behavior problem

Question
I recently got a 3 month old colt who hasn't been worked with at all since the owner had died suddenly. so when I went to pick him up we had to put a halter on him, lead him, and force him to go into my stock trailer for the first time and this was also his weaning period too. we had a hard time getting him into the trailer, so he basically fell down into it and got up and we closed the door. I stalled him for the first week inside with me shetland pony next door to keep him company. he's been eating grain and hay and drinking water on a regular basis. the second week I brought him out to an outside stall next to my older mare and he lead really well. I pet him and scratch his neck to try and gain his trust and now when I give him his grain, which he really looks forward too he pins his ears straight back and turns his butt at me, and this is when I am outside of the boarded area. so I too a rod (stick) and started scratching him with that on his head, and slowly to his shoulder, and worked it down over to his back and he turns and kicks at it and swishes his tail. I have raised two other babies that were born on my place before and they have never doen anything like this but I do understand that he hasnt' had no handling so I kind of expected this. what I want to know or need some advice on is how do I get him to get rid of his bad attitude and get him to stop pinning his ears and being so crabby?  

Answer
Joleen,

Were your other 2 babies colts or fillies?  He's pulling the dominance card with you.  Now you have to take the place of mom as far as establishing what the ground rules are.  He needs some discipline from you to show that is and is not acceptable behavior.  Just like a human child he has to learn this.  If he hasn't been handled much before now then he knows nothing.  

I don't know what kind of halter you have on him.  A standard foal halter has a little leather strap hanging from the bottom so you can get hold of them easily.  If a regular halter try tying a hay string or lead that you've cut to about a foot in length overall, to his halter.  Make sure there's nothing he can get tangled in.  Something you can grab.  He just thinks with all the nice things that you will let him get away with rudeness.  You will have to be alert to bad behavior and correct it immediately.  When you go in and he comes to you take the strap/lead so you have his head.  If he starts with the "crabby" behavior, I call it rude, Shank him a couple of times, yell at him, let him know that you will not accept this from him!  Watch his response carefully so that you only go as far as you need to.  He's also learning what discipline is right now.  But he's a boy and sounds like a bully-boy personality at that.  I would start by having someone else hold him, at least the first time, and groom him all over.  I hope you read horse body language well.  That's important here.  If he starts getting fresh when you get towards the hindend, he gets corrected.  He's still a baby, it won't take much.  He may explode the first time so be prepared and go with him.  Round pen work would help him a great deal right now.  Babies are geared to learning, he didn't have a nice intro to humans from the beginning, so you have to start over.  Do continue to be nice to him.  Reward him with lavish praise and pets for good behavior.  Treats don't hurt as long as you set the ground rules for them too.  They have to accept them nicely from your hand, no teeth, no pushing or shoving at all will be tolerated.  But you can buy a lot of good behavior from both kids and horses with a little bit of bribery.  Spend some real, quality time with him if possible.  Take him out and hand-graze him for a half hour or so if you still have grass in your area occasionally.  

Above all remember you are taking the place of mom now.  One reason I don't like to wean as young as you did, especially forced the way it was, is they miss the socialization that mom does.  That's a lot of trauma for their little minds and now you have to do damage control!  If you've been a  mother you know what I mean as far as love tempered with rules.  

Let me know how it goes.

Lyn