Dominance Issues

My gelding seems to always be in a bad mood. Snickers seems to be in excellent health, so I wouldn’t suspect that his behavior is the result of being uncomfortable or in pain. He is a manageable horse, but he’s hardly ever pleasant. I need advice.
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Q:I have a 2-year-old Fox Trotter gelding that seems to always be in a bad mood. He hardly ever puts his ears forward, unless he is focusing on a sound in the distance–even then he puts them straight backwards when he's finished "listening." Snickers is the smallest in my herd of four, and he's the youngest. He has never been "top dog" here, and he is always getting picked on, so he is not getting any reinforcement from the herd to be dominant.

His behavior becomes worse around feeding time. He shakes his head around, has started swinging his rear around when we come near him, and he is generally a trial to be with. I do have a neighbor that owns animals in the same space as my horses, and she feeds them treats. We have spoken to her about this, and the treating has slowed down, but not before Snickers has come to expect treats from her. He is especially rotten around her now. He will go after dogs, the donkey, the llamas, and the goats when she is around.

Snickers seems to be in excellent health, so I wouldn't suspect that his behavior is the result of being uncomfortable or in pain. He can be a manageable horse, but he's hardly ever pleasant. I have begun searching around for stables to send him for training, but I would be embarrassed to send this terror to anyone to deal with. I need help, advice, whatever you can give me; I'm getting desperate!

Thank you, and thanks for those inquiries you answer in The Horse

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Written by:

Sue M. McDonnell, PhD, is a certified applied animal behaviorist and the founding head of the equine behavior program at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. She is also the author of numerous books and articles about horse behavior and management.

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