Deerophobia - advice please.

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Caballito

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My horse has an aversion to deer. Unfortunately we are on the middle of a forest and there are thousands of deer so I'm desperately in need of advice as to how I can help him get used to them. Whenever he sees one, no matter whether it's still or moving, near or far away, his instinct is to turn and run. It's like a switch flips and there's no bringing him down for the rest of the ride.

I've tried trying to get him to stand still and look at them and I've tried asking him to carry on in the direction we were originally going in but he just spins and spins until he's heading away from the deer. He doesn't bolt, I still have brakes but there is definitely an element of blind panic involved initially and it feels dangerous.

What is the right thing to do in this situation and is there a way of preventing the panic from setting in? I wish I could round up some deer and put them in the paddock next to his!

Thanks for reading :)
 
You are so lucky. After years of hunting ,and warning hounds off of Deer , my darling horses became fixated on chasing deer. If one crossed our path I would immediately be hurled into the undergrowth and dodging low branches.
 
I wouldn't call it lucky Mike007! I actually experience the same as you do but I'm going in the opposite direction, away from the deer!
 
We met a wild herd/group of 6 on our hack today. The horses showed very keen interest, although they were happy to come back to trot then walk as we'd been cantering when we spotted them. I'm not sure the horses would be so level headed if one jumped out right in front of us, so will watch for some more helpful responses. The only thing I can think of is whether you might have a friendly wildlife rescue place with a "tame"/ rehab. deer that could pay your boy a de-sensitising visit?
 
Suffolkmare that would be the coolest thing having a tame deer come to visit! I can't imagine it becoming a reality but it might be worth looking into.
 
I have the same problem with one of mine - terrified of them. His rider has to get a good hold of him and sometimes a change of direction to avoid the herd, apart from getting a deer yourself there is not much you can do!
 
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