Agressive Yearling

Question
Hi there

I have a yearling who I adopted almost a year ago.  I got him at a very young age.  

He lives with my mare who he is deeply OBSESSED with and also one gelding who he loves too.
He used to be aggressive with me.  If I tried to push him back or make him move (Both in the stall and pasture), he would kick and bite me.  I finally got him out of that habit with some light ground work in the round pen and also making him learn patience by leaning on him, brushing him a lot and doing things to him to test his patience.  He was doing SO well but recently we moved to another barn.  I share this one barn in the middle of 3 acres of pasture with my friend.  He still lives with the same horses.  
Anyway.  I'm pregnant and for the last Month have only been going out to see him once a day.  I have still kept the strict rules so he doesn't bite and kick etc but this week I have noticed he is chasing me, rearing up while putting his ears back and biting me.  He also tried to kick me a couple of times.

I wouldn't be worried but my friend is taking care of him and I know she has been letting him bite her and also she gives him treats.  I asked her to stop and she said she did but he's agressive again.  This wouldn't bother me if I was seeing him twice a day but my baby is due this week so I won't be seeing him nearly as much for the next Month.  I'm really getting sick of his agression.  I don't get angry with him.  I just simply just react to his agression and make him stop the habits as soon as he starts but it's hard to keep this routine when my friend gives him treats.

Do you think I should move him?  Or what would you advise?  I need to tell her to do something with him.  His agression is really strange lately and I'm not sure what it is.  He's only ever angry at me and is horrible with me.  Is it because I'm the only person who punishes him?

Thanks

Laura  

Answer
Hello Laura,
There are quite a few concerns here. (1) Your pregnant (2) a young horse who has no sense of respect (3) A friend who quite possibly will not listen to your wishes. You never mentioned if the horse is a gelding or a young stud colt. That could have a great bearing on what is happening. I'll explain later. First off....I would not fool with the horse as long as he is acting out. Your pregnant!!!! Don't do anything that would possibly bring harm to you or your baby. It's not worth it. If you can't send the young horse some place to keep him until you have fully recuperated from your pregnancy then just leave him alone until then. The other option is to have him sent to a competent trainer who can handle the horse for you. I don't want you to get hurt. Safety is number one. You can't train or ride a horse if your in ICU or dead!! Now, let's talk about the horse.
You mentioned he is a yearling but failed to mention if he was a stud or gelding. A stud colt hormones begin to emerge at about 1 year. Give or take a few months. He will change. Just like a young male human changing into the teens. He will become defiant and challenge you at every move. Training studs is different than geldings or mares. Yes, it's a horse and all horse training is basically the same. However, you can't push or lean on a stud as much as a mare or a gelding. They will fight back. And I mean with a wrath that could kill you. So unless you have the training and expertise to train a stud I would send him to a trainer that does. Don't try to do it yourself.
Now if he is a gelding, he might be a little easier to train. You mentioned you did "light groundwork". "Light groundwork" means little to the horse. He needs to be put in a round pen and worked hard. Until he has worked up a good sweat. You need to move his feet forward, backwards, left and right. Have complete control over his feet. If you control a horse's feet, you control their mind. When in the stall, take a 4ft stick in with you. You don't need to beat him but use it as an extension of your arm. This horse needs to learn to stay out of your comfort zone. That 4ft circle around you. If he gets inside that circle make him back out of it. If he turns his butt to you, "whack" him to make him give you two eyes. He needs to learn that YOU are the boss and he needs to respect you. Right now he feels you aren't qualified to be the leader.
I would not give him treats. This has turned into a nasty habit. He feels and expects the treats and if not given them he gets testy. Treats are ok to give but not as a bribe and not all the time. I only give treats as a special reward for a job well done and don't give them all the time. The horse never grows to expect them. When they do come, it's a surprise.
Having said all this, I still believe your best option is to move the horse to another facility where a good trainer can work with him. The trainer can put a good foundation on him. This horse needs to go back to square one in training. He needs to be treated and trained as if he's never been handled in his life. By the time your able to handle your horse again he will have the foundation that he needs. I might suggest watching some good training videos for foundation work. There are several out there you can buy or rent. Some of the leading trainers have them. Clinton Anderson, Josh Lyons are a couple to mention. You can rent some Clinton Anderson DVDs by going to giddyupflix.com
If you are staying at home and not working you might have time to watch them.  
As stated before, your safety and the safety of your baby are the MOST IMPORTANT concerns. Once again I would suggest you move the horse to a good trainer or at the very least, just move him to another facility and leave him alone until you are healthy enough to work with this horse.
Once you are able to work with him please write me again and we will start from there. Until then your priority is you and the baby. The horse will be there when you are ready.
I hope this has answered your question. If you have any more to add please feel free to contact me again. I would love to continue to help you with this horse. Please be safe.