I absolutely can't stand aggressive feeders! I've always been weird about that. Even with my dogs, if they demand their food, I'll stand in their way and wait until they calm down. Any sign of aggression towards me (even ear-pinning) is taken very offensively and I'll deal with it right away. I'm a mean alpha mare image.

My Red horse used to be a monster. When he was still a racehorse (I was his groom), it was a death trap to go in that 10 x 10 with him. If you went in with food (there was no way to feed over the fence - had to go in and go to the feed tub in the corner) and didn't immediately give it to him, he would either strike out at you or spin and kick. Halters went on the horses at 5am, and you can betcha that once I managed to catch him - he'd be tied on the wall most of the time. He was always aggressive though - he'd kick, strike, bite, rear, grind his teeth, etc. while you groomed him and saddled him. He'd kick and bite the vet, shoer, while I gave him a bathe, whenever. If he was in his stall and you went to clean out a pile, he'd surely turn his butt at you if he didn't corner you. Plain dangerous. I used to go in with a chain or a stick. I ended up grooming him in a lip chain, and shanking on him whenever he so much as pinned an ear. It worked unless you decided to do anything without a weapon (i.e. take off the lip chain and try to brush him - he'd return to his assassination attempts).

When he "retired" and I brought him home (who knows why I bought him), and he'd been off his grain and speed feed and steroids for about 60 days, he turned into a completely different horse. Completely. Since he's been "detoxed" from sweet feeds and grain, he's become LAZY. He's a sweet heart, he doesn't pin his ears ever anymore, he hasn't tried to kick/strike/bite/anything since then. He's stopped kicking out at bystanders (he used to kick at people when he was on the walker, and he had great aim). He's nice to other horses. Amazing change. I can go in and do whatever I want when he's eating.

But those months prior to his detox... Oy. Talk about terrifying. I couldn't understand why nothing worked to fix him. He was just a mean old devil horse.

Other story - I knew an OTTB as well that kicked while she was eating. At nothing. She'd chow down on her food, and every couple of seconds she'd kick out a hind leg or squeal or both. Every day, every time you fed her, no matter if she was stalled or in a pasture. It was the strangest thing.

DG
If you are willing to chase me, I promise to run very slowly for you. image