Hello! Firstly sorry not been on for a while-look after wildlife and it has been a busy spring! Secondly hope everyone is well and doing well with the four legged beasties!
Down to business.......
Over the past few months I have been doing A LOT of training with woody.... Many aspects addressed and it I has been quite a ride. But the issue I have and have had for some time I am loosing my mind with now and do not know what to do. Donkeys. He hates them. I'm sure I've said something before but basically last winter he decided that he will actually die from donkeys. He can sometimes see them from the sand school and looses his head. I got Chris Morris over and put into practise what he taught me. after a few months I thought fab, we are getting somewhere. He saw the other horses graze next to them and not freak out, so he stopped. Would look and if he was having an off day not go in the corner of the school nearest the field nearest the donkeys if they moved too much. But we started riding again! Oh it was lovely! Bareback, just walk and trot and and a couple of little jumps, and on the lunge he was chilled, would't freak of I increased the pace. Brill! We can start increasing our riding training!
But now the horses are in during the day and out at night and it seems we are back to square one. Tried just lunging in the 'safe' corner, just walk, and trot- first day he was ok. Second day he seemed more nervous but on a level but then some other owners turned up (they half live on site) and that was it he totally lost it. Kept calm, just ignored it waiting for him to calm down. No, ok so pointy game- if I increase the pressure by making him go forward he thinks, from his bad past, that I'm having a go and freaks even more. But he wouldn't settle. Wouldn't even ear twitch towards me he is so focused and obsessed with the donkeys. I will add he has not seen them in three weeks.
I admit I did get frustrated but really tried to keep my cool. Usually the slightest touch on the Dually or a move to his shoulder and he stops. When he's like this I have to haul on it to even get him to turn in my direction. Eventually I Managed to get him to walk and walk with me but then he's in front and I have to check him hard,and moving sideways so he can see them all the time. Again, usually he stays by my shoulder calmly, even without a dually and line. It took an hour to get him remotely calm. But then he can't leave my side.
Tried agin on day three and similar thing. Went in just wanting a few circles in walk then would leave it. Which he did do eventually, but again, people turned up and his adrenaline went up and he was jittery, focused on the direction of the donkeys. A butterfly flew over his back and he jumped. I really do not know what to do.
Ok as I'm writing this I was about to say that he has known these people for a long time and they haven't had contact with him since I've had him, except the day I got back from holiday, the day before this started and they brought him and his field mates in for me as my friend was sick.......shit. This coincides with the horses not being there too..... Ok I understand more now..sorry for the conscious writing.
What I was going to ask and what I still will as I still need advice, it what can I do to distract him from the donkeys. It's such an obsession for him and I know anything that upsets him ,even if it's from a different direction, he will automatically turn to them and it's like I don't exist. He doesn't even ear twitch towards me and if I ask him to move in did rent directions, back up etc he goes on autopilot. He does it but still is up and focused on them. He walks over tarpaulin, happy with plastic bags rubbed over him....I don't know what I can do to get and hold his attention.
He used to ride alone in the school and out on hacks so I don't know why he's lost confidence in himself. We are so much closer now too and I know how amazing he is and how brave and calm he can be.....I don't know how to get it back or why it went in the first place. We have always been a team and I just don't know how to help him with this.
Cheers and sorry for the long essay x
Hi - oh dear I can feel your sadness and frustration in your message; I feel for you. Before I embark on any potentially useless advice ;-) can I ask, Is there any way he can be put in a paddock next to these donkeys with a view to him then going in to share space with them so that it becomes 'no big deal'? Or even next door stables or...?
Hi. I agree with Vicci. What you need is human cooperation - to get Woody direct contact with a donkey. Clearly he believes they are flesh eating dinosaurs. Once he finds out this is an unfounded fear you'll be on the path to true progress. You need to be completely safe, Woody needs to be completely safe & the donkey & the donkey handler needs to be completely safe. So, give it plenty of calm thought, involve the donkey owners in the process & set up a situation where Woody can conquer his phobia by meeting it head on. We've seen the process with tractors, bicycles, motorbikes & cows. Introduce the phobic stuff gradually & work through to acceptance so the horse can beat his demons. First step is for YOU to be calm & intelligent. Horses become happy with plastic, tarps, river crossings, traffic, planes, helicopters, farm machinery - the list is endless. None of them start out happy with any of it; they need to be shown that it's ok. I'm confident you will the way to show Woody that donkeys can be his friends. Keep us posted & good luck. Cheers, Jo.
Firstly thank you for your comments!
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I think that him being in contact with them is the only way forward, but I am stuck. The fields next to them are just electric and while usually I don't think he would go through it, his reaction to donkeys is so sever I think he would hurt himself. Also the donkey owner is a bit of a nutter....sounds mean but he really is! Lol. Have tried to get in contact with him but no luck. I have tried to take woods down there to see them but he was terrified. Snorting, shaking, nearly throwing himself backwards trying to get away from them. Then the next day started shaking well before we even got the school, let alone the field near them. :(
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Over the past few months he has conquered his fear of tarp, hay-ledge bales, tractors ect using the techniques from the lessons and the Dually but donkeys ( and cows I have to say) are the devil and his reaction is far far worse than anything else he's been worried at.
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. I have to say though this morning I did take him into the school just to walk round and he managed to stay with me nicely and then three small circles in walk on each rein, then out. Phew. He did look a lot but I've found I have to really talk to him the whole time and if we stop for a head rub, not stop for longer than one beat unless he's really chilled as it gives him time to work himself up. Also no one around. Says a lot. Think definitely a combination of it all so am now going to be a protective mother and keep everyone away unless him there. And then work up with people he knows I trust again.
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. But if you can think of anything else I can do to get him more comfortable with these scary beasties, please let me know! Think it's going to be an idea out if the box jobbit!
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. Thank you
Hi. If the donkeys owner isn't cooperative, could you not find one who is? Donkey sanctuaries are found the world over or perhaps the RSPCA, or local equivalent, could help you. Same sort of thing for cows. If you can find a cooperative farmer to allow you access to a docile cow in safe circumstances. You'll be amazed how helpful people can be once they understand the problem & you explain how you propose to introduce Woody so he can beat his demons. Good luck. Cheers, Jo.
I'm wondering whether you are giving him enough time in the school to work it out. I can't see your layout so forgive me if I ask yet more daft questions! is your school safe? i.e. if you turned him loose, stayed on the outside and let him work it out what would happen? If you think he would jump out then of course don't do it, but if you think he may flap about for a while then settle when he realises nothing will happen ....? It may take 15/20 minutes....some nice food for him to "find" (carrots and apples in buckets around the school without him knowing you put them there) in there will test his stress levels too (stressed animals will not eat!) so some positive associaton with the donkeys (i.e. nice food appears) may help. If he shows any signs of eating, his levels are coming down.
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It would help enormously if you had a horse that wasn't bothered by the donkeys to go in the school with him. Sometimes, with the best will in the world we just 'get in the way' and they are best left to work it out but only if it is safe to do so. what do you think?