Over bonded? Help!

michellev123

michellev123

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Can a horse become over attached to its owner?

Everyone at the yard says Oscar is clingly to me, I havent really noticed... yea he follows me around but he is just curious and we have done a lot of join up, clicker traininig etc I think he just likes spending time with me and is keen to learn and please me. The problem is the more bonded he becomes to me the worse he seems to be getting with the farrier and vet!

The prob is tho he is scared of the farrier and now the vet! He is good for my frineds at the yard and generally a people horse who loves attention. He is only 2 and I know all his history (he has never had a bad experiance with the vet or farrier) I am strugling with what do do with him to get him ok

He is terified not just being naughty when the farrier spent some time leading him around he relaxed a little but not enough for him to do his feet so he only had one trimmed!!

How can I get him better with Farrier vet etc I have had everyone I can pick his feet up even my poor dad who has never done it before ever!! And he was fine but soon as farrier or vet he is terrified.

I want to try a new farrier see if it makes a difference but is so inconveniant for the poor farrier to come all the way out to me just to find he cant do anything :-(

I love him to bits any advice welcomed.

Thanks
 
It sounds like his problem is with the farrier and vet, rather than with being 'overbonded' with you. Not sure why that would be, if he hasn't had any bad experiences. Maybe he finds their tools weird and scary? Could you acclimatise him to strange things being around his feet?
 
there all just jelous because your horse adores you!!, he sounds like my 2 rising three year old he is very terrified of farrier, he manages to trimm them all but after a little bit of a struggle, i got give a full set of farrier trimming gear the other day im going to try and like get him used to them pretend to do it etc, i am very weary of this now as he reared up last time he got his feet done and as he come down he knocked me to the floor with his legs and i was unconciouse for about 20 seconds, .xx
 
mycobs=myworld said:
there all just jelous because your horse adores you!!, he sounds like my 2 rising three year old he is very terrified of farrier, he manages to trimm them all but after a little bit of a struggle, i got give a full set of farrier trimming gear the other day im going to try and like get him used to them pretend to do it etc, i am very weary of this now as he reared up last time he got his feet done and as he come down he knocked me to the floor with his legs and i was unconciouse for about 20 seconds, .xx
Click to expand...

Thats the prob tho I have some farrier stuff and can do it easily (but dont want to as I dno what I am doin!!) Its not the equiptment or sensation its the man!!! :(
 
Are you female and the vet and farrier male? It may be a gender thing. It may be that only usually handle the horse. I thought I had this issue and ensured that the creature was handled by lots of different people (I had to catch in as he ran away from everyone else :rolleyes:).

He's tons better now and can be caught in by anyone but is still Mr Jealous if I don't immediately go to him and shouts his face off til I stand near him.
 
If he has bonded with you to that degree and will stand while you pretend to rasp and bang on with his feet then he's probably picking up the fact that your nervous because your predicting terrible arguments and things happening with the vet/farrier, therefore he starts to get nervous and panicky. Try asking a sensible horsey friend to stand and hold him for the farrier. The three year old I bought last year used to panick with the farrier but perserverence paid off and she now stands linke a saint (or nearly).
 
Youngsters do seem to become very attatched to people! I would say it's sweet, and I think it's just a matter of time in terms of the farrier and vet. Try and get friends and people he doesn't know to handle him, pick up his feet ect, that should help... Also could you perhaps hold him while the farrier does his feet, or is he dangerous?

I'm lucky to have a very VERY patient farrier, and I think it's down to him that all of mine are good being shod..
 
Yea our farrier is brill too. I did hold him as tied up he was going to hurt himself. I think he will get there just showing his age! I am on a mission to get anyone and everyone picking up his feet now!!

He had his first ever bath yesterday (with a hose) and although we went in quiet a few circles he wasn't too bad at all!! Here is him all clean and shiney!!!


201007Oscar24.jpg
 
Ehmn, I'm gonna be brutally honest here: and say that whilst its great that you and your horse have "bonded" so well I think you have to now assert your role as "herd leader" PDQ - as you are in danger of having a horse who whilst he is your best friend in one sense, is going to fast develop into a spoilt child! and you don't want that.

You have to be firm but fair - and this has to start now before he develops bad habits. The key is groundwork, groundwork and more groundwork, and you need to start moving him around, moving his feet, pushing him away with your hand just behind the girth, backwards, forwards (using your body language all the time). Then you could try long-reining him and lunging. Plus you need to be picking up his feet lots of times and making him stand still and behave, also ask other people/strangers to do it as well. This is all before you get in the saddle.

Your aim should be to have your horse as your friend, but ALSO he needs to know that you are herd leader and if you ask him to do something, firstly he has to trust you that its safe, and then he has to obey you. The best advice I was given was to reward the behaviour you want, and not the behaviour you don't want.

You have to lay down the groundrules now and start exercising your herd leadership in this relationship, coz if you don't he'll soon start to realise you're a push-over and will start to take that role himself.

There's some stuff on the Michael Peace website which is useful and might help.
 
Thanks I have got him moving forwards, back, left, right with my voice and body language. He will stand with or without a head collar and let me do all his feet (he ocassionally shuffles and gets put back and told off but he hasn't done this for a few weeks!)

When I first started with him he took the piss big time!! Would walk into me, over me walk off when I tried to do his feet, not let me do his feet etc now he picks them all up soon as I whistle and say up and even picks his back ones up soon as I put front ones down!!

The change in him over the last 7 months is incredible!! Anything else I can be doing?

Thanks for the post!
 
I don't know what your yard set-up is, but this is just a thought re. the shoe-ing issue: would it help for him to be around when other horses are shod? So he can see how other horses react and so learn as part of a herd that the farrier is OK and that there's nothing to fear? Its just another herd activity, sort of thing. Even if he's not due for shoeing, it might be possible to just lead him up and let him watch when another horse is being shod, and let him see and smell, then reward him by rubbing his neck or favourite itchy spot, or whateve.r Anyway, just a thought.
 
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