Tips for ears

[nessie19]

Hello!

My mare is a bit funny about having her ears touched, but only in certain situations. I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips.

She's totally fine to put a bridle or headcollar on. I can also run my hands over her ears if there's nothing else in my hands.

If I have a fly mask in my hands, or some fly gel or wax, or even mane conditioner (for her forelock), she won't let me near them. She snapped a headcollar on Friday (mostly because the baling twine didn't break so I've bought an equi-ping thingie so that she won't hurt herself trying to get away)

Anyway, she has a wart in each ear. The vet's looked at them and says they're not causing her pain, but I wonder if someone has tried to "treat" them before I owned her.

So I'm trying to work out how I can get her to trust me around her ears. I very gently touch them when I can, and back off when she raises her head, but does anyone have any other tips?

Thank you!

 

[Shay]

Don't back off when she raises her head. By doing that you are teaching her that the way to get you to go away is to raise her head. If you stay with her, gently, until she lowers her head then you are teaching her the way to release the pressure is to relax.

Little and often is the key - and if you can avoid it don't undo your heard work by actually putting anything on her for a while.

As often as you can, touch her ears, stroke them, hold your hand there until she lowers her head; then remove your hand and reward her. (Click, food - whatever suits).

When she starts to drop her head in automatic response to being touched, progress to having something in the spare hand. Then the hand you touch her with but not putting it on. Then to putting it on. But each time only take your hand away when she drops her head.

 

[nessie19]

Don't back off when she raises her head. By doing that you are teaching her that the way to get you to go away is to raise her head. If you stay with her, gently, until she lowers her head then you are teaching her the way to release the pressure is to relax.

Yeah, sorry, I should have clarified. If she puts her head up then I tend to stroke her neck and talk to her until she puts it back down again, but then I'll change what I was doing and not put the mane conditioner/fly gel on.

Little and often is the key - and if you can avoid it don't undo your heard work by actually putting anything on her for a while.

As often as you can, touch her ears, stroke them, hold your hand there until she lowers her head; then remove your hand and reward her. (Click, food - whatever suits).

When she starts to drop her head in automatic response to being touched, progress to having something in the spare hand. Then the hand you touch her with but not putting it on. Then to putting it on. But each time only take your hand away when she drops her head.

Thank you! I won't be putting a fly mask on this week at all to give her a break while I work on getting her trust a bit more. Happily she'd a very food orientated horse (like my dog!) so se responds well to food as a reward. I clipped her fetlocks a while ago and when I first went in with the clippers she went to the other side of the stable. I gave her food and reassurance and I'd done all 4 feet in an hour. I think she's been twitched previously for clipping, which explains the reaction to the noise and probably also the ear fear.

 

[LouisCat]

Our pony is exactly like this. Fine to play with his ears/bridle/headcollar him. As soon as the fly mask or grazing muzzle comes out you can't touch them... me thinks the pony doth protest!

 

[nessie19]

Our pony is exactly like this. Fine to play with his ears/bridle/headcollar him. As soon as the fly mask or grazing muzzle comes out you can't touch them... me thinks the pony doth protest!

I know some of them do protest, and maybe mine is doing that a bit. She's started turning her back on people in the stable when they approach with her headcollar - I think she thinks it's her fly mask and she just wants nothing to do with it.

 

[3OldPonies]

H was like this when I first had him all those years ago, he was pretty head shy anyway but his ears were by far the worst bit to try and do anything with - he would try to eat his headcollar or bridle rather than have you put it on - just grabbed it and tried to pull it away from you. Patience is your friend here and it sounds like you have plenty of it! If I were you I'd not bother with the fly mask at all for a while and just concentrate on sneaking up with the fly gel. I would fool H by making a fuss of him round the top of his neck and then gradually work my way up so my hand was near his ears and then ever so slowly put the stuff in. He really hated, and still does hate anything a bit oily or jel like, so I use small amounts of Sudocrem now. He still won't wear a mask, just walks around waving his head up and down and follows anyone around trying to scratch it off on them; but at least I can now put stuff in his ears. I have to use a similar tactic when it's time for the sun cream on his nose too.