Terrified youngster Help!

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Annie B.

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My youngster was out of work ridden work for 9 months due to damaging his suspensory's last July. I have brought him back into work with loads of walking in hand to get him use to all sights and sounds while I'm next to him to get his confidence up. I have been back on him since the end of April and all was going well using may old mare as companion on some of the earlier rides to show him how it's done. We have now progressed to my friend riding him whilst I walk next to him as he was getting clingy to my mare and would not go in front. All was going well until two days ago when we're out on the bridle path that leads from my yard when he was charged at by a field of around 30 young bullocks next to the bridle path. First the cattle ran passed us and he just grew and snorted and he was doing his best to listen to us, then the cattle turned and ran directly at us and he went bonkers. Fortunately my friend jumped clear and I did my best to keep hold but ended up letting go.My boy has run the half mile home back on to our yard and stood there waiting for me, he is completely un hurt thank god. So the question is "what now?". He is 6 years old quite green 17.3 and 725 kilos , how do I go about putting this right? I feel terrible for letting go and feel I have let him down badly. I have owned him since he was five and a half months old and I could really do with your help, he is here to stay with me but how do I attempt to go down that bridle path again? So sorry to waffle on and on but I'm absolutely fed up. X
 
I'm sure you'll get lots of advice on here.
I'd make sure he is wearing a rope halter so he can't push into the pressure like he will be able to do with the webbing design ones and make sure you take him it on a long lead rope (12' minimum) this will give you more control. Have you got a school or bit of field ou can do some spook busting work in to get him listening to you inhand a bit more?

Otherwise is it time to long rein him? If you use two lines you will be able to put him onto a circle when he spooks (if there is space!).

No shame in getting an instructor if required to help you with this, sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can help :)

Just a few suggestions
 
Hi Cherryplatypus, sorry in my waffling on I've not explained very well. The horse was fully tacked up in snaffle bridle and well fitting saddle, my friend who was sat on board is an instructor and had to jump off my huge boy as he was going ballistic, I was on the ground with a lead rope clipped to the bit. I have just started doing 10 minutes in the school occasionally as the surface can allow him to over flex his suspensory's and we have been trying to get him fitter on the roads as he was completely sound on the road and showing 1 tenth lame on the lunge in the school at the start of the year so just trying to be cautious at the moment. He is not usually spooky but this incident has put a right spanner I the works so to speak. I only clipped him on the rope because I was sure he would go past the cattle with me there to tell him he was ok. Now I don't know how to go that way out of the yard or what to do if confronted with the crazy young cows. X
 
I would ride him yourself unless your friend is extremely competent and will be able to sit on next time, if there is another incident and go out with the other horse, he will be clingy but work on that, insist he starts to take the lead at times and build up his confidence that way, he is far too big to be led or walked with, in my view a horse that size will go whatever you do on the ground. Most youngsters take time to go it alone after a fright unless the rider can really take charge, let him have the support from other horses while he learns that he can be brave and begins to listen more to the rider.
 
Thank you for your responses, unfortunately the chances of a farmer helping someone with a horse round here would be nothing short of a miracle. I have taken him out tonight and all was going lovely with my old mare as company but some ponies have run along a fence at him and he has reared up. Should I try a calmer and the old mare as company?
 
AdorableAlice said:
Turn him out with cattle for a while, he will soon get over himself and not bother with cattle again.
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Just what I was thinking. I've just posted on another thread about my Clydesdale mare who hated even the smell of a farm-yard when we got her and was a pain to hack past cattle while we were at livery (she once nearly walked over a car because a bull looked at her from 2 fields away). When we came here, she fell in love with the calves in the nieghbouring field (she always loved babies of any species), so had to learn to put up with their mums (and dad). She soon stopped worrying about passing cattle on hacks.
 
My horse is 20 years old and after much trial, tribulation, and excitement, learned to hack sensibly past cattle who are grazing quietly. But God help us if the cows get curious and charge over to the fence. Then she's auditioning for the Spanish Riding School and if she gets a good clear run away from the cows, she's offski. Luckily you can stop her once you get past the offending field.

Turning her out with cattle would solve my problem as well but I suspect the OP is in a similar boat -- it's just really not a feasable option.

So, barring that, your options are (a) finding a really brave rider who will cling onto him for dear life and not bail out and let him run back to the barn.

(b) avoiding hacks with cows. Avoiding the issue isn't ideal horse training, but in the absence of a rider with giant balls, it isn't useless. For shame, I will 'fess up to doing this sort of thing. I'll assess the cow situation as I approach a field and if they appear insufficiently sedate, I may go in another direction.

(c) can you pony him off your old mare? Just get him out seeing things without the added pressure of a rider. When I had a 3-year old, his first experiences of trail riding were at the end of a lead rope, ponied by me and my mare. When I started riding him on the trail, he was practically an old hat. I think this did great things for his confidence as he was used to the big wide world outside of the arena and barn.

***The caveat to "avoiding stuff" is that my horse is, as I said, 20 and hacks past all manner of weird and wonderful things one might encounter on the roads and trails without any trouble. Nosy cows are her one thing. So I kind of don't give a sh**t, hence not doing anything about it. With a youngster, I might be more proactive. :)
 
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Get the long reins out. This way you can win the battle from the floor. I disagree with staying on a horse no matter what - all that causes is accidents. But from the ground with a pair of long reins you can ride the horse forward or round with these issues without risking a nasty fall. Turning him out with cattle is a fab idea tho
 
Ah, I didn't realise you had him tacked up etc!

Turning him out with cattle would be helpful but I fully appreciate how unlikely a farmer is to want to help you! Also it's really a trust issue, not a cow problem. Next time it could be a bin lorry or odd dog etc. I still think groundwork would help. Wear a hat and gloves and long rein him if you feel competent, this way ou can keep calm when he is going nuts over something and keep a safe distance. I would do a bit of work round your yard for a few days before taking him out again. Once you get him past the cows turn and take him back and forward. Make him stand until he sighs, try to ignore any unwanted behaviour and focus him on his job. Can you yield his quarters and move his shoulders in hand? I usually find a 'hole' somewhere when my horse has gone back to his old nutty ways, generally he won't give me control of the quarters (this is a trust and flight response as they need these to flee from danger). I boss him into giving me the quarters back and he will relax. This is an ongoing process throughout our hacks! Also look out for pricked ears and raised head and then ask for the yield, get him listening befo he has a chance to go into full flight.

I'm sure you have already tried some of these so feel free to ignore!

Keep safe, I will get off one of my horses but stay on the other as I know the big chap takes comfort from me being on the ground (have spend years working on groundwork so he always listens). The pony however would run over me so I stay on board! There is no right or wrong about getting off or not, do what you think is safest. If you feel safe your horse will likely relax faster!
 
if you can ride him out with a group of horses that are good, you need to build his confidence not get in a battle! he is scared and rightly so he is a herd flight animal and has had a herd of creatures he is scared of run at him-i would run for my life if cattle ran at me.
you also need to do more to build up his confidence i you-put things he will be wary off but not scared of in the school, let him look, then let him approach, let him investigate till he is satisfied and disinterested then walk him away and ask him to work and concentrate on you. you can do this in hand and under saddle, the biggest thing is to let him approach do not force him too but do not allow him to turn and run away-give lots of reassurance and at this stage you must set things up so it cannot go wrong, ie if you are working with a tarpauline it cannot move or flap as he gets braver you could allow it to flap then allow it to move away from him then towards him. the idea is you introduce him to stuff that that puts him on low level alert then you convince him to approach and nothing nasty/no surprises happen eventually he will learn to trust your judgement more and more and when things do go wrong in years to come he can cope and trust in you.
it is a lot of work and his personality will have and impact on how quickly improvements are made but it will make a difference

turning out with cattle is perfect if there are horses already settled with them-a friend turned her mare out with the dry herd on her husbands farm when they married and gave no thought to the fact the cattle may find it all very exciting to meet their first horse (who was used to cattle) the cattle ran about (as they do) and the horse ended uo going through 2 fences as the cattle scared the living daylights out of it
 
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My youngster and one of my older horses also dislike cattle. Older horse we just prance past and snort. It took me couple of years to get to that stage. Young chap always has company out having as its impossible to hack here without passing cows. We've had a few exciting rides that I've had to get off and lead him past but gradually it is improving.
I would say hack him in company all the time until he starts to accept them. There is no shame in changing route if the cows are excitable on a particular day. On the days they are lying down or grazing quietly make sure you get past.
As for c turning it out with them, I can guarantee that if I had done that with my older horse he would have killed himself trying to get away. He is genuinely terrified of them and shakes from head to foot with his heart visibily beating! So not always the best answer
 
As he also reared up when confronted with ponies, I think the issue is less that he's frightened-of-cattle and more that he's lacking confidence in himself and you.

I would go back to in-hand and loose groundwork in a small enclosed area, lots of sending him round you in walk, trot, halt, back and moving sideways. Really get him listening to you and responding to you straightaway. If you say trot, he goes into trot, he doesn't carry on walking and only go into trot when you say it for the 4th time or use a whip.

Look at your body language. Get a friend to video you while you do this and then critically assess yourself - are you being calm, consistent, a source of confidence and inspiration to him, are you being a steady-eddy he can rely on? Or are you dancing all over the place, moving from his back to his front, raising your voice in frustration if he doesn't listen to you, being wishywashy or too strong with your aids, etc?

Work on yourself to improve how you react and behave with him in the groundwork situation, and that will impart your confidence into him and also give him the relief of being able to rely on you.

Then go back out and re-introduce the cattle. Go with the mare maybe first time. You ride him. Take a foot soldier with you too. Just go to their field and either stand and praise him, and let him see that they are just animals, or if he's being stupid, then put him to work, have him leg yield, have him walk, halt, walk, trot, walk, so you then take control of the situation again and because he is now used to feeling confident in you and your commands, then when you ask him to do something, that takes his fear and focus away from the cattle and refocuses him onto you.

Good luck. You will get there. You've been doing lots of inhand stuff with him already.
 
Annie B. said:
Thank you for your responses, unfortunately the chances of a farmer helping someone with a horse round here would be nothing short of a miracle. I have taken him out tonight and all was going lovely with my old mare as company but some ponies have run along a fence at him and he has reared up. Should I try a calmer and the old mare as company?
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What's he like with other horses in the school, is he even used to other horses working in and around him, going away, him going away and all that stuff? If he's still freaky with that then you need to work on it. It's all about familiarization to situations and not baling out.
If he's such a big horse and you don't think you're strong/fit/able enough to sort this out without letting him get the upper hand (which he has already done by getting away from you/baling out because he doesn't like something) I'd suggest him going away to someone who will work through the hacking issues for you; a proper nagsman who won't take no for an answer, won't bale out or wring their hands because he's met something he's never seen before.
His reactions have been totally normal for any young horse put into a situation he hasn't been taught about yet and I'm sorry to say but the faffing about, baling out and letting him go are all things that are telling him that it's dangerous rather than you being in control so much that his mind is totally focused on you and your commands. You are his leader, his protector; he needs to be able to trust you at all times and that includes hanging on and not letting go to show him there is nothing to be frightened of. Before this stage in his education he should have learnt that he doesn't pull away from you - ever.
 
Maesfen said:
What's he like with other horses in the school, is he even used to other horses working in and around him, going away, him going away and all that stuff? If he's still freaky with that then you need to work on it. It's all about familiarization to situations and not baling out.
If he's such a big horse and you don't think you're strong/fit/able enough to sort this out without letting him get the upper hand (which he has already done by getting away from you/baling out because he doesn't like something) I'd suggest him going away to someone who will work through the hacking issues for you; a proper nagsman who won't take no for an answer, won't bale out or wring their hands because he's met something he's never seen before.
His reactions have been totally normal for any young horse put into a situation he hasn't been taught about yet and I'm sorry to say but the faffing about, baling out and letting him go are all things that are telling him that it's dangerous rather than you being in control so much that his mind is totally focused on you and your commands. You are his leader, his protector; he needs to be able to trust you at all times and that includes hanging on and not letting go to show him there is nothing to be frightened of. Before this stage in his education he should have learnt that he doesn't pull away from you - ever.
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The wisest words ever and words that must be put into practice. When you have done this the horse needs to go cubbing every morning until he is made. You will then have a big, well mannered hunter/pleasure horse who should do you proud in the future. If he was mine and after he had done all this and finished his season with hounds, he would still be thrown in the field with a herd of bullocks.
 
Hi Annie, I would highly recommend Gary Witheford in Wiltshire. He is amazing with horses and has some of the trickiest and most dangerous horses from all over the world sent to him. His yard jockeys are unfazed by anything. He can desensitise a horse in the most gentle way. He's got cattle on his yard ( which the horses can be turned out with ) as well as sheep, peacocks, dogs, cats, cyclists and anything else you can think of.
He's an unsung gem of the horse world, he'd help you with your horse.
 
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Little update - if any one wants to know :). Long reigned my big guy yesterday just in the arena, worked beautifully. Up early today to take him a walk with the old mare and used her as a shield for ponies and cows that were to interested us and dealt with cyclists and a loose dog with just big eyes. So pleased with him, hopefully we can pick away at his worries and he's not lost his bottle.x
 
Great!

If you can't actually put him in with the cattle, can you put him and a sensible companion in a field next to cattle - that worked for my mare. It was surprising really because she was the one who took everybody past the scary things but she needed one of the others to help her with cows!
 
Good news so far.

Personally I'd suggest not putting him in with cattle for more than a few days, just long enough to get over the fear stage.

Years back I knew some very helpful farmers who offered to keep my then young mare for next to nothing in the summer, provided she went in with their cattle. So no probs ridng through any herd, but a) she adopted the calves as they were born and therefore had to be separated pronto. b) thereafter she would jump out of a field of horses to go join any cattle she could see or hear, leaving me with a 2 mile road walk, or more, to bring her back as the gates that she'd jumped were locked
 
I find a lot of horses are nervous with cattle. I purchased my Highland Pony from a friend and when he arrived in France I discovered that he was terrified of cattle!!

He was bombproof in every other way. The same with one of my Shagya mares when she arrived from Hungary both went out with my old gelding, always with him between them and the cattle.

This week we have started hacking out two four year old CB's. I know one will be afraid. So we start by walking to the cattle field but not passing them. We let them stand and look from a safe distance. Gradually we will take them further but not forcing them to pass until they feel confident.

Then we will walk past with a walker or old horse.

I watched a mounted police training demo with plastic sheets and balloons, they permit the young horse to back off frightening things and say not to try and make the horse accept the balloons etc, let them do it in their own time.

Good luck.
 
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