Nervous horses

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welshcobnewbie

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Is it honestly possible for a nervous horse to eventually be backed and live a normal life?

The horse in question is a 6 year old welsh D possibly been badly treated but more than likely been left to rot in a field with no human interaction what so ever,then bought by a young girl at 3 after just being gelded and hauled in from two years out in a field playing wild ponys?

So anyone had anything similar ? do you think he will come round eventually? general thoughts please.
 
Yes I think it can as long as you know what you're doing. Plenty of gentle human interaction and gradual exposure to new things should help it settle down and get more confident. Most importantly plenty of patience and not rushing,keeping it all calm matter of fact, soft voice, no sudden movements at first, once it gets trust I think you willl see a big difference and it will start to enjoy it's late start in life. We are working with one at the moment and are pleased with how he is coming on. Has had saddle on now without a fuss, and to get him used to having someone towering above him in preparation to mounting, we stand on a chair next to him to brush and lean on him. You couldn't get a chair near him at first but now he thinks its normal. Its all steady sympathetic stuff but still be firm without scaring him. The only thing is he must smell everything first before he is comfortable letting it touch him but apart from that he is much more getting like a 'normal' horse. Hope yours works out the same, I think it will be worth it as at the end you may have the horse of a lifetime.
 
agree with what has been said above. It is easier to have a nervous horse than a bolshy one. Take plenty of time and don't let his age make you rush him. i have one who is still nervous but she is such a lovely pony and I know she will come right.
 
Agree with Lost, just to add that routine, consistancy, boundaries and a quiet, calm and, when needed, a firm approach will help to make him feel safe and understand what is expected of him.
Ensure each small lesson is learnt before progressing to the next level.

Even though he has had a poor start in life, resist falling into the 'but he was abused' mentality. Work in the present with him as he is now.
Being treated as normal, but worried, is the best gift you can give him.
 
I am going to disagree, I think that if the horse is a nervous wreck at 6, it may get a little better, but that is probably the way it is. My friend bought a 5 year old nervous Section D. He was a timid, scaredy cat all his life, until he died age 21. She kept him at her home, and he had nothing but understanding, correct handling and calmness for all those 16 years, yet he would consistently panic at all sorts of things, ALL the time. It was very wearing.
 
I have a mistreated Welsh Sec D too, and it’s been a LONG hard road but we have got somewhere. I got him when he was six after a traumatic start and the guy said to me ‘this horse – he was born nervous and he will die nervous’. I am a bit of a sucker for a lame duck and felt sorry for him, and as he was exceptionally beautiful, had something nice about him, and was very cheap, due to lots of people falling off him), being bad to catch (because scared of his headcollar), scared of his tack, he was rideable but frequently did serious spooks, you couldn’t ride him in e.g. a mack (because it crackles slightly), someone once tried to take their coat off when they were on him and ended up on their bum in the sand while he jumped the five bar gate out of the school – you get the idea. You couldn’t get on him in the sunshine because the movement of the shadow on the ground (of you mounting) made him panic – I could only mount him in the shade. THAT bad.
I’m four years on now and there have been times when I’ve been on this forum asking the exact thing you’ve asked and feeling like I can’t go on with him anymore.
However, we came through it!! He’s never going to be a normal horse (just yesterday, in fact, he freaked out because my friend tried to talk to me form her car window while she had the windscreen wipers on!) BUT he is sooooo much better, we have tonnes of fun and his attitude has completely changed. Now he sees something scary and instead of freaking to and either freezing in terror or just running, he can deal with it and he also looks to me for guidance which is nice (and don’t worry, I’m not about to tell you that’s because I did a lot of Parelli ). When I bought him they told me I’d never be able to jump coloured poles at other venues than home, but actually he is now jumping novice courses relatively confidently AND has a few times this year jumped new fillers in other places without even stopping first time. He can wear a rug (never thought that would happen), he loads, he comes when I call him, puts his head down for the headcollar, leads on hacks (mostly) – I am always careful with him and he’ll never be straightforward, but we have a really great understanding relationship with one another and so now we work together through his problems.
I never thought I’d get here but it’s been bloody hard work. The things I did that achieved what we have today included lots of clicker training to begin with, which is AMAZING with nervous horses (just basic things like teaching him to go back on command – made him realise that oyu can have fun with people and they won’t just hurt you! I also rebacked him, from scratch, but REALLY slowly (i.e. taking his saddle up to him, letting him find a carrot hidden in the stirrup, just walking away – the next day putting the saddle nearer his shoulder, the next day higher as if I was going to put it on him, etc etc…) and so on – also I’ve found doing endurance rides and fun rides has helped him get things in perspective because he finds it really fun and is way less spooky.
Saying that, none of those things might work for you!! Welsh cobs are notoriously difficult anyway (Kelly Marks once said she’d be out of business if it wasn;t for them). But where there’s a will there’s a way! You can’t expect miracles but you can still have a great horse and a lot of fun.

sorry for long post but, having been there, wanted to put down everything that would have helped me!!

Good luck.
 
HI,
Ive purchased a nervy horse that had no manners taught and had no training whatsoever. He was pushed from pillar to post and no one has really bothered with him. However, he caught my eye and there was just something about him that I had to have him. I have been really patience with him, working on his trust first more than anything, and just gently talking to him all the time when I see him. He was bolshy too to begin with and would push past me for fearing of other horses nearby him would kick him. Now, he has stopped that, he has learnt to trust me and has calmed down considerably. He is five years old and a cross appaloosa and I just love him to bits. I was told to give him up as he would be hard work but I just couldn't. I took him out for little walks by leading him, just to show him there is life outside his field, yes he was snorting and kept stopping and was very nervous but I constantly talked to him and reassured him that everything is okay and gently moved him on and after about the third time I took him further and he was much calmer and realizes its not that bad coming out for a walk!. I thought I could break him in myself but felt the way he is, and being nervy it would be best if he was taught by a horse whisperer and that's where he is right now for 6weeks. I know that he is in the best of hands and I know that he will come out right. Yes it cost money but I think he is worth it. Please don't give up on him and I agree with all the other responses that you just need to take your time and don't rush it....as my horse whisperer says, do one peg in the hole at a time if you know what I mean. Hopefully in time your horse will learn to trust you and learn that you will not harm him in any way and life is a lot better. Let us know how you get on with him in time.
 
Thank you all so much for your replys, sorry it took me so long to get back to you silly forum wouldn't let me log in!

i will of course let you know how we get on. :)
 
Try - who knows? Recently took an 8 year old who had been rotting in a field - and he loved the attention so much he has turned into the most amazing pony!

Just try and make everything enjoyable and fun for it and as others have said take it real slow and be consistent! I think the month spent just brushing, playing, teaching picking up feet, etc established the trust that made the rest of it so easy!
 
Morgan123 yours sounds very like mine. Mine is now 26. On his day he is the calmest most sane beast out there. Other days his paranoia knows no bounds. I can cope with all of that but the discovery that his jumping talent seems to have led to him being so beaten that he is a true bolter was a shocking (and painful) one. We learnt his trigger and he has never bolted with my daughter but because of his quirks he will be with us till the end of his life.

We adore him. He has been one of the most rewarding horses I've ever met and he is such fun to ride and have around. He is also the most frustrating horse I've ever dealt with. He has never had a voice or hand raised to him in the nearly 10 years we've had him. He loves a cuddle and scratch in the field but you can't get near him with a headcollar. He's so clever that if you leave a headcollar on him he will take it off. If you attempt to catch him before he's removed it he won't let you within arms length of the headcollar, but scratching his bum or picking his back feet up is fine. In desperation I left a lunge rein attached to the headcollar. No chance! He is aware of the exact location of the lead rein at all times and won't let you any where near it. Unless of course it's about to snow in which case he runs over to you to be caught or it's got to minus five and he's been watching you bring his rug out and try to catch him for weeks and refusing to let you but now it's COLD and he wants that rug on NOW.

So to answer the OP's question, I'm sure with careful, quiet and repetitive handling you will be able to back this horse. However "normal" life may not be what others would call "normal". We have to do things in the exact order ours expects or he can't cope. Learning what he would cope with has taken years. For example I can plait him fully BUT he has to have his tail done first, if you don't do his tail you can't get near his mane. End of. So once you've done his tail you can comb his mane, section the bottom half and plait it. Then you have to untie him and let him walk round a bit and then he'll stand (you don't actually have to tie him!) and let you do the top half of his mane. You can't get anywhere near his forelock unless he is at a show venue at which point you can see him getting quite panicky as he wonders whether you're going to remember to do it.

Loading is a first time every time job provided you follow his routine. If you don't and you push him he's liable to go up and over.

Putting him in a bed with all clean shavings is cruel, he can't poo or wee on clean shavings and will wait for as long as he possibly can. Chuck a bucket of dirty shavings in and he's fine.

Oh and there was the time he had an utter panic, shaking and boggle eyed at . . . nothing. The last time he'd been that way a phone box had been there, it had been there for years and it had recently been removed and the area grassed just like the area around it. Another one like that was we go past a small garage, he's perfect in traffic, amazingly, and doesn't care what is stood on the forecourt as long as it has all it's wheels. If there's a wheel of cue major panic.

Doing things differently for this boy has just become habit, when you stand back and look at them all it's actually quite scary. However, when I look at the love he's given my daughter, and the fun, and the confidence he's inspired in her and the friends she's made through having him and the tactful rider she has become through having to deal with his issues all the trials and tribulations, even my damaged coccyx, pelvis and the weeks of concussion he gave me, were honestly worth it.
 
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