Even the worst feeding-related behavioral problems can be solved with patient and consistent training.
eeding can be one of the most satisfying of barn chores: From the gentle, anticipatory nickers of the horses as you room door to tentiveness a
into tubs, of nurturing that swells within you as you listen to the sounds of a barnful of horses contentedly chewing.
On the other hand, feeding time can be a nightmare, full of aggressive pinned-eared squealing, stall-door barging and incessant wall kicking. Whether it’s directed from one horse to another or toward the person with the feed scoop, this behavior is not only unsettling, it can be dangerous for everyone involved.
If anything close to the nightmare scenario plays out at your barn, you need to do something about it. Not just for your own safety and sanity, but because the underlying cause is a fundamental behavioral problem that needs to be identified and solved. If you take the time to address the situation, chances are you’ll see improvements in other areas of your horse’s behavior as well.
Like all behavioral issues, feedingtime tantrums vary in cause and intensity. In my years as a horse owner and through my work with rescue horses, I’ve handled horses across the mealtime misbehavior spectrum. Though there are many variations, I’ve identifiedd three types of horses who commonly act up when food is delivered: The aggressive dominant horse, the insecure horse and the horse who has developed the behavior after living in a neglect situation where food was scarce. Identifying which of these applies to your illmannered horse can be tough, but it’s important because the best approach to take is different for each.
I’ve also learned that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions to these behavioral problems. Instead, you need to take a trial-and-error approach to see what works for a specific horse and situation. The process can be frustrating and time consuming, for sure, but the good news is that with two or more mealtimes a day, you have lots of opportunities for progress and success.
To get you started, I’ve described three hypothetical horses---each one a composite of horses I’ve seen with various types of food aggression. If you see your own mealtime monster in any of these profiles, the explanations and tips that follow may hold the key to understanding and changing the behaviors.