Warmblood I
By Julie Winkel Fruit Baskets and Duct Tape
once had a stallion with a terrible habit of biting. He was very mouthy from a young age. He would even grab a jump pole if turned loose in the arena and gallop around with it in his mouth. As a youngster in Ireland, he played with the sheep in his field by grabbing them by the back of the neck and seeing how far he could toss them. Sadly, he once tossed one so hard he broke its neck—then seemed puz- zled when it wouldn’t get up again because it was dead. Even though you knew he was
going to try to bite you and were prepared, he still managed to do it. It was a game for him; one he was very good at. My poor grooms had scars and permanent bruises that demon- strated how quick he could be. When this stallion was still
young, I had a groom who acciden- tally found a solution. This particu- lar groom chewed tobacco. One day, the stallion swung around and attempted to take a chunk out of him. Without thinking, my groom spit a chunk of tobacco at him, which landed—spectacu- larly—on the stud's lower lip. Well, that was the most awful taste my stallion had ever experienced. He not only cowered immediately, but for years afterward, all you had to do as a “do not bite” warning was to make a noise like you were about to spit at him! Unfortunately, that technique wasn’t always ap-
propriate or convenient. As my stallion matured and began to compete in FEI Grand Prix competitions, his biting habit became a real problem during the man- datory soundness jogs. Since acting like I was about to spit at him wasn't very ladylike—and it certainly wasn’t appropriate for the time and place—I had to come up with another idea, one that was much less conspicuous. From my stallion’s point of view, it was grand fun
to try and bite me during the jog. To remedy this, I needed to take the fun out it. I asked permission from
66 July/August 2015
the jury to carry a whip during presentation. I used black electrical tape and attached a nail to the end of my whip, sharp end up. I practiced at home first so that my response would be immediate. He soon real- ized that when he reached over to bite me, he was immediately pricked by the end of the nail. He quickly understood the
ramifications of a bad move on his part. The pain occurred only when he attempted to nip me. I did not move towards him or attack him. As long as I had the magic stick, all was good be- tween us. As my stallion became older
and was enjoying retirement, though, the biting issue became a problem once again. With his groom on the way to and from turnout, or during vet work or a farrier appointment, he was eager to bite.
So once again I needed to figure out how to keep humans safe around my stallion, without inflicting fear or having major battles with him. This time I got a wire basket, one used to hang fruit, and I duct-taped it to his halter. Every time the halter went on, so did this homemade muzzle! It worked beautifully and every- one was safe and happy. Physically overpowering a large Warmblood simply
isn’t possible. The most effective way to work with prob- lems or difficult horses is to use our best natural aid— our brain—to figure out how to outsmart them.
Julie Winkel is the owner of Maplewood Stables in Reno, Nevada, and is an ac- complished hunter/jumper competitor and USEF judge. Julie offers internships, as well as full training for horses and riders and sales horses. She also stands two jumper stallions. You can learn more about Julie and Maplewood Stables at
www.mwstables.com.
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