Guys - need your help....

[Vicki_Krystal]

Ive been working with a horse for about a fortnight now - he is very very nervy.

We are coming on leaps and bounds - now able to long rein and lunge and he is so voice activated it is scary!!

The problem is that when i go in his box he spins round and shakes - now ive never even raised my voice to this horse and he is the same day in day out.
He also panics wildly when i put a roller / surcingle on him - just stands and shakes - but fine when out in the school working??

I dont think this horse has had the best start to life - and his owner is fairly novicey but has done all the right things like send the horse away for breaking etc - but i cant honestly see what was acheived in the 6 weeks he was away as he is like starting from scratch - wouldnt lunge or anything.

Any ideas on how i can get this horses trust?
ive groomed him for hours - popped into his stable even on days in not doing him etc and he still thinks im a monster!!

it isnt just me - he is like it with everyone

 

[carys220]

Does he do it all of the time or when he has hay/feed etc?

My NF mare flies to the back of the stable if you go near the door when she's eating....she's fine any other time, she is better when fed outside as she is out 24/7 now but still a bit nervy. I've had her for 4 years and she has only mildly got better, I've no idea what made her like this but someone has obviously been nasty to her while she had her guard down eating

Unfortunately as I said, she is still like this after 4 years of being with us so I've no advice on how to make it better I'm afraid.

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

it doesnt matter tbh - he is marginly better if he has a hay net but not much.

Very odd little horse!

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Don't think there's any quicksolution, just keep on grooming him for hours and pluck, pick anywhere and everywhere.

from Sweden.

 

[Maisy]

My little pony os a bit like this. When I bought her you couldnt go near her head, and risked life and limb going near any other part of her!! She is now *much* better, but still very nervy in the stable and when she is loose in the field.....put a bridle of headcollar on her and she is a different pony!

I think it is just time. My baby is only 6 now - Ive had her 18months or so. I have the rest of her life!! She had been through the sales before I bought her though, so I am guessing she had been hit and stuff......

 

[DuckToller]

I've got a couple of ponios who have been with me for years and both still nervous, despite loads of tlc. I've come to the conclusion that some are just more nervous than others, maybe made worse by insensitive handling when young, but possibly they've always been that way. Coincidentally both were born in the wild (well, as wild as Wales and the NF can get!) and so not handled until older, so that might not have helped them. Could yours have been infrequently handled as a youngster?

I did try the magnesium calmers, can't say they made a huge difference, but worth a try maybe?

 

[lochpearl]

It sounds exactly like my boy that I got from a dealer last November, he was so headshy and if you were lucky enough to be able to catch him in the stable he would shake and try and get away from you. Again putting a headcollar or bridle on was hard but more so taking one off, he would fly backwards which if taking off a bridle would make the bit hit his teeth scaring him even more. Funny thing was again he was fine to ride and to lunge just as long you didn't have a full size lunge whip an ddidn't carry a whip whilst riding. People told me to try join up etc but he just doesn't understand sooo, firstly I spent a lot of time being very quiet with him, going in and doing everything round him but being very quiet with it and occasionally stopping for a stroke then gradually I just spent as much time as I could in the stable, touching him everywhere and making a real fuss off him, getting louder and pulling things playing games with him, eventually he realised me proding him or playing with his ears and swishing his tail in the air wasn't actually killing him, I rewarded him with treats so he knew he was being good and that his mad mum doing silly things in his stable wasn't bad. All in all it took a good 6 weeks or so to notice a difference with him and 9 months on I can swing from the rafters in his stable, jump around, lie on the ground wiggle his ears, even clip them and so on. Unfortunately it is just time and also it takes longer the more people that look after him. I feel that he totally trusts me now, he starts calling me when I am about 3 mins from the yard and he has learnt to trust others, he can still get a little silly from time to time, but he soon realises when I tell him he's being silly!

Good luck and I hope he comes through for you.

 

[bungalowpickle]

My suggestion is def do some join up with him as in monty roberts stylee, it's unbelieveable the effect it has on a horse it builds such a high level of trust and it's a very quick way to build a bond so long as you do it right and make sure you listen to what the horse is saying. good luck

 

[kerilli]

i agree with this actually, join up is easy to do and gives very nervy horses a lot of confidence quickly.