Advice: horse rushes through doors/gates, any suggestions?

AnShanDan

AnShanDan

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Quick rundown:
my friend's horse, a 7 yo tb ex-racehorse which she has owned for about 2 years, has issues going into (and sometimes out of) mainly the stable, but also can be in gateways as well. Basically, he trys to get though as quickly as possible. His stable is slightly tricky to get into, but not very, and he tends to shoot in and give himself a fright.

He goes so quickly that sparks fly from his hooves on the concrete outside his door. Obviously, every time he does it it reinforces his worry. He can even try to shoot through field gates which is less of a problem, but still not ideal.

Anyway, I have been trying to help her with this. She tries to speak calmly to him, walk slowly herself, make sure there are no obstructions etc. etc. But I have watched him and I think she might get hurt if he keeps on or gets worse.

Only thing I could think of that I haven't yet got her to do, is maybe use a chiffney. She already uses a lunge cavesson or rope halter to lead him. Apart from this he is a pretty easily handled sort and I know this is starting to get to her, she is really worried she'll end up underneath him, or in a heap!

So, any thoughts at all?
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Is she the only one which brings him in/out?
It will be related to him banging himself on the frame and it isnt easy to solve once it's an ingrained fear.
She could try always leading him through in a rug, using carrots to try to distract him and teaching him (outside the stable first) to take 1 step then stop for a carrot, then another step etc
 
He does it with anybody, I've noticed that stronger men actually help the situation because they can make him wait (up to a point!) and he can't catapult through.
I'm sure it is fear that's caused it, because otherwise he's well behaved. His stable doesn't help, he has to sort of turn and go in at the same time, but if he stops dead then it's actually worse as he then really shoots through, steadily forwards is best.
I am a bit stumped I must say, other than finding him a different stable which she can't really easily do atm. What he needs is a massive stable door obviously but that's not available! What seems to work best is making him go slowly, but this takes a man with a lot of strength.
 
Is it any narrow gap that worries him?? If it is set up a gangway by stacking bales of hay/straw or shaving. Start with a wide gap, then narrow it as he gets confident being led through.
 
I have only known one horse like this, he had been going through a gate and had managed to get his foot on a live electric fence as wel as touching it with his bum. Made him hate those spaces.

He is ten times better now, his owner basically just spent hours going in and out in and out. At first she gave him so feed in a bucket, so he was going through a gap and not even focusing on it!
 
I agree with the gangplank method. You could start by walking him through a jump (a wide spread) then make it more narrow as he gets better, possibly with a rug on to desensitise him. Take the stress out of the situation by using food and try and asking him to stop in-between the poles for a while and make a fuss of him. I wouldn’t use strength, as he will only walk nicely thought the door way because he is comfortable and trusts you and the situation not because someone is strong enough to make him.

This will take lots of time and lots of patience. Horse learns by repetition so the more you practice the better him will become.

Hope this helps it is what i would do if he were mine. Good luck keep us posted.
 
Daisy used to panic with a certain gate because I slipped going through it and accidentally elecrocuted her by falling against the fence and her at the same time.

I would say distraction might be your best best or some form of clipper training. Has your friend considered having a behaviouralist out to help them? I had an RA from the monty roberts site when we had leading problems with Daisy and for £50 it was money very well spent.
 
Thanks everyone, I will pass everything on to my friend. I think, as far as I know, that this is a fairly recent problem, so hopefully he will respond to some training tactics.

He is so quick, I'm worried that he'll bowl her right over, she's not that big! The problem as well is that he has to go in and out on a daily basis (obviously), and every time he gets a fright it reinforces his belief that going through doors/gates is a scary thing to do.

I also think he prob. picks up her worrying about him running over her and it's a bit of a vicous circle.
 
we have had a couple of horses at the yard that do this...the only way we have found to stop them is to circle them round in front of the stable until they relax then let them walk in. every time they try and run in we turn them away form the door and do more circles! o and also we put the rope over their necks so if they run in etc then that doesnt panic them. i have found that bits, chiffneys etc don't help! once they have started this i have foun they always do it! get slightly better but it never goes!
 
i had a mare who used to do this. she was fine (ish) with a straight route into her stable, but couldn't cope if there was a turn. is it possible to change his stable to one with easier access, a wider door, or something? i ended up having a special stable for her with double width doors.
fwiw my mare turned out to have a cataract in 1 eye, which might have been the cause of her worry about misjudging the doorway... worth checking.
the only absolutely guaranteed way i found of slowing her down for safety was to blindfold her, with a towel or similar wrapped around her head. most horses freeze if you do this, and you can then slowly coax them along. (it once took me 30 mins to get her safely out of an overnight event stable after she'd panicked on the way in.)
it is worth doing everything you can to slow him down... my mare panicked once, rushed, slipped on concrete and nearly did the splits, and ended up with an embolism in her hindleg which put her out of action for a year and a half...
 
My mare doesnt like doorways after a previous owner took he into the stable with the saddle on and stirrups hanging down. She caught the stirrup on the door and has had a phobia ever since.
I spent loads of time with her just walking back and fourth through doorways not letting her run through and putting the rope over her nose if necessary. Ask them to walk through one step at a time, if they run through do it again and again until they walk through sensibly. My mare still does it occasionally, more so with strange people but she is so much better. Keep persevering and be patient.
 
i have just been worikng with a friends horse who has the same problem . i have been using the monty roberts dually halter and it worked a treat but you need to do some ground work first so that they understand the aim of the halter i.e pessure and releaseand the horse will then start to trust handler good luck
 
As Kerelli said, get those eyes checked. I had a gelding that rushed through spaces and he turned out to have cataracts.

Otherwise, all the advice above is sound and sensible.
 
One of the spooky pony's many spookinesses (is that even a word?) was about gates. At first, I could get him through even a huge field gate only if it was really really wide open. With him, I found that if I was between him and the swinging part, he seemed much happier to go through. He didn't really rush, though; merely planted himself, so that firm insistence was the way to go.

I might have an idea though:

Is it possible for you to form a little corral outside his stable door, just before feeding time? Say, a few people with a longe line? Don't use them to chase him in; just keep him from wandering off. Put his feed noticeably in the stall (maybe just inside the door at first, so he can reach it from outside the door), and maybe lay a little trail inside. Then let him go. Hopefully, his hunger will eventually prompt him to go in at his own speed. Once he's chosen to go through the door himself without being hurried a few times, it might get better...then again, maybe he'll just start rushing through in a hurry to get treats then, so this probably won't work either!
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