What worked for you..?

[Jennie_07]

I purchased my new pony/mini Misty, she is a sweet heart and has been really well ....

but she was beaten all around her face by her previous, previous owner :no: (make sence?) so some times if you

go to grab her halter she jumps back and gets really scared, she isnt agressive at all, but she just gets jumpy. Dose any

one have any good tips to help her over come this, I really belive that she can over time b/c she has come so far already.

Thanks

Jennie

 

[Marty]

Time and patience will re-program this.

Just a suggestion for you when she's wearing the halter and you want to grab her, instead of trying to grab her by the halter, try just using a rope around the neck first. Approach her from the side, but don't throw the rope over the top of her neck. Slip it quietly underneath her neck first, then bring it up and over. Once you have a rope on her neck, then be sneaky and grab her halter quietly and attach your clip.

Spend as much quiet time as you can sitting on a stool with her face, facing you and get her used to you rubbing her cheeks and forehead and just be real quiet with her. It's going to take time.

 

[Miniv]

Marty has said it.......Time and patience.

We've had horses and also a dog that was beaten and that was the ticket. It's an issue of learning to trust again.

For your horse, when you approach her, try not going for the face first, but slowly put your hand out on her back or on her withers then work your hand up around her neck to take her halter - if she has one on. Meanwhile, your other hand is working its way up the other side of her to her chest, incase she jumps forward.

Be sure to talk softly to her and praise her for not being jumpy.

MA

 

[SandyWI]

I agree with Marty completely! One of my mares came to me very jumpy around the head and I KNOW the lady I bought her from had not abused her. I don't think she WAS abused. I just think that whoever started her made some early mistakes in halter training that sort of stayed with her.

The only way she got over it was that *I* had to get over it. I had to learn to NEVER approach her head from the side with my hand right off. Instead, I spent hours sitting in her stall on a little stool, and when she'd come over to me I'd start scratching her withers and slowly move forwards until I was scratching her cheek. I did this over and over.

When I had to halter her, I'd start scratching her withers and then move to her chest, with the halter dangling in my hand, and gradually start scratching higher on her neck and then just slip the halter on her.

She has made remarkable progress! But still, you just can't approach her quickly with a hand to her head or she'll throw her head. I figure if I keep taking it slowly (it's going on two years already, LOL), at some point I *might* be able to directly approach her head, but it's quite possible I'll always have to gently sneak up on it instead.

In my experience with big horses, I think head phobia and head tossing are things that are sometimes difficult to stop, and sometimes you really will never be able to eliminate the problem. But you CAN lessen its intensity!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Well, I would take off the halter, for a start.

Two reasons:-

First and foremost, SAFETY.

That halter could catch on something and then you for sure would never have to worry about her jumping around ever again :no:

Secondly, if the halter is not there you cannot "grab" it (and for the record, if someone tried to grab my halter I would jump back

: )

So, take off the halter and get to know your little horse better- and calmly, too!!

 

[Jennie_07]

As for keeping the halter on, I put it on her before I work with her in the small pen, its when I grab the halter to clip the lead rope on that she starts to get jumpy. I know not to leave any horse unatended with a halter in a large or small pasture,from my neighbors there horse managed to get her face caught in the fence, and tore up her face, (there lucky thats all she got away with).I tryed the slowy pulling the lead up, that worked preety well, thank you for the tips.

:

Has any one known a horse to almost totally over come this?

Thanks

Jennie

 

[Marsha Cassada]

It seems to me that "grab" seems to be the operative word. You'll probably never get any where trying to grab her. Also, does she face you when you approach, or always turn her rump to you? If she faces away NOT because she is dominant, it may be because she is trying to be invisible--she doesn't want to make eye contact. If it is a personality thing you may not be able to overcome it, but you two will have to learn a new technique for haltering. My gelding that moves away when I want to halter him will probably never get over it, as I think it is "who he is". We have to work with it. When he moves away, I pursue him calmly from the side and don't give up till he stands for me. He pretty much trusts me (as much as he trusts anybody) but if ever I tried to grab his halter, we would have to go back to square one--and I don't want to go backwards with him. He is the horse in my avatar. I even had a talk with Bonnie about him, hoping to learn ways to work with him. Good luck with yours!