try)...never saw him do a trick, either! It was overall very strange tbh.

[@saspinks3001]

Ugh, poor pony.

[@debbiec4530]

That’s just cute!🤠🐴

[@xaiapoole7625]

First I love your training so much❤️🥺

[@learleywells4498]

What?? 😲 Who said hand feeding treats to horses causes them to bite ? Who said that?? 😏 I've been doing it for five months now and they have never, never,ever bit me! Then after feeding them treats they love me for it and afterwards I love on them and I pet them. And they love every bit of it it's just called interacting with your horses and they have never never bitten me. 🙂❤️ I talk baby talk to them also. Lol!! ,,❤️❤️❤️ 😁

[@Jsa460]

I think that myth often comes from people teaching horses that they can mug you for treats whenever they want them (and getting frustrated if they don't get them) instead of only having them when offered. They start to learn they can take the treats if they push you around enough, or if you're not paying enough attention to what you're doing. I give treats to my horses and none of them bite or push you around to get at them. If I'm not paying enough attention or he's bored, the gelding will grab at stuff I'm holding though to get my attention (but never bite). Nothing nasty in it, it's just like a "hey, over here! Interact with me!"

[@megfisher6112]

You could still clicker train him I bet. You’d just have to make the cue/bridge visual or vibrational. He seems like he’d latch on!

[@Lee-hp1wg]

That stud is such a cutie

[@marleneeisnor9719]

I have a mini that usually tries to grab the treat with his teeth instead of his lips. How can I get him to take it with his lips? I’ve had many horses and never had this trouble before.

[@69Zuzzie]

I would say hide it in your hand first, let him smell, if he tries with his teeth - lower your hand/move it away a little. If he tries with his lips - reward with treat and cuddle/scratches. Worked on a few horses I encountered over the years, might be more ways too. Good luck anyhow. 🥕🥕🍎

[@charlottesaabyeelmstrm9842]

Love your Micky Mouse voice!!

[@JumboJimbo100]

I think that if you do feed a lot of treats by hand the horse will look for treats any time you reach up to pet the horse, which is annoying. With my stallion I use treats by hand sparingly to teach him to take the bit and after the halter when I ride. He is looking for those treats after he takes the bridle and halter but not at any other time. So I think treats by hand would be better served when training the horse something (like piaffe) rather than just randomly feeding treats by hand.

[@marie-evepineault750]

Hello! I really love your training methods! I was wondering have you ever had a horse who was protective of a specific side even after trying to desensitize him? Thank you!!

[@tdkage]

Everybody who loves horses do little cute voices to them.

[@DARKhorses73]

Yes! 🤣🤣🤣☺

[@dianereiser6417]

My horses can smell treats in my pocket a mile away lol...

[@WarwickSchiller]

So could this one...

[@mariepascale6921]

I see two "good boys!" 🙂

[@kari8187]

If your horse is biting you’re not listening to what they were saying just before the teeth came out. Good job Warwick

[@mattersofthehartbynat8815]

Hi Warwick, would love to see you do this with someone’s horse that they feel is nippy; then we can see how you correct the issue. Thanks. Regards, Nat.

[@WarwickSchiller]

But I wouldnt be feeding treats to a nippy horse...

[@MaryBethMcCoy]

I just bought a horse a few weeks ago who is very mouthy. He is a very sweet, laid back horse who loves attention, but he is a biter. He bit me a couple of weeks ago intentionally. I was leading him and he was walking slowly and so, rather than being next to me, he was following behind me. Suddenly, he came up from behind and bit me on the arm for no reason. It was hard enough to really hurt me, and I whirled around and knocked him in the muzzle so he jumped way back. Why did he bite me for no reason? I am very careful around him now because of this. How can I break his biting habit?

[@faithschroeder7346]

Hi guys. I need some training advice. I'm currently working with a 6 y/o gelding, super sweet and have made lot of progress on the ground, now I'm working in saddle but don't have an arena to ride in. He lives out in pasture and that's my only space i have to work with him. He tends to get really distracted with all the grass and it's super hard to keep his focus on me so I'm getting to a plateau in his training because of this. Any tips?

[@LadyBlacksheep]

Clickertraining can help, since then then there is something good to compete with the grass. Also, I assume you make sure he is well fed before training, so its not actual hunger thats bothering him.

[@faithschroeder7346]

Ya he is always well fed, thanks for the advice

[@tierratrails9554]

I realized that my gelding’s nipping was his way of getting my attention and then everything changed

[@lisafoster4468]

I'd say pretty much just don't give them the treat if they're being pushy or demanding. It is easy to reward the wrong thing if you're not present.