Your Pet Did What???Tell Me, Tell Me!!

My family has a brand new baby horse... well, not brand new perhaps, but he's pretty little. Now, we spend so much time around him that he has started to think that we humans are part of his "herd". Just a few days ago I learned that this is perhaps not so great a thing. He has developed a new fascination with his ability to stand on his hind legs. He rears up often, putting his front hooves on his mother's back and walking around. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen... until he tried it on me. I turned my back on him and walked away, and he, thinking to play or something, came trotting mischievously up behind me, crow hopping and bucking a little, and proceeded to try and put his hooves on my shoulders.

It didn't hurt... much. He's still very little, but he will grow larger quickly, and one thing I don't want is to have a yearling trying that trick on me.

A couple days ago I caught him trying it again. This time I grabbed him by the chest and held him there-still rearing- while he put his ears back and tried to paw at me. I'm not sure what I was attempting to do, (other than stop him from putting his hooves on me), but my mother found the sight incredibly humorous as well as a little disturbing. She later tactfully pointed out that when he is older, I won't be able to use that tactic on him.

Anybody know what to do about this mischievous foal? Please tell me!

-Ariadne
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