Pigeon phobia

[Myloubylou]

My 5 year old seems to have an extreme reaction to pigeons. In my arena one side is next to small wood and so pigeons sit in the trees & flap. She shies quite violently at them & sometimes bucks for good measure. Took her to another arena with no pigeons & she was 100% even with other horses cantering round. Was planning to do some desensitising with flapping tarp. It’s strange, she’s otherwise really brave. She’s a Welsh d.

Has anyone else had this & what did you do? Tbf have only had her couple months so just getting to know her. Just want it not to escalate as it is not unseating me.

 

[be positive]

She sounds like a normal young horse that is overreacting to something she feels is a threat, they can be the same with anything that appears randomly and makes a sudden noise, it has nothing to do with having a phobia or lack of bravery it just needs time, patience and desensitising to them in a safe way without you reacting every time one flaps, which you probably are now without even knowing.
Some time spent in the arena long reining, lunging and walking in hand with her allowing her to get more used to them will be time well spent, getting her more attentive when ridden so the reaction can be controlled and her energy focused into something positive rather than allowing her spooks to be so violent will help, you may have to ride a little more purposely at times and ensure you never flinch when you hear them flapping as that will reinforce her fears, most will soon get used to the unexpected if exposed to it regularly enough.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

AS bp says but I would also give her a small bucket feed of something very tasty right underneath them, so that is more interested in the bucket than in the pigeons. She will get used to them.

 

[blitznbobs]

My 11 year old has the same phobia - it just depends on the horse really ... I’ve just got used to the shying tbh

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

My 5 year old seems to have an extreme reaction to pigeons. In my arena one side is next to small wood and so pigeons sit in the trees & flap. She shies quite violently at them & sometimes bucks for good measure. Took her to another arena with no pigeons & she was 100% even with other horses cantering round. Was planning to do some desensitising with flapping tarp. It’s strange, she’s otherwise really brave. She’s a Welsh d.

Has anyone else had this & what did you do? Tbf have only had her couple months so just getting to know her. Just want it not to escalate as it is not unseating me.

haha sorry don't mean to laugh but you could be talking about my mare - she hates the ruddy flying vermin, they flutter and dart out at the last minute when you ride by. She will never like them and spooks when she hears one fluttering in the bushes

one of my livery horses hates squirrels to the point she spins and spooks.

 

[Carlosmum]

My gelding was jumpy at any hedge noise as a youngster and would take to broncing away in protest. Now he is much calmer & it is I who spooks at the pigeons in anticipation of any broncing that might occur!

 

[scats]

Ahh, near-death by pigeon, I think we’ve all been there.

Unfortunately it’s just a case of desensitisation. Quite possibly you are also tensing up while riding this side of the arena as you are waiting for a spook (understandably). Polly has a duck phobia and our farm tracks run alongside a birkett where the things come flapping out quacking rather unhelpfully, seemingly from nowhere. I found chatting away, to no-one in particular, helped Polly a lot. She seemed far less on edge and wasn’t on pins as we rode passed. Worth a try in the school for a while?

 

[hollyandivy123]

you think pigeon is bad........wait until you ride around the somerset levels, they come with herons which seem to take of vertically from the ditch as you ride past.............or the goat cottage which had goats on the roof of the barn

 

[scats]

you think pigeon is bad........wait until you ride around the somerset levels, they come with herons which seem to take of vertically from the ditch as you ride past.............or the goat cottage which had goats on the roof of the barn

We have a resident heron who likes to fly up put the birkett like a pterodactyl.
The amount of impressive spooks I’ve had to sit because of that thing!

 

[splashgirl45]

my 20 year old bombproof loan horse still jumps if pigeons are fluttering in the trees....i just ignore it....

 

[ester]

Welsh...
We did used to say that frank has watched too much Hitchcock. He did get better living in pheasant shoot country