Quote:
Originally Posted by TheFlyingFilly
And, while stallions are more likely to bite, geldings can be very mouthy (usually in a playful way, but teeth can be involved). It's not unreasonable to assume the horse was nuzzling the kid's head (horses can find human hair fascinating) and decided to get nippy. And mares will nail you if they are in the mood and get a chance, but they always warn you first. Source: I'm a mare owner!
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I'm really curious about how old the kid was (I don't remember from the article) and where he was reaching to pet the horse. My elderly gelding is a very kind horse around kids, but I always make sure to supervise, especially my 3-year-old, who stays in my arms when he goes to pet him. He especially loves horses' big shiny eyes, so I have to make sure his little fingers stay away from the horse's eyes. Because frankly, I'd bite someone who poked at my eyes, too.
And they're all just such individuals. My uncle has a gorgeous Tennessee Walker, without a mean bone in his body, but you can't pet him in the stall because he bites. Not out of meanness; he just bites anything that comes within reach of his mouth. His previous companion was a warmblood that would threaten to bite (though never follow through- he was all threat, no action), and the Walker was so young he just picked up this very bad habit, but actually does bite, even though he isn't annoyed or anything. You can hold his halter and pet him all you want, and he's kind and quiet to ride, but you can't hang out at the stall with him the way you can with my gelding (who, fortunately, is much too old and smart to pick up the Walker's habit. He's already got plenty of habits of his own.
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