Horse Healer

[JLH85]

Hello

Does anyone have any experiences of ever using anyone like a horse healer?

I have my gelding for one year and he has such a bitter outlook on life. He was obviously mistreated in the past and this has really affected him. He hates people with a passion - only me or my partner can handle him as he will try to bite anyone who tries to touch him although he is better with people if they go to catch him with a head collar or do some work with him but he will not let anyone just stroke him. He is much better when tacked up but he doesn't really like to work although he doesn't seem to mind hacking.

I was wondering if anyone else has ever heard or seen of someone who can so this sort of thing? I don't have a problem with him being the way he is but I would love it if he could be a bit happier in himself. Also this causes a problem for having vets out, chiropractor etc. and if I ever needed to sell him god knows who would buy him! No-one would want to buy a horse they can touch without him trying to bite them!

Any feedback much appreciated!

 

[Moomin1]

Why was he 'obviously' mistreated? What knowledge do you have of his past?

No experience of healers and wouldn't want any - absolute waste of money.

 

[Ladyinred]

You need to work with the horse in front of you today. Forget all your suspicions of ill treatment, he will pick up on them and act even more insecure than he already is.

Not liking being stroked? I once worked with a supposedly vicious stallion who hated to be touched.. really hated and would come at you with teeth and heels.Eventually his owner insisted I always took a length of blue pipe in his stable with me, just in case. Funnily that was the answer, not to hit or threaten him but to let him take his frustration out by chewing the pipe. It turned out he was incredibly ticklish and couldn't bear a soft touch, if he was patted rather than stroked and if he was groomed very firmly then he was so much happier.

It might be worth you trying some sort of displacement activity and approaching him in a different way, be assertive but never overbearing and be very consistent with his boundaries. Never step back with an 'Aaaw poor boy was abused' That is firmly in the past and he, and you, have to learn a whole new mindset.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

agree-you might just have to find out how he likes being touched -if there are brushes he likes or not. Sometimes dietary intolerances can make them very sensitive to touch (alfalfa made one of mine like this for example), sometimes its discomfort somewhere-doesn't necessarily mean he's been badly treated as such, just that certain signs might have been ignored.

if you can find a Masterson Method practitioner near you (its a form of bodywork and they've held courses at Richard Maxwell's yard in Haverhill) its a very good modality for this type of horse.

 

[JLH85]

I have owned him a year. His previous owners had him for four years and said he had been mistreated before they had him. They said he was skin and bones when they had him and it took a year before they could even get in the stable with him as he would bite and kick if anyone came near him. He is completely fine with me - a bit grumpy at times but nothing bad. It's a different story with people he doesn't know. If anyone approaches him to touch him he will try to bite and will try to turn to kick.

I don't do the whole 'oh poor thing he's been abused' I just believe he was to have such a bitter outlook on life and other people! I want to try and find some way to stop this behaviour as he is like it with vets, farrier etc and if ever anything happened to me or I could no longer keep him I dread to think what would happen to him. I am confident handling and ring him and we have no issues - he tries to be dominant but he knows I will not accept this behaviour from him. He is not nervous I new people. More of a distrusting attitude and ready to defend himself aggressively against them. Horses instincts are flight but his is definitely more fight.

I'm not saying I want a healer such as a psychic but someone who could help me understand why he is like this and help me try and overcome these issues. I wanted to know if anyone else has known a horse like this and if they found a way to overcome some of these issues.

 

[ribbons]

Why was he 'obviously' mistreated? What knowledge do you have of his past?

No experience of healers and wouldn't want any - absolute waste of money.

This makes me laugh, talk about arrogance.
You very sharply question op's theory of mistreatment because she is guessing at his past. Yet you, by your own admission having no experience or knowledge of healers consider yourself qualified to dismiss them as, not just a waste of money, but an 'absolute' waste of money. Priceless.

 

[JLH85]

He is fine to be touched by me - no issues there. It's that he doesn't want anyone near him. If I had someone out to give him a back massage for example, he would not let the person near him for trying to kick or bite them! He would have to be sedated.

 

[Fides]

He is fine to be touched by me - no issues there. It's that he doesn't want anyone near him. If I had someone out to give him a back massage for example, he would not let the person near him for trying to kick or bite them! He would have to be sedated.

Have you exposed him to these sort of things before the professionals came to see him? It is not the farrier/dentist/back persons' job to teach our animals, it is ours. They aren't just born good - they have to be taught. By slowly introducing things that one of these strangers do (like running a rasp against their teeth - obviously not actually doing it, pulling the tongue out to the side, opening the mouth, lifting their feet up but in front rather than back, prodding around on their backs etc) we can make it so that the person is the only new thing, not the expected behaviour. Makes things much less stressful! You'll get there, just practice

 

[MotherOfChickens]

well, I dunno then-now we have more of the story, it might just be him. It also might just take more time. I have an Exmoor who's 21. He spent the time between weaning an 4 years of age going around the low end sales. He then landed a good home and then I got him at 14. I think he likes me well enough but he still doesn't trust me 100%!

whats he like with other horses out of interest?

 

[Moomin1]

This makes me laugh, talk about arrogance.
You very sharply question op's theory of mistreatment because she is guessing at his past. Yet you, by your own admission having no experience or knowledge of healers consider yourself qualified to dismiss them as, not just a waste of money, but an 'absolute' waste of money. Priceless.

You call it arrogance. I call it sense.

 

[JLH85]

He is fine with other horses, quite submissive when in a herd and can be a bit of a loner.

He is hot shod on fronts so obviously I have the farrier out every 6 weeks. If the farrier walks up to him he will swing round to kick him. I have to hold him, pick up his front foot and the farrier comes over and takes it from me - from then on he is fine as long as he doesn't talk to him or stroke him! It is so bizarre I don't really know what to do. I don't have any horsey friends to help me with him as 'strangers'. He is now used to my boyfriend an he will tolerate him now but it took a while for him to get to know him. He is 12 now and I think this is just the way he is but I would really like to get him more manageable with other people.....

 

[PaddyMonty]

He hates people with a passion

No he doesn't. He simply has no trust in people generally and therefore needs to develop it to become more the horse you want him to be. I see far too many horses like this and often the owners handle these horses in completely the wrong way.
In a nut shell they pussy foot around the horse when what the horse really needs is calm but confident handling both on the ground and in the saddle.
My current ride demonstrates this perfectly. From the day I started handling him I have taken the approach of there is nothing in life he needs to be scared about. If leading on the ground and he starts to spook at something he just gets a firm "walk on" and I continue as if nothing has happened. He does not get a ' there there, its all right boy, we'll stand and look at the scary gate until you feel like moving on'.
Under saddle I take the same approach. Horse spooks I ignore it and just put him back where we were and carry on. I dont even acknowledge the spook or the scary object. If he stops moving forward again its walk on in firm and confident manner. No yelling, no screaming but also no gentle pats and there there responses. I simply ignore what he has an issue with.
No some will say this is wrong.
However, when at comps where the atmosphere is a little daunting for him he will attempt to follow me if I walk off no matter who is holding him. He doesn't panic if not allowed to go with me, he just prefers to be with me because life is calm and positive in my company.
So in your case just deal with him in a calm,positive but no nonsense manner and make sure that all who have anything to do with him do so as well. Very quickly life will become a much more pleasant place for him.
Forget healers etc. This just smacks of there there type approach.
ETA - ignore previous line. Just read your second post and now understand what you meant by healer.

 

[Crabby]

Look up the Masterson Method.. Lots of clips on youtube so you can have an experiment with it yourself There are quite a few practitioners in the uk now. I attended one of their training weekends last year and I was amazed by how much the horses' emotional state changed during the sessions. All of them found it very relaxing although dome were reluctant to give in to it initially.
It involves mostly very light touch so it might be easier for him than massage or Chiro treatment .

Just to add.. Agree with what PaddyMonty says too. My friends horse is really good at sussing new people out and if they show behaviours he interprets as weakness he will be a total git. He's been handled a little roughly in the past so calm yet firm does not always translate with him as he's been taught to 'respect' the stick

 

[JLH85]

That is how I deal with him and as I said before he is perfectly well behaved with me - it's other people he hates.

 

[PaddyMonty]

and the only way to really help him is to expose him to people who treat him the same way but understand that is difficult from what you have said. Tricky one.

 

[Ibblebibble]

does he actually carry through with his threat to bite or kick?
my big mare had a rough start and developed a defensive angry attitude, she had such a reputation that the whole yard turned up to watch when her previous owner went to try her, everyone wanted to see the mad woman try the evil horse.there is no magic to bringing them round, just time, patience and firm consistent handling , she will still pull the evil faces to new people to see if they will back off, she will still rise to a fight rather than back down, she will still take the pee if her handler shows any sign of weakness but in some ways that is who she is and she'll never lose that , she's 18 this year!!

 

[JLH85]

does he actually carry through with his threat to bite or kick?
my big mare had a rough start and developed a defensive angry attitude, she had such a reputation that the whole yard turned up to watch when her previous owner went to try her, everyone wanted to see the mad woman try the evil horse.there is no magic to bringing them round, just time, patience and firm consistent handling , she will still pull the evil faces to new people to see if they will back off, she will still rise to a fight rather than back down, she will still take the pee if her handler shows any sign of weakness but in some ways that is who she is and she'll never lose that , she's 18 this year!!

Yes, unfortunately he will follow through with the threats. He has kicked me (when I first had him) and also my old yard owner. He has also had a close call with the farrier. Its got to the point where its really getting to me as I worry that he could hurt someone. Luckily the owner of the horse he shares a field with is understanding of what he is like and leaves him be. It is difficult as I don't have any horsey friends that could perhaps help me with him to show him that not all strangers are out to get him! I don't know what else I can do.

 

[flirtygerty]

I used to work with aggressive dogs, these had been abused badly, one had his eye put out with a screwdriver, by his owner who left the dog tied to a tree in the garden and moved house, one of the helpers was a reiki healer, she did seem to help these dogs, although not all would let her