Help ! advice please on my youngsters phobia of buckets!!

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NIKKI1974

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I have a three year old pba gelding who is quite a nervous character at the best of times.When he was at my friends yard my mate kicked one of his feed bowls across the yard to the feed room. Gizmo turned himself inside out and threw himself on the stable floor in fright this was two years ago.He obviously has a water bucket and feed bowl which he is quite happy to ,eat and drink out of all the time there is something in them.Once he has finished his tea he hides at the back of his stable and blows at the bucket. If you walk past his stable with a bucket he goes to the back of his box.Anyone got any suggestions as to how i can help him overcome his fear? x
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Just ignore him. Carry on as normal.
You could feed him outside the stable and put another bucket near his bucket.

If you react, take buckets away when he snorts etc you're just telling him that there IS something to be frightened of.
 
He would probably be ok all the time his is eating although he would prob blow at it quite a bit,i try to leave his empty bucket in with him while im there so its in there with him while he eats his hay. Im not sure if its just a noise thing and that he now associates the buckets with this banging noise and he obviously still remembers the flight reaction.Its been two years since and he is still no better he is quite a windy horse in the stable apart from when you groom him dont know if this is just his temp or not i just dont want him to feel scared.
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The more he comes across buckets and has to live with them the faster he'll realise they won't hurt him. Get a bendy bucket, remove the handle and leave it with him overnight.
 
If its any consolation my youngster throws buckets. Quite hard too. Hit my OH on the head the other night (quite amusingly for me less so for him) so not sure which is worse!

I think the rubber bucket is a great idea. Also try those plastic squashy ones with inegrated moulded handle. Can get them in loads of sizes and colours.

I'm from the bore them to death with whatever firghtens them school so would probably also carry a bucket around me a lot when doing things with him. Use one to stand on to groom and fuss him.

he will get over it
 
i got some of those soft bendy ones so if he does throw a paddy he wont hurt himself have tried leaving them overnight on several occasions only to go out in the morning and find him with big grazes down his legs and body where he scared him self in the night and caught himself.I would agree totally with what you are suggesting and he is going to have to grow up and toughen up the only prob i have is that he is also used for showing so i dont want him to get too many scars either! Mayb i need to just say tough luck and let him get on with it then!
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I'd put about 10 buckets in his stable....

....and hang them from the ceiling.

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I'm sorry, I am pmsl at the thought of the horse cowering on the floor, crawling along to get out... I know I shouldnt but....
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some one at home said about doing this too stable not quite enough head room to achieve somebody else suggested that if it was just a noise thing to hang empty plastic milk cartons on strings in the box so when he bumped into them they made a noise! i might experiment with a few things this afternoon and see what happens
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I'd put about 10 buckets in his stable....

....and hang them from the ceiling.

[/ QUOTE ]
I was going to say that and tp put them all over the stable around the edges.
I wasnt sure if that is the done thing these days !!!

I would carry one with me every time I went into the stable. I would even 'groom' him with it
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I wasnt sure if that is the done thing these days !!!


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Probably not, which may be why so many horses are scared of anything which moves or makes a noise. I make myself be very noisy around our youngsters so they they become used to it gradually. I drop buckets and boxes and throw my jacket down etc. Anything really to get them used to things moving and making noise.

Socks - if you don't have good clearance then hanging stuff from the ceiling is probably not a good idea - don't want horsey dangling from them, but I would put things in his stable that crinkle and crunkle (is that a word, LOL!!).
 
you should see him when he throws himself on the floor over it, what a drama queen! just hope when he is broken next year he doesnt get a phobia of cars when im out riding or i will be in for it
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Habituate him to them...and to other things while you're at it. I groom my fieldies whilst holding a plastic bag (on windy days obviously) which now elicits no reaction. Initially the plastic bag would have a carrot for them to find....
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I'd introduce a new 'monster' to him everyday...make him walk over tarpaulins, ring bells at him, show him balloons, anything I think he could be scared of, including buckets...and hide a treat in/on/under them so when he is brave enough to investigate them, he is rewarded for it.
Good luck.
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get loads of different buckets, all different sizes and colours and split his feeds so that there are little bits in each of the buckets, put him in stable with said buckets and let him get over it!!
 
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