When you have a horse that becomes aggressive around food, it can make every feeding a stressful one for both the owner and the horse. It can be unsafe to feed a horse that is kicking and pawing at the ground. Worse, many horses learn quickly that they outsize their owners and will think nothing of mowing you down to get to food.

Fortunately, this is an undesirable behavior that can be stopped. But in order to stop it, you must first narrow down the root cause of it. If your horse came from an abusive situation, it is very possible he simply didn't have enough food and has bad memories of being hungry. He may get overexcited at the prospect of food that he knocks it out of your hands and then eats as fast as he can. If he has had to compete with more aggressive horses for food, this also conditions him to be aggressive when you feed him.

He may simply not respect you as top horse and if that is the case, you'll need to go back to square one of training to show him that you indeed are the dominant member of the herd.

First of all, if he is mowing you down or "mugging" you for food, don't pet or hand feed him. He will interpret this as a reward and he will also believe his behavior is absolutely okay with you.

Instead, when he begins mouthing or pushing you; give him a firm push and a strong, 'NO' command. A slow and deliberate push will work the best. Then start working with him again on respecting you. If he begins kicking and pawing in his stall when you approach with food, don't feed him at that moment, give him a chance to calm down and then feed him; otherwise you're rewarding this undesirable behavior.