New Horse Nervous When Above Eye Level

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princestar

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Hi,

I have just brought a new horse - 5 year old New Forest Gelding, 14.3hh when measured in May but he looks bigger. If I hadn't seen his passport, I would have never said he was New Forest at all!

I have brought him as a project; he was purchased from the New Forest as a 6 month old colt, gelded and left in the field with the herd - not having anything much done with him until May when he was brought in and started to do ground work etc by previous owner.

However, the reason he has been brought as a project is that whenever someone gets above eye level (as in, goes to back him) he gets nervous. He has had someone lay over his back though. His back, eyes and teeth have been checked (wolf teeth removed) he is completly sound.

I'm just thinking that being out without much human touch for 4 1/2 years is probably what's causing this - so do you think ones I've built a bond that it will be okay? I'm going to a lot of ground work over winter, lots of bonding etc, he accepts tack and lunges so will carry on with that and hopefully be able to back him.

I have had horses for 10+ years, ridden/backed youngsters, my loan horse was an 18.1hh shire X; so don't think I'm a kid with no clue - I've done it all. :)

But any advice why he may be acting a bit nervous and any bonding exercises I should do with him.

Thanks
 
Just give him more time then, build up more - lots of grooming etc, touching his back etc. If he hadn't been handled, then it may take a good few weeks of this. Whatever you do, don't rush him..
 
Thanks Honey, have no reason to rush him, it'll make him worse at the end of the day - my plan is, once he has settled in, to start grooming and then to be able to stand on top of the mounting block and lean over to groom the other side of him. Going to be doing a lot of natural horsemanship with him... Walking over tarpaulin, ground manners, etc to give him a varied view. Also like to take my horses out hacking but me on foot, so we walk together; explore and have a nice change of scenery. Hoping the weather will be nice when I go to collect him, I've got a good book and a chair - going to heep him company in the field for a few hours :)

Do you have any other bonding exercises that may be good, he's not left that yard in 4 1/2 years so things will probably be very stressful and scary.
 
Hi there,

You could try gradually building up to things being above eye level, not only behind his eye level(where a rider would be), but also from the front too. I would guess that because he has had so little handling before anything going high up will be very scary to him.

You could perhaps start with either your hands/arms, or with a whip/schooling whip. Start a distance away from him, where he does not get frightened by you, and start lifting your arms up and putting them down, over and over. If he is not getting nervous then you can gradually move closer to him. Start with your movements quite steady and controlled, and then over a period of time you should be able to build up to more rapid movements. A schooling whip can be handy, as you can start in the same way as with your arms, but as you get closer to him (only if he isn't showing any signs of nervousness) you can then bring it slowly up in front of him and right over the top of his head. You can do this from both the front end and the rear end.

If you can get him comfortable enough for you to do this from both sides, then you can start to make the end of the whip a bit more substantial. For example, you can attach a bunch of plastic bags to the end (fastened securely into a ball so that they don't flap in the wind...although that could be something to work towards in the long run!). You could then perhaps move on to using a broom...as it has a bigger head...and then you could for example place a jumper or something over the head of the broom, to make it bigger and a bit more person-like, and do the same process again.

The most important thing, as you probably know, is not to push him outside of his comfort zone...so only move closer, higher, faster, when he is comfortable with it at a further, lower, slower position.

If he gets ok with all these steps, then you could perhaps move on to having him near a mounting block, and if ok with you stepping up and down and laying over him, gradually push your top half up to make yourself a little higher each time. Again, the important part is keeping within his comfort zone.

Hope that makes sense and might be helpful to you. Good luck with him.....sounds like a fun project! :)
 
He will come good with time and patience. Completely different situation, but I bought from a dealer an uncatchable, unmountable, couldnt do anything, nervous wreck of a pony. He had been abused, beaten by an old owner and then passed from pillar to post as he coudnt be caught or ridden. He was an absolute bargain as the dealer wanted rid asap. I loved him the second I saw him, problems and all :D

Anyway I spent time doing exactly what you have planned. Lots of inhand walks, playing in the school with tarps, poles etc, leaning over to groom the other side, touching him all over, sitting with him, fussing him etc etc. Anyway as I gained his trust he started coming to meet me at the gate, started allowing me to touch his legs, then pick up his feet. With no real work all of his "issues" have gone. He comes to call, allows me to mount easily and we hack alone perfectly. I can pick his feet and do anything to him as he trusts I wont hurt him. The dentist came today and he stood like a gem even when the dentist used his power tools. My pony has become a well behaved gentleman. I planned in my head that it would take about 6 months to get to the point where I can catch him, groom, tack up, mount and hack alone without issue. It has actually taken exactly 8 weeks :) Once that trust was there and he knew I wouldnt hurt him, he just relaxed and lets me get on with things with no questions.

I reckon your new pony will be the same as you sound very much like me :) I know a lot of people on here dont believe in bonds with horses, but I do, and you can get a lot more out of a horse if you have a partnership with it.

Best of luck and keep us posted!

P.S. just some pics because I love him sooooooooo much

At the dealers allotment. She rounded him up with some friends and he lived here until i fetched him as the confined space meant he could be caught :(
Benji4.jpg


Making friends the first day
5.jpg


Hacking at the weekend
Benji0092.jpg


Just because hes so cute
20121006_122731.jpg
 
Ah thanks, never thought about the schooling whip or broom - have seen Jason Webb use the black bags on a pole and also have made my own 'noodle' that he uses, which is a pole with a kids float on, so its long and padded - to touch all over with.

Yeah he is actually very loving, he wants to stand and be cuddled, he has only been handled since May, so can be startled if you move suddenly or loudly, but he let's me touch all his face, ears, I can stroke his forelock from standing at his shoulder (so putting my arm over his head) and he stays quite relaxed and lowers his head. He let's you go all round him, but does get a bit worried if your behind him, though never nasty. Its going to be a long process but I have written myself a very big list of everything I'm going to do on the ground, but its going to be a list that I do as and when he is happy with it and once he has settled in.

Lots of lunging, free schooling, tarpaulin, cones, white plastic chairs etc to get him used to different situations and scary objects.

Got to do a lot of work that would have been done when he was a baby and as he grew up; so its going to be a very good project and I hope it will be a very rewarding one too.

Happy to get any advice or tips to try on the ground will be great :)
 
Aww he is gorgeous! You make me feel like I will be able to make it with Denny - so many people have told me not to bother. But I see his potential.

I have no reason to push or rush him, I'm happy to chill and cuddle or poo pick whilst the horses 'help' haha.

We do sound very similar, I can't wait to bond with him, I believe in things. I had a loan horse who I looked after for 10 years, he still greets me at the gate and acts like we only saw each other yesterday when I go to see him. and I hope you carry on having great fun together too :)

Will keep you updated, and post some photos of Denny too :) xxxx
 
Get a book on horse sense (NOT written by Lesley Skipper - as she was done for gross neglect :eek: ) but one which explains why they do the things they do and how to accustom them to being a useful horse without traumatising them irreversibly. He's been gelded, which is a positive step, but been left for quite some time developing his 'wildness' to help him live happily in his herd. If his temperament is sound (and he is a calm and amenable boy) methodical, consistent training and kind handling will have him trusting you in a relatively short time.

Good luck and let's have some photo's :)
 
Denny arrived this morning - his first journey in the trailer was good, first time on a box in 4 1/2 years and he just walked on. He's now settling into his own field, enjoying a haynet in his shelter; absolutely spoilt already.

It took him most of the day to go towards his field shelter, as there was a tarpaulin on the floor, a very heavy one I had laid out as it doesn't flap or move at all, just big and blue; started getting him walking towards it freely - no headcollar - and within mins of me reassuring him, he had eaten some hay straight off it, walked on and off it a few times and even came back this evening and stood to have his dinner on it, totally ignoring it!

He's a quick learner and very loving - such an exciting day!

Does anyone know how I add pics on here?

Thank you :) xx
 
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