…and on the eighth day God created the horse in perfect image, to romp, graze, gallop, play, and make manure wherever it darn well pleases, in divine grace.
- Previously run with revisions -
January and February is the time when a lot of foals are dropping, and many horsemen begin working with them within hours of their birth. Training can begin as early as you have contact with the foal.
The following are some light, cursory tips that I got from King John for what you should be doing with your new foal:
Everyone thinks baby horses are so cute, and they are. They spring, yawn, scamper, and look adorable standing next to their mother in the stall or out in the paddock. They think everything is a big game and treat everyone around them like another horse. It’s fine with other real horses, but it’s not so fine when they are kicking at you or rearing up and boxing at you.
They need to have good manners, and everything can start at the moment of imprinting. The foundations for developing a well-mannered foal are simple. You want control over the animal, along with mutual respect and trust. Equine don’t mind being told what to do, as long as the handler is calm and the horse doesn’t get frightened or hurt. (1)
A biting foal is no laughing matter.
They start out by exploring or playing, nibbling, or pulling or grabbing a shirt or sleeve.
But pretty soon, it turns into a habit and even aggression. They may be trying to show you who is boss.
Stallions are notorious for biting, but they, too, can be taught to be polite.
I remember one time out at Cecil Brown’s Hospitality Stables, Cecil showed us a scene inside Re’land Big Eddy’s stall: that of a torn, plaid shirt sleeve from one of the workers, laying in the middle of the stall floor with Big Eddy standing next to it. Just the sleeve. (2)
“I told you that Big Eddy bites…” said Cecil, “People don’t listen to me.”
Getting bitten by a baby is no fun; getting bitten by a full grown adult horse is serious business.
Allowing him to kick at you, rear up and box at you, or nibble your sleeve is awful for everyone involved when he is 1,200 pounds of animal, right next to you.
Taking preventative steps from the get-go is essential, and spending a lot of time with the foal in a firm and gentle method from the start lets him know who is the leader of the herd. This can teach him to be a respectful companion.
Touching the foal all over his body, with his mama right close, gets him used to you, and he should always say “yes.” (3)
Working with his head is a very important step in teaching him not to bite. Rubbing and hugging and talking soft make for a relaxed animal. (4)
When correction becomes appropriate, remember the 3-second rule: You only have 3 seconds in which to correct the foal’s or any horse’s mistake. (5)
Immediate reprimand is imperative, anything longer than 3 seconds must be ignored, and is considered to be abuse. The equine attention span is only 3 seconds long.
When training, riding, or driving, continued cues and attention-getting noises are required from you to keep him on track and focused on you.
If you notice the foal is starting to make a habit out of nibbling and biting, you don’t have to make it seem like the A-Bomb just went off.
Use your body language and noise to startle him away from you. This is a stark contrast to all the nice and happy imprinting work you have been doing with him. Horses are big on body language and he’ll know right away that he has made a mistake. (6)
If he continues to bite, make him think he has made the worst mistake in his life, while remembering the idea is to scare him, not injure him.
Do not hit him ahead of his withers with anything, because this could injure his eye. You can swat his hind end with a crop or a lead rope, but don’t swat him ahead of his withers with these items.
Then wait 3 more seconds and give him a gentle pat on the neck with a kind word.
Avoid wrestling matches and start to observe his personality; some foals are timid and cuddly while others are more aloof.
Getting loud all the time gets old, too, and forcing him into doing something can make him less likely to cooperate the next time.
I’ve seen grown men haul off and slug their mare right in the face for nibbling their shoulder. I don’t think that was warranted.
Respect is important, you can’t demand it, and the baby foal respects his mama not because she feeds him but because she can control him. (7)
I’ve seen babies rearing up in the stall next to their mama, boxing at her and then laying their front legs right across her back. Sometimes she’ll just stand there and take it, other times if she’s tired, she will pin her ears and nudge him. Nudging is gentle, but she is bigger and he will move away from her.
I’ve also had foals play “peek-a-boo” in the stall with me. They dart out from behind their mama, pinch me, and then dart behind her again. They think it’s funny.
Making a loud, unpleasant noise can let him know he’s being naughty. The dam just keeps right on eating; she knows I wasn’t talking to her.
Because you have been working with him to imprint him with the halter, lead rope, lifting his feet, and grooming him, he will already begin to trust you.
Getting him to move away from you, and moving his feet, will start the respect process.
Creating a cue to alert him that you want movement is the starting point, and sounds such as clicking or smooching can get his attention. Watching his ears, touching his hip or haunch while making the sound, alerts him to the cue spot and even if he moves just one hoof, praise him.
He should also come to you politely and should learn that he can’t treat us like we are another horse.
Pick a calm time, like after he’s been turned out for awhile in the paddock with his mama. Clicking to him and then relaxing and stepping back lets him know it’s okay to come forward.
Body-slamming us is unacceptable, as are kicking at us as he shoots past, and rough-housing with us like another horse cannot continue. He’s telling us “no” so make sure he understands ahead of time that clicking or kissing is a cue; if he doesn’t understand we have to keep working.
Having his dam close by can help with getting him to come to you.
Get between him and his mama, and wait till you see he is looking for her. Use that moment to click the cue, to get him to come toward you. (7)
Don’t scold him if continues to say “no” but do think of another way to impart to him that we want something. We may have to settle for him just turning and looking at us.
Sometimes looking at things from another angle helps, and explaining it by way of lack of reward or offering another cue can get him to understand what we want without anybody becoming upset.
People think the little baby is so cute rearing up next to them. I’ve had owners catching their foal’s legs when they come down from rearing, cuddling them like that’s acceptable behavior.
Later, it wasn’t cute at all and the foal was the loser, because he thought his behavior was acceptable.
Remember, in the immortal words of King John, you can’t get hurt. (8)
Summer sure is hot. Are these the Dog Days of July? Did anyone go to Equine Affaire this year, or was it cancelled?
Enjoy your baby horse and enjoy your everlasting Summer to the immortal words of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, “Happy Trails to You.”
1,3-8: John Lyons’ Perfect Horse, Volume 6, No. 2, “Simple Lessons…”
2: Re’land Big Eddy, Registered Morgan, National Grand Champion Park Stallion, beautiful, but a notorious biter. Trained, shown, and handled by Brown’s Hospitality Stables, Cecil Brown, Linesville, PA, USA.