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I periodically get “whoopsie” bites. It’s when I have already fed the horse a piece of carrot and they are gently checking my hand for more and the find my thumb instead. The body language is not malicious. But how do I get the horse to release faster? Right now I just stand there and pull on my thumb as they bite down harder and harder. It’s not a consistent thing but it can’t continue.

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  • I'm not sure of a more gentle answer as I only have minor experience with horses but I understand many are taught from a young age with a fingernail in the sensitive nose to stop bad behavior. Therefore pointing at them often causes them to shy away. This is probably excessive response to a non-malicious event and prevention is the better way as Elmy pointed out.
    – duct_tape_coder
    Commented Dec 10 at 15:53
  • @duct_tape_coder I don't think punishing the horse for something that isn't their fault is the correct answer, like you said Elmy has it right
    – GammaGames
    Commented Dec 10 at 16:19

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The best strategy is to avoid any “whoopsie” bites before they happen. When horses eat from your hand they cannot see what it is they bite into, they can only feel the food with their lips. Unfortunately fingers and carrots have a very similar shape and probably feel similar enough to bite into them.

I was taught to hold my hand as flat as possible when feeding a horse and holding all fingers (including thumb) tightly together. That way my hand forms a flat "plate" on which the food lays and the horse can clearly feel whether the hand is empty or not. I only remember getting some nips, but no horse ever bit into any of my fingers.

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    And additionally, the fingers might also have some carrot taste / scent - especially if the carrots were (for some reason) peeled.
    – virolino
    Commented Dec 10 at 6:11
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    Definitely not a horse guy but I also learnt that "trick" as a child. It works well with eager dogs too.
    – pipe
    Commented Dec 10 at 9:27
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    A family member of mine used to run a stable with child activity programs. She fashioned a soft mitt/bowl (like a baseball mitt) out of leather. Partly this was more to deal with small child hands, but it also helped avoid bite whoopsies.
    – Flater
    Commented Dec 11 at 0:19

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