Phobias

S

Smogul

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 October 2009
Messages
411
Visit site
Has anyone successfully cured a horse of a phobia? When I bought the pony, I was not aware he was terrified of sheep. I assumed regular exposure would gradually stop this being a problem, if combined with general training and reassurance. In over a year, there has been depressingly little progress. We are now back beyond square one as we met the farmer moving sheep using the quad bike. Pony is now terrified of quad bikes as well. I am reluctant to sell the pony with a known issue but life is frankly no fun for either of us. Hacking is impossible, as are trips to other venues as I cannot be sure we won't meet either of his two triggers. Even round the yard, I have to be aware of anything the farmer is doing. Any suggestions?
 
Yes. A horse that was so petrified of cows it leapt on top of a stone wall out on a hack🙈.
We borrowed some calves and set up a large pen inside with a hay feeder, calves one side and the horse on the other. First few hours he sweated but slowly calmed down. If he wanted to eat he had to get brave and share with the calves. Once he’d settled enough we then started putting his feed on the hay and and he decided that he was not sharing with them and ate up with calves trying to eat too.
After a week he and another horse were ridden and herded the calves down the road and back to their farm with no issues and he was totally confident. He was slightly confused and wary when we went to an event where there was a cow (coloured horse) being ridden 😂
 
Interesting. However, pony has now been on a farm with sheep for over a year and is still petrified, despite sharing a field with horses who couldn't care less that there are sheep in a nearby field. YM tried putting him in a field closer to the sheep field but he repeatedly broke out from it in a panic. We have tried every form of desensitisation we can think of.
 
Smogul said:
Interesting. However, pony has now been on a farm with sheep for over a year and is still petrified, despite sharing a field with horses who couldn't care less that there are sheep in a nearby field. YM tried putting him in a field closer to the sheep field but he repeatedly broke out from it in a panic. We have tried every form of desensitisation we can think of.
Click to expand...
Can you get a couple of cade lambs that can wander around the yard? With them being much smaller he may not relate them to adult sheep, and they will obviously slowly grow into sheep. Maybe even make a small pen at the back of the stable that they can live in for a short time. It's no fun having a horse that is so irrationally scared.
 
I think previous replies have some good ideas.
The person who bred my pony also taught their horses to 'chase away' anything that was scary. This included things like dragging a tarpaulin and letting the pony follow but also included vehicles, bicycles etc. He did nearly come unstuck one day out hacking when a lovely guy on a motorbike was travelling towards them and slowed right down on the other side of the road to pass by. The pony then did a sharp 180 and 'chased after' the bike to the surprise of the rider who had, after all, trained the pony to do this!
We also trained pony to follow a horse and carriage by following behind and then coming alongside when he was comfortable (I think this is a common strategy).
If you can borrow a couple of sheep to 'herd' and maybe also get used to following the quad bike if the farmer is happy that might help at least a bit? However, it might be more difficult to deal with scary things that are coming towards you - my pony is brave but if scared I usually just ask him to stand, loosen the rein slightly, sigh deeply and try not to look directly at the scary thing. He does spin VERY occasionally - notably years ago when a herd of cows galloped straight at us (fortunately there was a fence between them and us)!
 
Irish-Only said:
Can you get a couple of cade lambs that can wander around the yard? With them being much smaller he may not relate them to adult sheep, and they will obviously slowly grow into sheep. Maybe even make a small pen at the back of the stable that they can live in for a short time. It's no fun having a horse that is so irrationally scared.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately lambs are as scary as sheep so I don't think I could get him into his stable if there were a couple of lambs nearby. You are right. it is no fun for either of us. I am starting to wonder if being constantly near sheep has got him into a state of permanent tension. Maybe finding him another home would be a good idea?
 
Celtic Fringe said:
If you can borrow a couple of sheep to 'herd' and maybe also get used to following the quad bike if the farmer is happy that might help at least a bit?
Click to expand...

Thanks for suggestions. I did use the "chase" technique with one pony who was scared of lorries and it worked well. At the minute I can't get current boy within 20 feet of a stationary quad bike so following one would be a non-starter.
 
What an incredibly difficult problem!

I would try to cure him of the quad bike problem with a food strategy over as many weeks as it took, then loan him to an urban or arable only place with no sheep. I've liveried in Bristol and Wokingham areas where I never saw a sheep.
.
 
Smogul said:
Thanks for suggestions. I did use the "chase" technique with one pony who was scared of lorries and it worked well. At the minute I can't get current boy within 20 feet of a stationary quad bike so following one would be a non-starter.
Click to expand...
Have you tried using the quad bike to take food to him? I have seen that technique work well.
Will he follow another horse past sheep?

We bought a Clydesdale mare who was frightened of cows, to the point that she hated passing the farmyard that smelled of cattle even though they weren't visible from the road.
Then we moved her here where there are beef cattle grazing in summer on neighbouring fields. As soon as she realised that they had babies that she could talk to over the walls, she decided that the adults weren't scary after all.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Have you tried using the quad bike to take food to him? I have seen that technique work well.
Will he follow another horse past sheep?
Click to expand...

No, he won't follow another horse past sheep or even walk past them with horses between him and the sheep. Food distractions don't seem to work - I think he is too panic-stricken to even notice food. Very food oriented in normal situations so that was the first thing we thought of of using! Thanks for ideas.
 
Err taking this on face vaule from the western lot. They all say the best way to introduce animals is in an environment where the horse can follow or move the animal away. So you need a lead trained sheep and another person to lead it at a distance in front of you as you lead your horse? So if the horse so much as looks at the sheep the sheep is moved away a bit, if the horse stakes a step towards the sheep the moves off a step, then when thats pretty chill, move so the sheep faces the horse. Probably need to start with the sheep at least 5 metres awy poss more like 10 and not facing the horse , it needs to be a distance where the horse isn't just in panic mode. Admittdley a very tricky one to set up. If the horse can learn that its in charge and can move the sheep off, its confidence should grow.

I'm in East Anglia , not that many sheep around here as its mainly arable so maybe sell to someone over here?
 
I’ve always just chucked any of mine in with what they are scared of animal wise 😅

Faran is perfectly fine with anything in the field he is in or in the field next to him that has no hedges or dense tree lines. He chases the cows and sheep when they are in with him 🤣

However should a hedge if a tree hide that sheep or cow then it is clearly a completely different animal and must be spooked at 🤣🤣 I mean to him it’s clearly horrifying 🤣
 
Roasted Chestnuts said:
I’ve always just chucked any of mine in with what they are scared of animal wise 😅
Click to expand...

Yes, great idea and ideal scenario but as I said in an earlier post, pony broke out of field next to to sheep. Can't see the farmer being happy with his sheep fencing being wrecked. Also, pony has had laminitis in the past and no way can be out on good grazing.
 
Alibear said:
Err taking this on face vaule from the western lot. They all say the best way to introduce animals is in an environment where the horse can follow or move the animal away. So you need a lead trained sheep and another person to lead it at a distance in front of you as you lead your horse? So if the horse so much as looks at the sheep the sheep is moved away a bit, if the horse stakes a step towards the sheep the moves off a step, then when thats pretty chill, move so the sheep faces the horse. Probably need to start with the sheep at least 5 metres awy poss more like 10 and not facing the horse , it needs to be a distance where the horse isn't just in panic mode. Admittdley a very tricky one to set up. If the horse can learn that its in charge and can move the sheep off, its confidence should grow.

I'm in East Anglia , not that many sheep around here as its mainly arable so maybe sell to someone over here?
Click to expand...

I like the idea of a lead trained sheep although I can't see the farmer going for it. Friend occasionally has pet lambs so I might speak to her over the weekend. Really at wits end but don't want to give up as great pony in many ways.
 
Smogul said:
Yes, great idea and ideal scenario but as I said in an earlier post, pony broke out of field next to to sheep. Can't see the farmer being happy with his sheep fencing being wrecked. Also, pony has had laminitis in the past and no way can be out on good grazing.
Click to expand...
Does the farmer show sheep? Or can you find someone who does? Their sheep will probably be lead trained, so you could try working with your horse and just 1 sheep, as above.
Mind you we used to have poultry, our Appy mare was not worried by them at all but if we met poultry on a hack they were terrifying.

Eta, cross-posted
 
Smogul said:
No, he won't follow another horse past sheep or even walk past them with horses between him and the sheep. Food distractions don't seem to work - I think he is too panic-stricken to even notice food. Very food oriented in normal situations so that was the first thing we thought of of using! Thanks for ideas.
Click to expand...
I think you need to be using targeted food reinforcers, rather than as a distraction and be able to find the point where he is aware of the sheep but not over threshold and his brain still works.

Cows were our panicky thing for a long time, we have been able to improve massively with me being aware of cows before she is and being able to reward just the presence of a cow almost as she notices them. I was only able to do this as I drive up the lane where we normally hack so I know where the cows are already. Obviously as he is kept near sheep, and as you suspect always stressed about them anyway, that is going to complicate things. Can you look up local equine behaviourists? I am very lucky to have one on my team and she has helped hugely, things like this are her bread and butter. She is registered with APBC, who have a find a practitioner tool on their website.
 
Smogul said:
Yes, great idea and ideal scenario but as I said in an earlier post, pony broke out of field next to to sheep. Can't see the farmer being happy with his sheep fencing being wrecked. Also, pony has had laminitis in the past and no way can be out on good grazing.
Click to expand...

Well quite frankly you’re screwed then. If people are giving you all these suggestions and you’ve either tried them all or have a reason not to then you will just have to put up with it. Farmers don’t have to let you borrow their stock so if they aren’t comfortable with it then you will have to find another way. If not happy to borrow to lead, not happy to put in with and not happy to put some in a stable next to your horse for a little while each day then unfortunately you may just have to deal with a sheep shy horse.
 
smolmaus said:
I think you need to be using targeted food reinforcers, rather than as a distraction and be able to find the point where he is aware of the sheep but not over threshold and his brain still works.

Cows were our panicky thing for a long time, we have been able to improve massively with me being aware of cows before she is and being able to reward just the presence of a cow almost as she notices them. I was only able to do this as I drive up the lane where we normally hack so I know where the cows are already. Obviously as he is kept near sheep, and as you suspect always stressed about them anyway, that is going to complicate things. Can you look up local equine behaviourists? I am very lucky to have one on my team and she has helped hugely, things like this are her bread and butter. She is registered with APBC, who have a find a practitioner tool on their website.
Click to expand...

I have been wondering about a behaviouralist. However, friend does have a couple of pet lambs at the minute and is willing to try and help us so I will go down that route first.
 
Roasted Chestnuts said:
Well quite frankly you’re screwed then. If people are giving you all these suggestions and you’ve either tried them all or have a reason not to then you will just have to put up with it. Farmers don’t have to let you borrow their stock so if they aren’t comfortable with it then you will have to find another way. If not happy to borrow to lead, not happy to put in with and not happy to put some in a stable next to your horse for a little while each day then unfortunately you may just have to deal with a sheep shy horse.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your supportive comments. I totally agree that farmer has no obligation to help me. He tolerates rather than likes horses. I came on to see if anyone could suggest anything that I had not thought of and already tried. I had not thought of a sheep trained to a walk on a lead as I didn't know such a thing existed. I also did not say I wasn't happy to try it, only that the farmer was unlikely to go for that. I have already contacted a friend who will try and help me.

I don't think the current situation is good for horse or me which is why I was looking for help. It is not a case of the horse being "not happy" but having a full-on panic, running through fences.
 
Quick update. Thanks to people who suggested lead-trained sheep. Friend will take pony for three months and work with him. Her OH who is a vet agrees that the pony is probably suffering from low level chronic stress which is hindering any learning. He has suggested using a mild calmer for the first couple of weeks before starting any training. Fingers crossed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top