I am going to be working with a new project horse. He is a quarter horse gelding that hasnt been used in about 6 months because he was decided to be "crazy". He has some trust issues and some other issues. Here is some info on the horse.
History
-he was abused and is very ear-shy.
- was belived to be a barrel racer, and is terrified of any type of whip or crop.
- when you get on him to ride, he flinches/braces for a whipping
-if you go near his ears he freaks out. he is hard to bridle/halter because of this.
-he takes off alot because he thinks he will be whipped.
I spent an hour with him today, and was trying to get some trust, and he allowed me within an inch of his ears in 15 minutes. This was after a a lot of petting starting at the base of his neck and working up. I gave him a treat and finished. The owners asked me what i thought and i said that natural horsemanship will help. i know alittle big of parrelli ( i think it is).
My goals for him is to get him rideable and somewhat calmer. I dont plan on actually riding him for awhile, atleast untill i get his trust. I think that natural horsemanship will help but there are so many types out there. Any success stories/suggestions would be great!
thanks!
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
I dont know to much about natural horsemanship but i have a horse who was abused by being hit with the reins on her ears. I just kept every day going out into the pen and petting and going as far as i could near her ears and then just keep repeating that until she calmed down. For the first few days i had her (since we dont have a round pen) i just followed her around and around the pasture (because she was very shy and so she would just canter around the pasture) after a while sometimes for me it would take a hour or more to catch her, but every few sessions it decreases to less time, and now today she is great about putting the reins over her head, petting her ears, untangling her forelock etc. and she also comes up to me in the pasture and nickers :-) right now i am going to start clicker training her so that i will be able to get her used to the whip with that method. Hope this helped!
Honestly, I wouldnt worry about his ears for a bit. Ears are sensitive spot for any horse, and he obviously has trust issues, so wait until you have the trust issue worked out, then start thinking about his ears. You will probably find that you wont have nearly as much trouble with his ears then. Use a rope halter, and put it on by putting the open end around his neck, as low as you need to, and then bringing the muzzle opening up and "fishing" until you get it around his muzzle, then bring the open end forward until you can tie it off. That way you avoid the ear issue.
Work on disengagement of front and hindquarters, then hanging with him - the disengagement releases the spine which keeps the brain thinking, and the hangout time keeps him thinking you are a good thing.. watch for the chewing/yawning - great stuff...
if you have a round pen, move him around, then draw him in when he's ready and have him hang out. watch to see when he starts drawing in and facing you square... this means he's not bracing one side or the other against you...when he's ready, work for variations within the gait,learning to hold him at certain thresholds.. this will help teach him pressure tolerance...
there's so much stuff you can do with natural horsemanship and it is soooo successful in helping horses like the one you describe... i have easily "fixed" "crazy" horses like the one you describe, and horses much, much worse, using natural horsemanship techniques (i dont do parelli)
good luck
I have taken care of a horse who was just like that. The main thing I found is be kind to it, but don't let it get its way. If you get close to the top of his head and is is sorta okay, reward him with something he loves. It will take a while and he may never get rid of the fear of his ears, but he will trust you putting the halter ot reins over his head. I would suggest if he is at your residence to be his main caregiver until he gets calm around you. This way he can learn you won't hurt him and then slowly introduce him to other people. I suggest you pet him going from back to tail until he doesn't flinch. Then, take out a crop and walk in-front of him with it each day you see him. Eventually, go into the stall and touch him with it VERY lightly. Do it daily until he becomes okay with it touching him. Then, one day go in to his stall and run it down his back like you did with your hand. He may get over his fear if you do this every day. He will become okay with the crop, but don't ever use it on him until he is super okay and trusts you. I suggest you don't start the crop training until he trusts you. You sais he is not currently rideable. It may help if you take him for a long walk one to two times everyday. This will help him maintain fitness and energy so he really can't dart off from you. Every time you catch him if he is turned out praise him and ocasionally give him a treat. Don't give him treats every-time or else he will expect it and may bite if you forget a time. I hop this helps. It helped me when I was working with a horse like yours. Best of wishes and Good Luck.
well first of all you are going to need a lot of horse cubes and patients when the horse lets you move closer to his head you give him a cube. it will take some time but keep after it and don't give up. Good luck.