I bought a little irish horse (my avatar) in September who has clearly been mistreated. His passport shows he has been in the same home for 5 years so he has most likely suffered this treatment for a long time. Due to his nervousness i thought it would be best to start at the beginning and I have spent alot of time on the ground with him. I spent hours before he would let me stand anywhere behind his shoulder and hours more just standing on a mounting block getting him used to me being above him. I have gone through all the parelli level 1 ground tasks as well as having done join up a few times & using clicker training. He is very good on the ground & does everything at the lightest suggestion. He's gone from uncatchable to coming to greet me and will follow me around at liberty anytime, anywhere. I have been longreining him and whereas he was very high headed and gobby he is now starting to lower his head and seek the bit BUT he is still very edgy & under saddle some tiny thing will set him off and he goes into panic mode and boy can he buck! i then end up in a heap on the floor & hes then completely terrified. Do any of you have any advice of where to go from here? do you think i will ever regain his trust & confidence?
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Hi Knabstrupper! First of all I'd like to congratulate you for rescuing this little horse, he seems to have found a real home with you. The groundwork you've been doing gives him confidence, that's clear, your patience and fairness does a lot for him.
Have you desensitzed him from the ground, spooky things like plasticbags on a stick, umbrellas, balloons, you name it, maybe strange sounds as well?
Keep your groundwork going, do another Join-up, he knows he can trust you.
If he is that spooky when ridden, you could make a dummy for him, (a fake rider) and you being his comfortzone at the centre of the roundpen. Even longline him with the dummy in the saddle.
Monty describes the "Buckstopper" in his book "From my hands to yours", that could be a next step towards riding again. Before you have solved his phobia, please don't ride him, he's not ready for it! In his former life he has obviously been punished for bucking from spookyness, so this needs to be addressed before he's a safe mount.
You might need some professional help with the actual riding, but you've come a long way!
Miriam thanks for your reply. He is not spooky just afraid of people. He's fine about plastic, gun shots etc but hes almost always on hyper alert watching to see if you look like your going to hit him doing anything like sweeping, moving hands to quickly etc really worries him. As for the buckstopper i have been trying to encourage him to put his head down and relax. The underside of his neck is already very over developed so he may of had his head tied up before but i think it would do more harm than good. Funny you mention the dummy as i did try that but it didn't go well. Its upper body was floppy and it gave him a real fright leaving the dummy headless and me feeling really guilty. The bucking is so sporadic (only twice) i think i would have to spend an awful lot before a professional could see the problem and even then i think only a bronc rider could stay on :(
Have him checked for any physical problems that may be causing him discomfort while under saddle. Check saddle fit. Equine chiropractors are a great resource. Spinal adjustments will open up the rest of skeletal structure to release any muscular tension he may have. If he's lived under constant emotional stress he is probably pretty tight. Think about how stress affects the human body. It affects animals the same way.
Also, as a rescuer of abused dogs I can't stress enough that patience and time is the key. I've realized that accepting an animal at any stage in his recovery will pay out inmeasurable dividends in the end. Don't rush the process. Let your horse decide when he is ready to move on to the next steps. In the meantime, just love him for who he is right at this moment.
I believe ground work is the most valuable tool we have. It establishes trust and communication. Your horse will grow to understand what you expect of him. He will, also, start to pick up on your communication style. If he isn't quite ready to be under saddle continue your ground work. Scour the internet for different ground work exercises you can do to engage and stimulate your horse.
Good luck.
BTW - Did you watch the "Spooky Kadina" videos?
Hi Dirtypaws, Thanks for the advice & the luck! I have tried a little TTouch & whatnot but im rather rusty. He is very tight in his neck, I have had him living out since i bought him and think that grazing may of helped a little in stretching these muscels out but its got to have had an effect on his whole body, the chiropractor is definitely worth a try.
I also have had a mistreated dog, she came to trust me relatively quickly but she never regained her confidence around men and even with my family she wouldn't come down from my bedroom if i wasn't home. I just hope its not going to be the same with this guy as i already have one forever horse and had always intended to sell him a few years down the line.
I will continue to do groundwork with him, his expression does start to soften after 20 mins or so, so that encouraging. We have started doing the parelli level 2 stuff & for whatever reason he loves the pedestal.
I did watch the spooky kadina videos but really with one of my other horses in mind - who is very playful, bossy & loves people but his first reaction to "trouble" is to spin & run. Not sure how to apply it to this one who doesn't appear to be scared of anything other than me. Any change in my body language or even heart rate can worry him!