If you had seen me last night you would have called me crazy!

JoBo

JoBo

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Well as some of you know Bodey my new boy (who I got Xmas Eve,Eve) is a little bit of a sensitive soul, and is quite jumpy/nervy, so on advice from my instructor he is going though a de-sensitization plan. So last night I got Bodey on a head collar with a pocket full of treats and proceeded to do my exercise routine. He was a little wary to begin with but after about 5 minutes of ‘Tigger Bounces’ he was looking at me like I was stupid. We then moved on to arm stretches and higher bounces with a nummah in my hand, and he just stood there looking for his next carrot.

So within 3 weeks I can groom his backside without it dipping half a mile, chuck his rug on without him trying to clear off, groom and wash his legs (couldn’t even touch his legs before), chuck the nummah on and off, and slide it down his side, put the saddle on (still gently at the mo) without him jumping. So we are getting there slowly.

As my instructor said, and I like this one ‘it’s the clever horses that run first and think later as they aren’t the ones who end up as lion food’. So he’s clever, alright!

So what I wanted to ask is people who have youngsters or horses that haven’t had human contact how did you get them use to the everyday things. Any good exercises or things I can do?

I even have GinaGem singing and dancing while doing the stables to get him use to movement and noise, he, he!
 
It was actually quite good exercise! I have never had a horse like him before so it’s a new experience to both of us but he will be ‘bomb-proofed’.
 
put treats in plastic bags, so he gets used to the rustling... my pony hated plastic bags. not good when they are blowing about in the middle of the road!
 
my horse is really ott about things too. had someone on the yard a couple of days ago with 2 kids running all over the placewhich has really upset him atm. hes still jumping at everything.
 
i saw a demo on a young horse where the lady was desensinitsing the horse by rustling plastic bags and then stroking him with plastic bags starting off with just his shoulder she said to gradually build it up and soon you have a horse that can cope with plastic bags allover it
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It was also on an old your horse video if you'd like i can find it and send it to you
 
Thanks guys,

Yes plastic bags sounds like a very good thing to get him use too, just see too many of those on the roads when out hacking! I was also thinking about using a fluorescent jacket.
 
Hi Jo. Just seen this post - yes, you're def. right to try to desensitise him as much as possible. You'll find that as his confidence grows (in you & generally), each new thing should become less of an ordeal than the last - i.e. he should become more accepting of new things/challenging situations.

I've started to type my approach to this sort of thing 3 times now but deleted it becuase it's all going to take too long to type & I'll bore the pants off everyone. When we speak next do ask me about it if you're interested to hear my opinion - it's a really interesting & big subject in my opinion!
 
You aren't the only one who goes through all this rest assured!
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It's very satisfying when you can actually see the results of all your labours and end up with a horse that doesn't run for the hills whenever something unexpected happens. I think you are going about this in exactly the right way, very small steps will win the battle (so to speak) in the end.

The people at my old yard used to think I was bonkers, if my horses were worried about something, flags, cones, plastic bags etc, etc, the stable was festooned with them like carnival time.I know someone on here last year had a pony that was terrified of people above him (being backed I believe), she made a dummy and suspended it in the stable, that worked a treat as I remember. Umbrellas, baby buggies, bin bags, dustbins, white lines (made with flour) on the floor, anything you can think of I did it. I did fail dismally with his attitude towards jump poles on the ground, he always was hysterical about them and rushing in and out of doors, but in the end we did find out why that was.

Good Luck, and you sound as if you have a very sensible Instructor to help you too.
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Thanks Sally looking forward to hearing your advice! You know who has given me some things to work on and she is going to assess us (me and Bodey) each week and when she thinks we are ready we will try and get on again. She did say it could take 6-8 weeks, but hey who’s counting when I end up with a ‘bomb-proof’ horse at the end of it, she says!
 
Thank-you, all very helpful stuff!

I was thinking about nicking one of my niece’s dolls to be a dummy rider, that should (hopefully) get him use to something being above him.

He is funny because he is not at all head shy, but just likes to know where you are all the time. He’s only 3.5 so it doesn’t matter if these things take a while.
 
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