Horse afraid of donkey???

I know you are upset but it is not the poor donkeys fault nor the fault of its owner. You cob has a bee in his bonnet. Speak to the owner of the donkey and see if you can turn you lad out with the donkey. You might find that a bit of spring grass is not helping, my cob is acting like he is on rocket fuel and not a donkey is sight...well not until we get up the road anyhow.......apparently mini ponies are more scary anyhow!!!
 
Don't seem to be able to inbox you sukistokes2, there is a bit more to it - suffice to say I know it's not the donkey's fault, however I am a bit miffed with the owner!
 
I had to move my older horse from one of our previous livery yards when a donkey moved in. They shared the same field and all the other horses quickly got used to him but oh no my silly boy was terrified of him! Every time donks brayed he would visibly shake, if poor donk came over to make friends my boy would gallop away. After three months he lost so much weight and was so on edge all the time I had to move. My youngster thankfully grew up with cows, sheep, donkeys, pigs, llamas and an ostrich before I got him so he is pretty chilled with meeting strange new creatures, squeeky bicycles on the other hand ....
 
My point above if you want to make it safer for horse and rider, you have to desensitize them to the thing that freaks them out, if you don't you risk accident or injury, something we try get across to riders who pass our pony trap - they wont take us up off the offer then it is their risk if their horse bolts and injury occurs.
 
HGA-12 said:
My point above if you want to make it safer for horse and rider, you have to desensitize them to the thing that freaks them out, if you don't you risk accident or injury, something we try get across to riders who pass our pony trap - they wont take us up off the offer then it is their risk if their horse bolts and injury occurs.
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Yes desensitising is important, donkey spent three weeks other side of fence before being added to the herd, but some horses just don't take to certain things. In my old boys case donkeys and cows have always been a problem. Although I do wonder if he had been introduced to donkeys as a youngster and maybe had a bad experience like he did with being kicked by a cow, to make him so frightened of them.
 
HGA-12 said:
My point above if you want to make it safer for horse and rider, you have to desensitize them to the thing that freaks them out, if you don't you risk accident or injury, something we try get across to riders who pass our pony trap - they wont take us up off the offer then it is their risk if their horse bolts and injury occurs.
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Yes I understand this, and it is what I am trying to do. I am just finding his behaviour completely bewildering as we have passed fields of donkeys before without batting an eyelid.
He doesn't seem concerned by the donkey when he is in his field, it is when I take him out to ride/groom/feed him that he starts behaving like an absolute idiot to the point that I am concerned about colic.
I am really just venting if I'm honest as I'm just really confused by his behaviour as it is so out of character, and it makes no sense to me that he should suddenly be napping/spooking at things he wouldn't normally when we are 3 miles away from the donkey on a hack?! It's just weird.
 
Jo1987 said:
Yes I understand this, and it is what I am trying to do. I am just finding his behaviour completely bewildering as we have passed fields of donkeys before without batting an eyelid.
He doesn't seem concerned by the donkey when he is in his field, it is when I take him out to ride/groom/feed him that he starts behaving like an absolute idiot to the point that I am concerned about colic.
I am really just venting if I'm honest as I'm just really confused by his behaviour as it is so out of character, and it makes no sense to me that he should suddenly be napping/spooking at things he wouldn't normally when we are 3 miles away from the donkey on a hack?! It's just weird.
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I used to have to ride past some lovely big grey porkers who spent most of their day lazing in the mud. My horse was scared to death of them and I lost count of the number of times I had to dismout and lead her past, we me on the side of the pigs of course! Even when I remounted she would spook and stare at EVERYTHING for the next 10 minutes or so, and being a chestnut Welsh cob x she was quite lively enough at the best of times. I used to tell her not to look at them if they frightened her so much but she just had to go looking so that she could torment herself. I didn't die, she didn't die and she never got any better with those pigs. Its horses I'm afraid. My girl also used to spook at a particular blue flower everywhere it grew in the area (and we are talking gallop to dead stop in a matter of 4 strides - if I'd been a bloke I'd have been singing soprano for the rest of the week :) ) I advise you to not react when your horse spooks - look in the opposite direction, never at what is frightening him and sing rubbish and nursery rhymes. Don't pat him, it reinforces bad behaviour, and don't get mad either as it will simply wind him up more. At the moment I think you are expecting trouble around every corner and not surprisingly, you are getting it.
 
Jo1987 said:
Don't seem to be able to inbox you sukistokes2, there is a bit more to it - suffice to say I know it's not the donkey's fault, however I am a bit miffed with the owner!
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I'll check, you should be able to. I am not very good at remembering to delete messages.

If he is unconcerned about the donkey in the field and is acting up when outside, it could be something else is wrong and it is not really donkey related, even if it started at the same time. These cobs are sensitive souls and can get wound up about a lot of things. Has he had all the usual checks? If not, I would get them done, he will have started his spring growth now, so he could just be feeling off. My lad has decided that the chickens that he has passed for two years are going to eat him! We have to walk past a field of donkeys and minis to get to them......he doesn't bat an eye lid at that lot but chickens!!!!!!!!
 
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ChesnutsRoasting said:
How very dare you😜OP, in all seriousness you mention he only acts up when you remove him from the donkey. Do you think he may actually have pair bonded with the mutant & his anxiety is caused by the separation?
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My theory is that he feels safe in his herd but when I take him away he has forgotten how to deal with anything on his own! He was actually fairly chilled today, just brought him in for a nice brush as he has been bitten where his saddle sits and has a fair old bruise so I am excused riding for a few days!
He stood pretty quietly but there were a few horses around so he wasn't completely on his own.
Still unusually upset by the sit on lawn mower on the way back to the field which he wouldn't normally look at though!
 
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