12 yr old mare

Question
I just purchased a 12 yr old mare,the lady i bought her from said no kick no bite!!!Iam seeing her lash out at me in the field,when ilead her around she turns head at me and bites!!!!Im not sure about this??????She will do it when being brushed as well as kick at me????What do you suggest i do????I appreciate any advise from you???Thank you julie

Answer
How much experience do you have with horses is first thing I need to know.  And is this your first horse, and how old are you?  Are there other horses there too?

Did you see this horse ridden before you bought her, or handled, as it could be horse was drugged when you first saw her.

Basically, the horse doesn't have any respect for you, and is showing this by the behaviors you describe.

As I don't know anything at this point about you, I will address several things that will lead a horse to try these things.

Too many owners, especially first time ones, will try and be friends first, instead of establishing themselves as a leader.  This causes horse to decide that it needs to run the show, and the horse will try to dominate the human then, much as you are seeing.

By kicking at you, or biting at you?  She is telling you that you are inferior to her, and she is putting you in your place.

You do not need to go out in field without a lash whip, or long branch to move horse away from you, or to pop across rear when she has kicked out.  You need to send her away fast and firmly at that point, making her know that you are the boss, not her.

Secondly, you need to read the horse better and correct her when she attempts to bite you.  

You may be brushing too firmly, or you may be brushing too lightly, each horse is different.  

Please give me more background on you, and on how you are approaching horse, and what is going on when she is being led and trying to bite you.  And is she kicking while being brushed too, as in a cow kick, or is she kicking at walls behind her, or what?

Almost any horse, even "bombproof" ones, will, if the human does not establish themselves as the boss, do just as you are describing here.  Formerly safe, well trained horses can be ruined in minutes by someone who babies them, or lets them get by with something.

I will throw this in, while waiting for more info, that if you are babying her any, by petting on her, or giving her treats that you stop it immediately as that sets up bad behaviors if you aren't the boss of the duo.  And if you talk in high pitched, or soothing voice to horse?  Quit that also, that does nothing but cause problems with horses.

Please give me more information on mare too, breed would help here.  And any "supposed" former training mare had or what has been done with her.