a biting orphan foal

Question
I have a 7 week old orphaned miniature horse colt, Dusty.  About 4 weeks ago he started biting, rearing, and kicking.  His bites now are painful and a sharp hoof doesn't feel to good either.  I pinched him when he does this because I thought that was the closest to his mother's bites.  But now it only keeps him away for a few seconds and his back wanting to bit me.  I don't know what to try and any advice would be very helpful.  Thank you.  

Answer
Hi Mollie,

The problem you're having with Dusty is very normal at his age, particularly for orphans.  Normally, they would be doing those kinds of testing behaviors with mom, but without having mom around, the behaviors can get out of hand quickly.  Unfortunately, you can't pinch nearly as hard as a horse can bite.  And horse hide is very thick.  Pinching won't do anything.  You need something that stings, but won't cut or harm him.

My suggestion is to use a dressage whip (it's a thin whip that's about 40" long) - they're available at almost any riding store.  A dressage whip won't do any damage, but stings like crazy.  For the next few weeks at least, do not go into his stall unarmed (without something like a crop or dressage whip).  When he tries to rear or kick, whack him once with the whip.  It's important not to get carried away, but to give him one good stripe with it.  If he rears, get the whip over his head and give him a swat between the ears.  Don't worry about making him head-shy.  Head-shyness comes from repeated rough handling around the face.  Using a short crop or dressage whip for one quick swat won't create this problem.  If he kicks at you, swat him right across the butt.  

Now, this is the most important thing:  the swat must be IMMEDIATE!  You can't go in there without a whip or crop, then leave the stall to go get it when he acts up.  By the time you get back, he will have completely forgotten why he's getting smacked.  The punishment needs to match the offense.  Don't go overboard; one attempted kick = one swat across the butt.  Another thing to try if he rears when you have him haltered is when he starts to go up, give him a quick, sharp jolt on the lead rope.  We call this "ringing his bell" because it's just like a bell-ringer's motion.  It doesn't need to be hard, just a quick jolt.  They really don't like this and the rearing will stop after a couple of attempts.

Be firm and consistent, and you'll create respect.  Even a mini can be dangerous if he doesn't obey the rules of good ground manners.  Luckily, you're catching all of this early, and babies learn very quickly.

Hope this helps!  Please don't hesitate to write back if you have any other questions.  Good luck with your little one!

--Susan