Horse doesn't know the meaning of personal space?

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Ellaandbailey

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I have a Welsh C yearling colt who is an absolute sweetheart most of the time. He just wants cuddles and treats, but he walks in front of me and practically runs me over trying to get my attention. I try shooing him away with a lead rope but he just keeps coming back, plastic bags don't work as he thinks there's food in them! I would love to teach him tricks as I do that with my older horse but I need to get him out of my personal space first. He is not gelded and has not dropped yet. He will be gelded once the flies have disappeared. Any ideas??
 
Shooing a colt will only make them come back more, thats just a game. You have to get firm, mean it. Carry a long whip in your right hand, so it is in front of his chest. Start by leading about, stop now and then and if he continues to walk on, apply pressue on his head and ask him to back up, back it up with tapping from the whip if you need to. Eventually you want him stopping just as suddenly as you do. When you have that down, and are consistent in it (not just get it once and then on the same day move on) work on him backing away from you when you are standing in front of him. Same basic principle, apply pressure and ask for back, back up with a tap if needed. And i do mean tap in all this, never a sharp whack. If you can hear it hit him, your doing it too hard. Its just an extension of your arm, never to be used as a negative reinforcement.
 
Thank you equi, will try that tomorrow. He was so good as a baby and now he's hit his teens he just always has to be the centre of attention!
 
Ellaandbailey said:
Thank you equi, will try that tomorrow. He was so good as a baby and now he's hit his teens he just always has to be the centre of attention!
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Hormones will play a big part in anything a colt does. Try to train when there is no other distractions, and keep the sessions very short and positive. If he does it once, praise and move on for a bit.

Boring post, but remember your safety. Colts are nice with their rearing if they want to, and asking them to go back might result in rears. Its important thing for them to learn, but don't get caught out.
 
Don't wait for better weather to get him cut - as one vet said to me years ago they have the best fly switch in the world not a foot away from the site. If he isn't respecting your space now and gets coltish you will have a real problem.
As for the space, back him up out of it. Most horses don't go back from choice, if he backs up for you you have got the upper hand and he will respect you
 
He isn't in his 'teens' he's effectively a toddler testing boundaries.

I would not be giving treats from the hand until you have personal space sorted. Be consistent, the rules must be obeyed at all times so he always backs up when you ask him to, doesn't walk in to you or over you in the field or when leading.

My yearling colt is out in a herd with various ages, other horses are great for teaching and maintaining manners. He's very friendly with people and will occasionally try to push the boundaries, tonight he thought about grabbing my tshirt while I was picking out his feet! I'm always firm but fair and don't over handle as youngsters.
 
JillA said:
Don't wait for better weather to get him cut - as one vet said to me years ago they have the best fly switch in the world not a foot away from the site. If he isn't respecting your space now and gets coltish you will have a real problem.
As for the space, back him up out of it. Most horses don't go back from choice, if he backs up for you you have got the upper hand and he will respect you
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Id be really weary of it. My friends stallion was gelded in summer, died but a week later. Massive infections and whatnot.
 
no cuddles until he is out of your space and you go into his to pet him. No treats at all. Youngsters don't need treats, it just confuses them. His mother didn't give him treats. Would he do what he is doing to you to his mother? no, she would be straight back at him with a nip or a kick to make him respect her.
I would raise my arms, growl, swear at him, stamp, jump, appear aggressive to make him get out of your space. (not hit him of course). If that didn't work I would use the last 18 inches of the rope and whirl it round in circles. That protects your space. If he comes into it he gets a *** from the rope. If he stays out life is fine.
He can't be the centre of attention. He would be the lowest member of a horse herd and must be the lowest member of your herd of 2, ie you and him. If you are stuck for gelding him till Autumn I would turn him away and avoid a battle. Then when he is gelded you can start again.
 
Cuddles and treats are for horses, not foals...and even then, only when the horse is behaviourally sound.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but have a really long and hard think about who is benefitting most from the current relationship you have. He's a colt. Cuddles, treats, affection from humans mean nothing more to him than a simple quick pleasure and that's just the treats. It's nice for us to have that relationship, but that's about us, not them. If we think only of the horse, what is right and best for them, we should take a step away from what we want and do only what is right by the horse.
A yearling colt needs very simple things. Boundaries, discipline, consistent handling, consequences for unwanted behaviour etc. Other horses would groom him, so you do that too...That's a way we can get "affection" time with them...but be firm and consistent in you being the one that decides when it starts and stops.

You're in a position of enormous responsibility to this colt...it's on you to make sure he grows into a well behaved horse as failing to do that can lead him to a very uncertain future and as none of us know what's around the corner, there's no such thing as a guarantee he'll always stay with you.

Sorry the post is a bit serious but I've had to work with and have put to sleep, too many horses that were not given the right start in life and some ended up downright dangerous.

We have a livery here now who was just like your colt as a yearling. Very lovely, very sweet and kind, but no concept of personal space and a strong belief in doing what he wanted. It's taken almost 3 years and he'll never be 100% but slowly, he's had to learn that people are not to be walked over.

He could have ended up anywhere as his owner very sadly died at a young age. Some here will know who I am talking about as she was a much loved and missed forum member. She had a long while of getting the horse to respect her. I've since been in touch with his previous owner and his breeder...he was homebred and raised and the breeder said the most wonderful thing to me, she said, "screwing up with him taught me not to humanise horses in the early years, I loved him for me, not him and now he's paying the price".

Nobody knows what the future holds, we need to make sure our horses behaviour is on point before we can even begin to think about our side of the relationship.

As with what Equi said...firm, consistent and don't be afraid to be really firm with him if needed. You won't hurt his feelings. If he barged a horse in a field, he'd likely get bitten or booted and rightly so. Don't be a human with him...be like a horse. Mostly body language but with a short sharp smack the second he steps out of line.

Best of luck and again, sorry if I've been overly serious...20 years in equine welfare means I'd rather offend someone by speaking out than stay quiet. No offence meant at all...we all love our horses, we just need to cut the affection for their good..especially at a young age. Xx
 
_GG_ said:
Cuddles and treats are for horses, not foals...and even then, only when the horse is behaviourally sound.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but have a really long and hard think about who is benefitting most from the current relationship you have. He's a colt. Cuddles, treats, affection from humans mean nothing more to him than a simple quick pleasure and that's just the treats. It's nice for us to have that relationship, but that's about us, not them. If we think only of the horse, what is right and best for them, we should take a step away from what we want and do only what is right by the horse.
A yearling colt needs very simple things. Boundaries, discipline, consistent handling, consequences for unwanted behaviour etc. Other horses would groom him, so you do that too...That's a way we can get "affection" time with them...but be firm and consistent in you being the one that decides when it starts and stops.

You're in a position of enormous responsibility to this colt...it's on you to make sure he grows into a well behaved horse as failing to do that can lead him to a very uncertain future and as none of us know what's around the corner, there's no such thing as a guarantee he'll always stay with you.

Sorry the post is a bit serious but I've had to work with and have put to sleep, too many horses that were not given the right start in life and some ended up downright dangerous.

We have a livery here now who was just like your colt as a yearling. Very lovely, very sweet and kind, but no concept of personal space and a strong belief in doing what he wanted. It's taken almost 3 years and he'll never be 100% but slowly, he's had to learn that people are not to be walked over.

He could have ended up anywhere as his owner very sadly died at a young age. Some here will know who I am talking about as she was a much loved and missed forum member. She had a long while of getting the horse to respect her. I've since been in touch with his previous owner and his breeder...he was homebred and raised and the breeder said the most wonderful thing to me, she said, "screwing up with him taught me not to humanise horses in the early years, I loved him for me, not him and now he's paying the price".

Nobody knows what the future holds, we need to make sure our horses behaviour is on point before we can even begin to think about our side of the relationship.

As with what Equi said...firm, consistent and don't be afraid to be really firm with him if needed. You won't hurt his feelings. If he barged a horse in a field, he'd likely get bitten or booted and rightly so. Don't be a human with him...be like a horse. Mostly body language but with a short sharp smack the second he steps out of line.

Best of luck and again, sorry if I've been overly serious...20 years in equine welfare means I'd rather offend someone by speaking out than stay quiet. No offence meant at all...we all love our horses, we just need to cut the affection for their good..especially at a young age. Xx
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Great post G_G.

We had a young filly who behaved the same way (it's not only the colts) She was adorable but a total PITA, in your face all the time and even pushing the big horses out of the way or walking between you and them so she was the centre of attention. Why she was like it, I haven't a clue.. I honestly think she must have been born that way, we had her at 10 months old and she was the same when she arrived. Take heart, she is now the sweetest and most mannerly of mares you could wish to meet.. interestingly she is an underheight Sec D (so, theoretically a C) Be firm, fair and very very consistent, we found totally ignoring her worked best and only making a fuss of her on our terms which wasn't easy as she was/is the prettiest little girl you can imagine!

Despite working with colts and stallions for a long time I have never had this problem with an entire, but I think that is more good luck than good judgement! As to the gelding, I can see both sides of the argument but I think it has to depend on your personal situation; the flies here are the worst I have ever seen them but who knows, it may be better where you are and worth the risk. Only your vet can answer that one for you.
 
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