HORSE WITH INTENSE PHOBIA ABOUT DONKEYS

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sandraebrookes

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I'd be interested to know if anyone else out there has ever encountered problems with a horse having a really bad phobia about donkeys - and how they overcame them.

We've always been aware that my loan horse has a fear of donkeys - 3+ years ago one was kept in a field about 20mins ride from yard and to this day he will still spook violently at the gate.

Unfortunately he is kept at a big yard where there are several businesses and a donkey took up residence back in September with one of the other livery yards.

This has caused a huge problem. Bas has reacted extremely badly to the donkey and time has not made him any better. Whilst being ridden he rears up on end or spins around in any location where he may have spotted the donkey (or where he thinks the donkey may be hiding). I think it has now become ingrain and is a form of happing but so far have been unable to find solution. The best way to deal with it is to just sit very quietly until he gets over it which can be frightening (or just plain lunacy) when he is standing on end. If you smack him he goes even more beserk. We have tried to introduced him to the donkey but he is absolutely terrified and this doesn't seem to have helped in the slightest.

Moving the horse to another yard isn't an option as he belongs to my yard manager and I have him on loan on the condition that he remains at the yard.
 
I really dont know what to think. I know horses can be funny with pigs etc. I wonder if the donkey has a strong smell and he can sense this on your approach.

The only thing I would image to do, is to get a cloth and rub it over the donkey to get its smell and gradually introduce your horse to this, just in case it is the smell.
 
Chex is terrified of donkeys, but only if he see's one. One lives up the road that we visit every now and again, so we don't bump into to it often thankfully!!
 
I know a lot of horses who are terrified of Donkeys, think it has something to do with being like horses but then not. My old horse was the most laid back horse but it was always so funny going to the local agriculture show with the dunkies as he would start prancing about.
 
Hmmm, funnily enough mine used to be a complete idiot with minature ponies. He'd go crackers whenever he saw one. Then one day two minature ponies trotted into the yard. We couldn't trace their owners so the ILPH asked that we looked after them for a while. They were turned out next to my horse. He was an idiot to start with but then became curious. Within two days he was besotted by them and now he has gone the other way and is very soppy with any small ponies. I assume you've tried stabling them or turning them out next to each other?

Ponies were soon reunited with a very happy owner. They'd escaped while she was on holiday and someone else was supposed to be looking after them, oops.
 
This probably isn't going to help at all, but...
My mare also used to be terrified of donkeys, but luckily rarely saw one.
However, I then got together with my OH who has a donkey (long story - his dad went to the pub one day and came back with a donkey....!). Anyway, we had to move said donkey, and while we were sorting his new field out, he stayed at our yard. Nearly all the horses (about 30) were absolutely terrified when they saw / heard him, but within a few days, they were fine. My mare is now in love with him.
As someone else said, they do have a totally different smell. I remember grooming him, and then going up the yard in the same clothes and my mare went absolutely crazy. Another horse refused to go in the stable he'd been in, although the horse had not seen the donkey at this point, so it must have been the smell.
In the field he's in now, there are horses on the other side of the fence, and at first, they were totally terrified of him. Again, after a few days, they became transfixed by him, and now ignore him most of the time.
As I said, this hasn't been much help, but I'd definitely try and get your horse used to the smell if possible!
 
Here is my big wuss horse talking to a little mule we came across whilst on holiday in Wales. He was utterly terrified of it to begin with, but when his friend wasn't eaten alive by the creature, he got curious enough to sniff her. He is also very scared of black shetlands - but not, oddly, white ones. A coloured one gave him a few doubts but he didn't run away from it. I have always wanted to see his reaction to a llama or an ostrich.
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Could you try introducing them somehow? Via a quiet donkey-loving friend (horse).
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My mare is terrified of Donkeys, won't go near them, luckily we never come across one. My Gelding on the other hand always tries to chew their ears. He is such a pratt
 
My sis who has a donkey says that one of the reasons horses are frightened of them is because they have large ears so what would be a discreet signal from another horse is amplified 10 fold by a donkey.
We keep trying to steel him but brother in law says no
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We have two donkeys on our yard, they have a paddock and field shelter next to our menage, two ponies on our yard won't go in the menage if they are out! It's quite funny sometimes, my mare loves them though!
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I used to keep a horse on a small prvate yard that had two donkeys..none of the horses were bothered by them at all.

Have had an intersting meeting with a llama though, that resulted in me being bolted along the road on a frightened four year old
 
My old by was terrified of them, and many times when we were competing localy they had donkey classes next to mine and he just went skitz they best I could do was stay calm and push him on and try and relax him. Sadly he never overcame his fear before he passed away.
But at least he isn't the only weird hoss with the phobia! :toungue:
 
My mare is absolutely terrified of donkeys and also afraid of horses who pull carts, cows, coloured horses (cos they remind her of cows I think), goats and flocks of sheep (doesn't mind individual sheep as shes turned out with 5 but any more than that and shes off!!) Have such fun at the ag show where sj ring is next to cows, donkeys or driving classes!! Shes usually pretty insane but worst was when we saw a donkey pulling a cart!! She absolutely freaked, I had to put her in trailer and leave- poor thing was still trembling when we got home!! Not much help I know, you prob can get them used to donkeys but my mare is a bit of a nut anyway so I don't think theres any hope for her!! My gelding on the other hand adores donkeys, I was waiting for him to freak when we met one at a show but instead he dragged me over to it and proceeded to whicker to it and try to groom it!! Suppose it depends on their experiences of it, he obviously had a donkey friend at some stage of his life!
 
Was there anything she wasn't afraid of?!!!

That post made me chuckle.

Mine is very terrified of odd things but tends to get rooted to the spot and shakes. He forgets me completely and that's the awful part.
 
I ride past a farm which has just started commercially breeding Llamas/alpacas (I can't tell the difference) Murph was very entertaining the 1st day we hacked passed. They ran at the fence and stared at him *they had just been turned out so were frisky and he just stood there staring I swear his jaw would have dropped is he didn't wear a flask
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after five minutes he just kind of said OKAAAY and walked past them but he kept checking behind him for about a mile!!
 
PF is scared of donkeys. God help us all if it brays!! Course this is just because she'd never seen one before (she was also terrified of cows, small ponies, coloured horses, and small coloured ponies, not to mention horses pulling carts!) All I can suggest is allowing your horse as many opps to see the donkey in question from a safe distance- could they be put in adjacent fields? Do you think something like Rescue Remedy might help?
 
I must have very laid back neds, not one of them bothers about Doodles my donkey.They dont mind anything to be honest. My latest arrival, Vivaldi whos a stallion, was tied up outside to be groomed when my goose Lello decided to have a stroll under his belly and investigate his hind legs
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. Vivaldi didnt mind at all! I was hyperventilating. All I can suggest re horse and donkey is to stable donkey next door to your horse for a couple of hours a day till he becomes desensitised. Mairi.
 
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