Young horse doesn't like things going over her head?

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I have a youngster who is not head shy and happy for you to touch her face and ears however its quickly become apparent she does not tolerate things going over her head or ears and just throw her head straight up. I've discovered this as shes getting bigger when putting her head collar on, if i linger around her poll area she just puts her head in the clouds. Shes got a few minor cuts/scars from her previous home and I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it, maybe shes caught herself or has gotten stuck in something around that general area before. Its not a problem at the moment as she only goes to and from the field as well as walks around the local village or bridle paths but id like to show inhand next year and im also thinking about when tack is introduced in the next few years. Is this something I should be paying attention to now by practicing with things going over her and maybe work up to putting her head collar over her ears and fasten that way? Or just leave it, possibly something she'll just grow out of?
Any suggestions welcome, preferably the supportive, educating and understanding kind? Im happy to learn as much as possible but I've seen a few people lynched recently for asking for help/questions.
 
IMO the sooner, the better for dealing with this type of issue. I would take it in small steps and reward her with food for getting each step right. Clicker training would probably be useful for this. Some synthetic bridles can be broken down to allow you to build them up on the horse.
 
I do have a clicker for her for little bits of training ready for when she actually starts her education, haven't put it to use as of yet, ill see if she responds to it - this could be our first lesson
 
I'm working with a very big and very head shy youngster. He's 4, but very baby-ish. He doesn't like things moving quickly and he is much taller than me, even with his head in "resting position". I have to go very very slowly when I do anything. Currently, I just have to rug and take him to and from the field and flyspray. He doesn't like fly spray, so I've been rubbing the bottle over his body, once in a while squirting it gently and he seems to be getting better.
While I have no real suggestions, all I can say is slowly and kindly. Little steps with big rewards :) Good luck!
 
I might be able to help here. I have an Off the Moor Exmoor pony. He's very approachable & friendly, but headcollar? NO!

What I do is keep it buckled on the loosest hole & tempt his head in with a pear or carrot. Then doink it over his ears & give lots of praise while he chomps his reward & I tuck the noseband over his nose. He's geting less & less uppity about his head & can now be bridled & caught in les than 5 minutes.
 
Please find a good book/video of clicker training, it works very well if done correctly. I attended a session run by a woman who works for the Australian Seeing Eye Dogs and found it fascinating. I have used it to good effect on a young mare who had problems picking her feet up and to teach her to bring her head down and to ground tie. I also used a webbing bridle, which I can "build" on her head, to overcome her fear of being bridled and bitted, she now has the bridle put on normally
 
YorksG said:
Please find a good book/video of clicker training, it works very well if done correctly. I attended a session run by a woman who works for the Australian Seeing Eye Dogs and found it fascinating. I have used it to good effect on a young mare who had problems picking her feet up and to teach her to bring her head down and to ground tie. I also used a webbing bridle, which I can "build" on her head, to overcome her fear of being bridled and bitted, she now has the bridle put on normally
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Ive bought several books on it, i currently have to hand 'The art and science of clicker training for horses' by Ben heart sitting on my desk next to me at work.
 
Shes not really head shy and has no problem with the head collar, but she wont let anything physically go over her head/ ears if that makes sense? and she looks to the clouds if I hang around her poll too much. Id like to start putting her head collar over her ears anyway as that's how i do it with my other horses so no reaching around but wondering how to maybe start this process? I want to be nice and slow with her but i'm wondering if an almost 'cruel to be kind' approach may be slightly better in that just do it quickly and praise her loads until she isnt worried about it? not really sure how else to go about it because she will happily stand for her head collar, not sure where to progress from there?
 
Not sure if this will help but my little section a was a bit similar when I got him. One method I tried was to have a head collar that buckled at the nose as well as the other buckle. I'd undo the nose then do up the other buckle fairly low down his neck. I'd then slide it slowly up into position on his poll, then I could do up the nose. It didn't seem to bother him as much that way and he gradually got so used to it that I can now put a head collar on him in the normal way.
 
My youngster was like this and it became apparent he'd been ear twitched. I put the bridle on in bits - got one with clips for bit. Rewarded small steps. Took awhile but I can now bridle him normally. Paitience is key. Good luck
 
Hannah97 said:
Shes not really head shy and has no problem with the head collar, but she wont let anything physically go over her head/ ears if that makes sense? and she looks to the clouds if I hang around her poll too much. Id like to start putting her head collar over her ears anyway as that's how i do it with my other horses so no reaching around but wondering how to maybe start this process? I want to be nice and slow with her but i'm wondering if an almost 'cruel to be kind' approach may be slightly better in that just do it quickly and praise her loads until she isnt worried about it? not really sure how else to go about it because she will happily stand for her head collar, not sure where to progress from there?
Click to expand...

I think you just have to persevere in a gentle way.

I have this problem every summer with my mare with fly mask. She's quite forgetful! Every year we have the same issue about the them going over her ears.

She actually loves having her head and ears scratched so it makes no sense!

So I put headcollar on and start down the neck somewhere with the mask, and creep it up each time with scratches, and rubs and endless "good girl noises". Anyone hearing me would think I'm mad (well I am so nyerr). So I carry on and just slide it slowly over and gently secure. Remove headcollar, give treat.

Worked all the 5 years I've had her.

Used same method on shy new girl and all is good.
 
My lad went through this stage, no incident just one day no! We just worked though and around it and with patience it went away. The key was not making a drama about it. He did it with his bridle to. For him it was like a stage. You'd solve that problem and he'd think of something else.
 
forget the headcollar etc and teach her to lower her head on command. it is very easy to teach (look up the Tellington Jones TTEAM stuff if you want more info) You can simply put one hnad behind her ears and the other on her nose, rock her head slightly and teach her the word DOWN. They soon get it and then just one hand and the word and they lower their heads to the ground. Having got that far you can then start work on her head and each time she puts her head up correct her into the down position. Work on her ears pulling then, twisting them, (gently) and pulling them backwards as if a bridle was going over them. If you do the rest of the TTEAM face exercises they will help as well.
 
We backed a horse like this a few years ago. We kept calmly getting the bridle on then praising till he was fine. Took about two sold weeks about 5 mins twice a day. The backing process went easily after that though he was a bit starry at having someone up top. He got over that after about three sessions. Then we went to start hacking the next week, went along the local quiet old railway track, he veered to the left staring at a squirrel and a tiny little bit of beech branch touched his head. I've never actually seen a horse leap straight up that high before. He was a big chap but you could have fitted a clydesdale under him. Took a lot of work to fix his confidence hacking after that.
Do a hell of a lot of desensitisation round her head, far more than you think is what I've learned on these ones.
 
reward reward reward. everytime you put something over the head eg headcollar, bridle, give a pony nut or mint held lowish down. reward reward reward. it works briliantly. once the horse is lowering its head for you the reward can turn into a pat and scratch every other time, then every third time then just a rub and scratch and no pony nut need be given, eventually. Also practice practice practice, especially at first, headcollar on and off 12 times a pony nut each time.
 
I had a horse who was head shy, we think she had either been hit over head previously or hurt herself on top of head....I used to use a head collar that the noseband unbuckled, she would let us fasten a headcolar round her neck and slide it towards ears and then fasten nose band up... I had to use padded head pieces, and we started training her to let us rub her ears for a treat, pears were her temptation!!!
My sharer spent many hours with her and by time we sold her 4 years later she would even let us trim her poll and ears... But it took time and patience ..if she got upset we left it, and tried another time... We used to leave a field safe headcolar on when turned out...but she never did let us use a fly mask, she was ok with fly spray..
 
Lots of good ideas!

The other thing to remember with horses,especially youngsters that is they learn every time you do something with them, not just when you set up a schooling session. So the handler needs to make every session count, or one may find that the horse has learned something that you did not intend
 
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