A horse that chews or bites is not only annoying, but it can be very dangerous. There are several reasons that a horse may bit or chew on things. You need to first find out the reason that your horse is biting or chewing before you try to fix the problem.

If your horse is biting at you, you first need to determine the reason why he is doing it. A good example is a horse that only bites when he is being saddled. There may be something on the saddle pad or girth that is rubbing on your horse and may be hurting him and upon removal of the irritant the biting behavior will probably stop. You will also want to have you veterinarian check your horse to make sure that he does not have any injuries or health problems that may be bothering him. If all of these steps have been taken and your horse is physically healthy, it is time to start teaching your horse that this behavior is inappropriate. When your horse attempts to bite you GENTLY pop his muzzle. You want to let your horse know that this behavior is inappropriate and you will not tolerate it. Make sure that you are consistent in your training. If you only reprimand your horse some of the time he will not understand why you are popping his muzzle and the biting behavior will continue and you will loose your horse’s trust.

Chewing is another problem that you may be having with your horse. You will first want to consult your veterinarian to make sure that there is nothing seriously wrong with your horse that may be causing his chewing behavior (they may have parasites, and if that is the case, your veterinarian will need to treat him immediately). There are many reasons that a horse will chew on things. Your horse may lack certain minerals in his diet and may be trying to get them on his own. If this the case, you will want to check what you are feeding your horse and make sure that they are getting all of the vitamins and minerals that they need. Your horse may be a “cribber” (chewing on things releases endorphins and makes your horse feel good). In this case you will need to put a cribbing strap around your horse’s neck and the chewing behavior will stop. Your horse may be bored, so make sure that he always has hay to graze on. And finally, your horse may just like the taste. If this is the case you will need to remove the item that your horse is chewing on (if possible) or put a barrier around the object so that your horse can not chew on it.

Biting and chewing are both bad habits that can be broken if you use the proper tools.