naughty colt

Question
hi i was wondering if you could help me with a young colt of mine.
my mother brought him home from the Maitland horse sale about 15months ago he was born there and his mother rejected him because she was so malnourished we tried for 4 hours to get her to let him feed nothing worked so we rushed to the nearest vet to get some colostrum. he lived in a stable for approx 2 weeks and then was allowed outside.
he is 15 months old now and is extreamly naughty.... he rears when he doesnt get his own way he chases my little brother in the paddock, i cant lunge him because he stops rears and runs at me which can sometimes be frightening after a long bath he goes crazy and throws him self around untill he gets his way.... i just dont know what to do.
when he was young i was aware of the importance of asserting my dominance so corrected him when he reared, a smack on the shoulder and a sharp no when he bit me but things seem to be getting worse.
i really dont want to send him to a trainer but if i have to i will, but mums threatening to take him back to the sale yard because he is becoming dangerous and i dont want that to happen because he is very special to me.
i have worked and been around horses most of my life and i am sixteen years old cam you please help me....
thank you sammy

Answer
Hi Sammy, first your colt is not naughty.  He is being a colt. :)  He is getting to his twos (almost two) and is feeling his oats (got a lot of energy)  He is starting to develop muscles and starting to learn how to move those legs of his.  Remember when dealing with horses, it is never the horse's fault.  Which always makes it our fault.  Anything he is doing he is because you have taught him to do it(unknowing) or have not showed him that his behavior is unacceptable.  

I am in the process of making a web page about horses.  I would like you to go there and read what I have so far.  It will clear up some things for you.  In the horse world, the one that moves his feet first loses.  So if he rears and you back away, he won.  If he chased your brother and your brother runs, he won.  If it runs and acts wild and you let him go or leave, he won.  You need to make that youngster move his feet.  Get him on a lead rope with a knot on the end of the rope (so the rope will not slide out of your hand)  Put some gloves on so you dont get rub burn and get ready to move his feet.  Put a plastic bag, you get from the supermarket and stuff it in your back pocket.  Once you get the little guy in a controlled area (a fenced in area where he cant get away), walk him on a lead rope.  Once you are in the middle of the pen or corral, hang on and pull the bag out of your pocket.  He will get scared and try to run. Be ready to take his head away and pull him to you so he faces you.   Hide the bag when he looks at you. and then walk to him and pet him with the bag hidden.  Then ask him to back away from  you, if he does not, pull the bag out just enough to get him to move, then put it away.  You want him to be scared of the bag and think you control the bag.  The more you move his feet the less he will test you.  You can tie the bag to the end of a stick and then lounge him.  He will not rear and if he even thinks about rearing, shake the bag at his butt, he will run.  Don't use the bag too much or it lose it value.  But you will be able to move his feet with that bag.  The more you do that, the more he will stop treating you like a lower horse.  Read my page under horsemanship about herd behavior.

Good luck,

Rick

http://www.freewebs.com/horseawareness/