Youngster nervous about being handled?

[tangosmum]

I have had my 3 year old Gypsy Cob only 2 weeks....yes 2 weeks! He is a little love but VERY nervous of being handled.

He ties up, stands for feet to be picked out, can be groomed...though is a bit sensitive and nervous of every new brush, sniffing and snorting at them...he is walked out in hand in traffic, long reined and wears tack. He has been sat on but that is about it.

The thing he is really nervous of is having his saddle put on. He flinches and sinks 4 inches in anticipation of it going on his back. He is fine having his bridle put on, but panics knowing when it is going to come off. Head in the air like a giraffe, flinching at my hands going near his ears. Back up in to the wall.

He is also panicky when I go to put a head collar on him in the stable...sometimes spinning round and showing me his bum.

Once he is wearing a head collar or tack he is calm again. And seems happy to be out and about leading and long reining....

Any tips for getting through this with him?

 

[[69117]]

Firstly, get his back checked. It sounds like he's either in pain, or has had problems with pain as a result of the saddle at some stage.
Next, I would go back to basics. Don't push him for a while, just focus on spending time with him rather than actually "doing" anything.
We bought an enormous 17.3hh, chunky ID last season, and he was a gibbering wreck when he arrived, with problems similar to your boy. We couldn't get near him in the stable to get a headcollar on, couldn't catch him, couldn't tack him up, groom him - everything was scary. We had his back checked and sorting out the pain solved all sorts of problems. The next thing was to spend time with him. I made sure I never walked past him without giving him a treat, which I then gradually cut down to a good scratch and the occasional treat. Six months later, the tense, frightened grey lump that threw himself off the ramp on arrival, is a relaxed, happy hunter, who adores attention and will come up for cuddles in the field very happily.
He needs to know that your presence is a good thing, so give him a couple of weeks off and focus on getting a bond with him, even if you just stand at the fence/stable door for half and hour, he'll start to relax about things. You need to be a team, and he needs to know that bad things aren't going to happen with you.
Most importantly get his back checked, and if all is well, I would say it's remembered pain, so start from scratch again and start of with just stroking his back. Work up to grooming, and then putting just a numnah on. Then move on to a numnah with a surcingle over it, and eventually a saddle. Try fleecey numnahs and girth covers, and although it sounds odd, put them in the tumble drier/airing cupboard/on the aga for a bit before you put them on - our new boy was incredibly cold backed, and warming up his numnah and girth sleeve before we put them on sounded like a ridiculous idea, but it actually really helped! Don't burn him, just warm them a little, as warmth relaxes muscles.
While you're doing anything with him, give him a lick that you can take away again - he'll soon start to look forward to you faffing about with him so he can have yummy things!!
Good luck.

 

[JoBo]

My cob was exactly the same when I got him at 3 years old. It’s all about time and patience. Don’t rush things, he needs to learn to trust you (food worked for mine, was the way to a cob’s heart). I spent hours in the stable just us getting to know each other, no pressure, no fuss.

Please, please just take your time, this is such an important stage in his life. I also agree about getting his back checked.

Now at riding 7, my boy is as bold as brass.

 

[tangosmum]

Will defo get his back checked to rule any pain out, and happy to go back to basics.

Yes food seems to be the most important thing in his life at the moment, so I will put a handful of his cubes in my pocket and dish them out one at a time.

The thing I am worried about is if he will be like this long term? Do nervous youngsters turn into bold brave adults? I really hope so!

 

[Kallibear]

If he's only 3, and not been ridden, then back pain in unlikely, but still worth ruling out.

It's most likely fear.

He is only 3 and you've only had him 2weeks - there's no rush to ride him or even tack him up! Just spend the rest of the year building his trust and start him properly at 4, next spring. Forget doing any 'work' with him and just spend time making friends.

I have a VERY well handled, confident little 3yr old coblet who LOVES humans, but he too had a similar reaction to being 'tacked up'. He hated rugs and numnahs etc flipped onto him, and the same for the saddle. He'd dip away from them, swing round to the end of the rope, and run away if he could. With just time and practise he can now be rugged (on the rare occasion he needs it) loose in the field, and the same for being tacked up (not that's he's broken yet!)

Interestingly he also had a similar issue with being haltered. He's impossible NOT to catch (can't get rid of the little monster) but didn't like having his heacollar on. Again with just practise he now puts his head into it himself.

No, nervous younsters can grow into confident adults, though it depends on their 'type' of nervous-ness. Obviously if he's a big jessie in the field and scared of his own shadow whilst on his own time he's unlikely to make a bombproof confidence giver. But if he's only nervous of humans that should improve quickly. My friend bought an unhandled 3yr old welshy X who was terrified of humans. A year later he's great and nothing bothers him.

 

[fidleyspromise]

I've had my 3 yr old for 5 weeks now. When I got her she had a had a head collar on and that was the extent of her handling.

I spent time in the field with her, give her treats and we have now progressed to touching her head, ears, neck, body and rump (due to her LOVING it being scratched). We are taking our time in touching her legs to which I can get to the knee happily. Keeping her relaxed throughout the process is the key.

There is a huge difference already to her confidence as when I got her, if you even made a move, she ran away. Now I am leading her confidently and she came into the big, bad stable for the first time today.

As you've only had him two weeks, take it back a step and let him get to know you before you start tackling everything else. When you start tacking ling grooming and saddling etc, try to make sure he is relaxed with each stage before moving onto the next one.