BAD MANNERS

Question
HI I NEED TOO KNOW HOW TOO BREAK MY HORSE FROM  RUNNING  SOME ONE DOWN  OVER FOOD  WHEN I SAY RUNNING I DO MEAN RUNNING! DOWN  HE WELL COME RUNNING HIT YOU WITH HIS SHOULDERS AND KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR FEET THEN STOMP OVER YOU  HE ONLY DOES THIS OVER FOOD OR IF HE IS MAD... ANY IDEAS ON HOW TOO STOP THIS BAD BEHAVIOR?  THANKS

Answer
Hi Holly!

You've said that he "runs you down" when you feed him or when he's mad.

If the problem was only when you feed him, then I would say immediately stop going into his stall/pasture/corral when you feed him.

That way he cannot reach you to injure you. You need to take this problem seriously and not allow yourself to be put in danger.

But, you say he also preforms this behavior when you feel he's mad.

This allows me to believe that he is an overly aggressive horse with no respect for you or any other human.

This is a problem that should only be addressed by a professional trainer who deals in difficult/dangerous horses regularly.

I strongly recommend that you speak to your local vets and ferriers and have them recommend a trainer in your area.

Until the horse enters some sort of training you need to not allow yourself to be put in a situation where he could not only seriously injure you but, also allow the behavior to become even more reinforced in his head.

Good Luck and always remember to wear your ASTM/SEI approved helmet.