Trained or shut down??

[PinkvSantaboots]

I tried ground work with Alf once. He was not shut down - he just thought it was the dullest thing I'd ever suggested he do...
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Yeah mine do as well they just sigh a lot and look at me like I'm mad if I try some stuff, they both lunge from my voice really well and I can incorporate that with my riding which helps me sometimes, they genuinely like the odd lunge I think and are so easy to handle most of the time.

 

[Landcruiser]

Both my criollos from Uraguy were shut down to a degree when I first got them. My old boy Pat, who I have recently sadly lost, had clearly been beaten and traditionally "broken" (by tying up a hind leg, sacking out while tied to a post until brought to a standstill, then jumped on by a gaucho and bucked, spurred and beaten to a standstill. He had the physical and mental scars to show for it. His "shut-downness" manifested in his being totally unresponsive to stuff waved at him. He wouldn't lunge, a lunge whip did nothing. It didn't take long for him to work out that I wasn't going to beat him, and that I was actually prepared to enter into a 2 way communication with him - especially after I dropped the Argentinian bit he came with, went to a snaffle and then quickly dropped the bit altogether. He never looked back (but he also never lunged ).

My other lad (in my profile pic) was just scared of his own shadow and would stand and literally quake if asked to do something he didn't understand. If pushed too far he would self harm by tearing at his own chest and forelegs with his teeth, turning it all in on himself. It was quite heartbreaking. He was totally obedient (except for loading, which he was genuinely terrified of). He doesn't have scars, which makes me think he complied quickly and just gave up. It took quite a few years for him to become the rock solid, confident TREC horse he is now - but to a casual observer he looked rock solid right from the start.

A lot of polo ponies, as referenced above, are criollo or part criollo, and may have had versions of the treatment my two had (although without the added "bonus" of shipping as freight in the bowels of a cargo ship with 1500 others, heading for the meat markets of Italy..).

 

[Jellymoon]

Hitting a horse for shying is a whole list of things, no.1 being completely stupid, and none of the rest are good.

Horses shut down because they've utterly given up feeling anything other than defeated and scared ALL OF THE TIME. It's one of the most heartbreaking things to witness because it's what comes after protracted confusion, terror, pain, panic. Horse in my avatar was a severely abused rescue case who had shut down to survive. The day he gave a tiny, tentative nibble at my sleeve was one of the best of my life.

This is what I think of as a shut down horse, one that’s suffered abuse, and has given up and gone into itself to try to stay safe.

I have one very quiet and practically bombproof pony, I’ve had him since he was 3 and we backed him ourselves, he obviously hasn’t been abused by us, and I don’t have any reason to think he was abused before, he’s just very non-reactive. He’s 10 now so he’s had plenty to time to come out of his shell. Nothing much gets him excited apart from food, and hounds.
He looks a bit grumpy and can be bossy and stubborn, but I hope he’s not shut down!! We do try to cheer him up!

 

[ycbm]

This is what I think of as a shut down horse, one that’s suffered abuse, and has given up and gone into itself to try to stay safe.

I'm not sure what you include in abuse but I think it's possible to create shut down horses without what most people would recognise as abuse, and many that come out of racing stables fit that mould.

Any routine which demands that the horse adapts to it and trains it that what it might want doesn't count can create a shut down horse. It's not that they are punished for expressing an opinion, just that nobody responds to what they want if they do, so they stop expressing any opinion.

To add, it's a total joy to see these horses come out of their shell when they realise that people are listening to them.
.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Both my criollos from Uraguy were shut down to a degree when I first got them. My old boy Pat, who I have recently sadly lost, had clearly been beaten and traditionally "broken" (by tying up a hind leg, sacking out while tied to a post until brought to a standstill, then jumped on by a gaucho and bucked, spurred and beaten to a standstill. He had the physical and mental scars to show for it. His "shut-downness" manifested in his being totally unresponsive to stuff waved at him. He wouldn't lunge, a lunge whip did nothing. It didn't take long for him to work out that I wasn't going to beat him, and that I was actually prepared to enter into a 2 way communication with him - especially after I dropped the Argentinian bit he came with, went to a snaffle and then quickly dropped the bit altogether. He never looked back (but he also never lunged ).

My other lad (in my profile pic) was just scared of his own shadow and would stand and literally quake if asked to do something he didn't understand. If pushed too far he would self harm by tearing at his own chest and forelegs with his teeth, turning it all in on himself. It was quite heartbreaking. He was totally obedient (except for loading, which he was genuinely terrified of). He doesn't have scars, which makes me think he complied quickly and just gave up. It took quite a few years for him to become the rock solid, confident TREC horse he is now - but to a casual observer he looked rock solid right from the start.

A lot of polo ponies, as referenced above, are criollo or part criollo, and may have had versions of the treatment my two had (although without the added "bonus" of shipping as freight in the bowels of a cargo ship with 1500 others, heading for the meat markets of Italy..).

And that is an excellent description of a shut down horse, with reasons. Far better than the 'Ladybird guide for beginners' in the link, which explains nothing.