ADVICE NEEDED! Horse pulling back to field

Machaelaj

Machaelaj

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So as the title suggests

I’ve had my boy just under a month, he’s been in his summer field for 10 days now, I’ve never had an issue with bringing him in from his field and he has been with the same field mate since the start.
Yesterday a big rugby event started nearby and I tried to bring him in in the afternoon. Same time as usual
Led him out his field and halfway down the path before he started freaking out trying to turn back. He ended up half rearing and kicking out so I turned him around and walked him back. Then he stood fine outside his field eating for a bit.

Tried again this morning and got a little further along but same thing happened and he just kept pulling up.
As soon as I turn him around to walk back he’s okay.

I’m not sure what to do as he’s a TB so I don’t want him out 24/7 for the next few days. And I don’t want to force him as he’s genuinely scared and extremely strong when he pulls back I’ve already broken tore the skin off my hand

I have a very gentle approach to it and he doesn’t have a bad bone in his body I can tell he’s just scared of the noise from the event

Any advice would be appreciated
 
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MidChristmasCrisis

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As above…bring in beforethe noise starts..wear hat and gloves. Put a bridle on and do not return him to the field. Twice his poor behaviour has achieved what he wanted so ideally you don’t want to keep reinforcing that behaviour. Take a friend for moral support if needed and don’t lose your temper ..stay calm and firm..if he protests wait then insist he walks with you..even if it’s one step at a time..but heading in your direction of choice..not his.
 
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CallMeKate

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Machaelaj said:
So as the title suggests

I’ve had my boy just under a month, he’s been in his summer field for 10 days now, I’ve never had an issue with bringing him in from his field and he has been with the same field mate since the start.
Yesterday a big rugby event started nearby and I tried to bring him in in the afternoon. Same time as usual
Led him out his field and halfway down the path before he started freaking out trying to turn back. He ended up half rearing and kicking out so I turned him around and walked him back. Then he stood fine outside his field eating for a bit.

Tried again this morning and got a little further along but same thing happened and he just kept pulling up.
As soon as I turn him around to walk back he’s okay.

I’m not sure what to do as he’s a TB so I don’t want him out 24/7 for the next few days. And I don’t want to force him as he’s genuinely scared and extremely strong when he pulls back I’ve already broken tore the skin off my hand

I have a very gentle approach to it and he doesn’t have a bad bone in his body I can tell he’s just scared of the noise from the event

Any advice would be appreciated
Click to expand...
Okay, so you are a new partnership and your horse was frightened by the noise. First, believe your horse, his behaviour showed that he was frightened, so his flight instinct/adrenaline kicked in to take him back to where he felt safe. He did not feel safe with you, or in that situation, this is unsurpising, he nedds time to build a relationship, as do you. This is simply behaviour, don't categorise it as 'poor behaviour' or 'naughty' or whatever. His behaviour is simply information, and always will be. If you use ANYTHING that causes hard physical pressure/pain to overcome this situation and gain 'control' you will be setting yourself up to fail with this horse for the rest of your relationship...sounds harsh...sorry, but true. You, or any human can never physically control any horse (think about it, they are just too big and strong), all you can do is offer them safety and trust, this can take time and work. The other approach you can use (as most of these replies seem to advise) say to him 'do what I demand or i will hurt you' , this second approach will work, you can bully the horse easily....until the next fright when his flight instinct kicks in a little bit more strongly and you have to hurt him a little bit more to get him to comply, and again...and again and again...until you have eroded all the trust, try and goodness out of your horse and you have a horse that you can't do this that or the other with because of his behaviour, you are aiming to have a 'go anywhere do anything' horse, you need to see the big picture here to work towards that and not focus on forcing compliance. He is a TB, bred for generations to have a mega quick adrenal response with a huge flight instinct, that is what racing is, it is flight...do not turn your horse's huge flight response into a huge fight response...because that is what you are setting yourself up for as soon as you use force, sorry but this is simply biology!! So...this situation with him pulling away when you are leading is an opportunity for you and him to get a better understanding of each other, build trust and confidence in each other, learn to be partners and work as a team (using dually halters, forcing with bridles blah blah will NEVER move you towards these goals). Your horse needs to learn to lead properly, first and foremost, use the smallest amount of pressure you need to communicate your wishes and reward with the release. Do not use treats (never, ever they get your horse to focus on the food, not the human). Obviously there is not space here to go through exactly what you need to do. But...don;t get caught up in techniques, there are many different techniques that are all versions of the same thing...work on your timeing and feel when you are handling him, at this stage you (and all the other members of the brains trust on this thread) need to work on having an intellectual understanding of how to read your horse's body, how understand your horse's biological responses to fear, how a horse's brain works, their neurology and biology and of course, interlinked. Work on your knowledge base, work on your emotional responses (calm and confident leadership makes your horse feel safe), beforeyou start working on the actual leading issues. Don;t get side tracked by the poke em, push 'em, whack 'em, brigade...they will all come out of the woodwork as soon as they see you working in a wya that is difficult for them to understand. I recommend reading/studying Warwick Shiller (NOT his free old stuff, he has radically changed his approach to a more modern understanding) his book is good, as is his online stuff, Mark Rashid books are absolutley a must read (they are cheap and available on Kindle), Tristan Tucker (he can get a bit caught up in technique), Buck Branaman, read Tom Dorrance 'True Unity'. Anything to do with horse neurology, https://horsebrainscience.info/ Dr Stephen Peters equine neuroscience book, and the book Horse Brain Human Brain by Janet Jones. All of this will dovetain together, you simply cannot learn the science of the horse's brain and body without understanding that any 'training' that uses physical force (and I don;t mean gentle pressure) or pain, and adding fear and anxiety will not ever succeed in your goal to have be a truly confident and trusting partnership. No more hurt hands for you if you follow my advice :)
 
Machaelaj

Machaelaj

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Bonnifer said:
Okay, so you are a new partnership and your horse was frightened by the noise. First, believe your horse, his behaviour showed that he was frightened, so his flight instinct/adrenaline kicked in to take him back to where he felt safe. He did not feel safe with you, or in that situation, this is unsurpising, he nedds time to build a relationship, as do you. This is simply behaviour, don't categorise it as 'poor behaviour' or 'naughty' or whatever. His behaviour is simply information, and always will be. If you use ANYTHING that causes hard physical pressure/pain to overcome this situation and gain 'control' you will be setting yourself up to fail with this horse for the rest of your relationship...sounds harsh...sorry, but true. You, or any human can never physically control any horse (think about it, they are just too big and strong), all you can do is offer them safety and trust, this can take time and work. The other approach you can use (as most of these replies seem to advise) say to him 'do what I demand or i will hurt you' , this second approach will work, you can bully the horse easily....until the next fright when his flight instinct kicks in a little bit more strongly and you have to hurt him a little bit more to get him to comply, and again...and again and again...until you have eroded all the trust, try and goodness out of your horse and you have a horse that you can't do this that or the other with because of his behaviour, you are aiming to have a 'go anywhere do anything' horse, you need to see the big picture here to work towards that and not focus on forcing compliance. He is a TB, bred for generations to have a mega quick adrenal response with a huge flight instinct, that is what racing is, it is flight...do not turn your horse's huge flight response into a huge fight response...because that is what you are setting yourself up for as soon as you use force, sorry but this is simply biology!! So...this situation with him pulling away when you are leading is an opportunity for you and him to get a better understanding of each other, build trust and confidence in each other, learn to be partners and work as a team (using dually halters, forcing with bridles blah blah will NEVER move you towards these goals). Your horse needs to learn to lead properly, first and foremost, use the smallest amount of pressure you need to communicate your wishes and reward with the release. Do not use treats (never, ever they get your horse to focus on the food, not the human). Obviously there is not space here to go through exactly what you need to do. But...don;t get caught up in techniques, there are many different techniques that are all versions of the same thing...work on your timeing and feel when you are handling him, at this stage you (and all the other members of the brains trust on this thread) need to work on having an intellectual understanding of how to read your horse's body, how understand your horse's biological responses to fear, how a horse's brain works, their neurology and biology and of course, interlinked. Work on your knowledge base, work on your emotional responses (calm and confident leadership makes your horse feel safe), beforeyou start working on the actual leading issues. Don;t get side tracked by the poke em, push 'em, whack 'em, brigade...they will all come out of the woodwork as soon as they see you working in a wya that is difficult for them to understand. I recommend reading/studying Warwick Shiller (NOT his free old stuff, he has radically changed his approach to a more modern understanding) his book is good, as is his online stuff, Mark Rashid books are absolutley a must read (they are cheap and available on Kindle), Tristan Tucker (he can get a bit caught up in technique), Buck Branaman, read Tom Dorrance 'True Unity'. Anything to do with horse neurology, https://horsebrainscience.info/ Dr Stephen Peters equine neuroscience book, and the book Horse Brain Human Brain by Janet Jones. All of this will dovetain together, you simply cannot learn the science of the horse's brain and body without understanding that any 'training' that uses physical force (and I don;t mean gentle pressure) or pain, and adding fear and anxiety will not ever succeed in your goal to have be a truly confident and trusting partnership. No more hurt hands for you if you follow my advice :)
Click to expand...
Thank you for that advice I really appreciate the time you put into that.
I really believe in liberty and TRT training and would never use a handful approach to a flight response.
I’ll definitely look into those books.
 
sportsmansB

sportsmansB

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You will get lots of different answers here
But one thing I am certain about, I have seen more horses with poor (and in some cases dangerous) behaviour who had owners who tried but didn't have the knowledge to fully embed / follow through on some of the natural horsemanship techniques, than those who had owners who trained them consistently and firmly in a more conventional way.
Do it either way, but make sure that you fully understand what you are asking from your horse, what you need their reaction to be, and that you know when to praise and reward so that they learn for the future.

Unfortunately turning around twice has now sent the wrong signal so it is important that before you try again you set yourself up for success with whatever method you choose- and there are many roads to Rome, just don't try and go without a map...
 
Machaelaj

Machaelaj

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dorsetladette said:
How's your lad behaving now the rugby event has finished? (hopefully it has finished)
Click to expand...
He’s almost back to his normal self, turned out to be a spook that then turned into a bit of a napping/ confidence situation
But he comes in fine now I’ve got a more fitting head collar and always have someone with me walking behind him
 
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