Horse scared of men

LuanneCat

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My Mare is terrified of men.

She has only accepted two in her life, her breeder and an old riding instructor we had. She can deal with the farrier or Vet but only because of the high standard of manors her breeder installed.

I bought her from her breeder and know in her history there is no reason whatsoever for it. It also isn't a size thing as she adores my 6ft2 female friend.

So was just wondering how common it is for a Horse to be like this and is it more common for Mares?

Does anyone have or know of a Horse that's scared of men?
 
My mare is scared of men - well not so much scared but defensive and wont relax - i have had her since she was born so i know nothing has ever happened to her to make her like this i just think that she is so used to me being quiet and calm that men have a very different 'presence' around her that she isnt used to. I know a few like this - there arent even any men on our yard so she just isnt very used to them - she is okay with my OH now but that took some getting used to and the last male vet that came out to her had a real attitide and was really bolshy and got booted in his knee as a result - i did warn him but he knew best.
 
I have never had that happen to any of my horses. My new mare Poppy loves my dad and all other men she's not bothered by them.

My Advice 2 u would be


So what to do when your horse is afraid of men? Well, DO NOT send him to a 'traditional' rough 'em up male trainer. No, no, no. You'll need a confident, experienced and gentle male handler to help your horse rewire his survival instinct, and learn that men are ok. Just basic, regular training will do. It's the attitude of the trainer to the horse that is important.


And it might be a wise idea to get all the guys who will be around this horse to have a few lessons regarding their behavior, so that the retraining doesn't get undone within a week of success.
;)
 
My mare is scared of people, but men in particular, she came from WHW tho and does have a past! My OH was quite offened that she didn't like him without knowing him so when he came home from work in the early hours used to take her Ginger biscuits! Not long before she was loving the big guy!
 
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