Monty Roberts Equus Online University | Monty's Horse Training Post: Phobia of something behind him

Learn all about Equus • Dually Halter • Shy Boy Mustang • Jumping Horses
• Story of a Horse Whisperer • Riding Horsemanship • Dressage Horses • Willing Partners
• Horse Training • Round Pen Lessons • Performance Horses • Join-Up

Watch Monty's horse training videos to learn how he demonstrates communication through horse training techniques that the amateur and professional alike consider to be the trainable skills of a horse whisperer yet Monty calls it horse gentling.
Monty's horse training techniques are non violent with intelligent natural horsemanship. In addition to video instructions, Monty has written many books related to natural horsemanship. Monty trains safe horses for nervous riders called Willing Partners. Monty trains world class race horses for sale.
“I am very proud to be a part of Her Majesty’s horse training and her passion for their welfare. I believe she is the leading monarch for the advocacy of horses in the world. She is a thought leader in this field. Her Majesty's horses are trained using the Dually Halter, making a difference in the training of sensitive animals by giving the horse the choice to partner in the training.” ~ Monty
“I communicate with a horse in what I call the Language of Equus; a silent language of gestures that is discernible, predictable and effective. Now you can learn from my videos, audio and notes to help you understand the horse as I do. This language is really quite simple, but simplicity becomes its greatest strength.” ~ Monty
Monty Roberts is a renowned horse trainer known as the man who listens to horses and the original horse whisperer. Monty's horse training instructions are accepted worldwide.
Monty has helped thousands of people globally through his Monty Roberts Online Videos to learn how to Join-Up with horses, training young horses, spooky horses, horses that bite. His mustang , Shy Boy , is his most famous horse.
Join-Up methods help horse and trainer to establish a bond of communication and trust. “You must somehow understand that we as horsemen can do very little to teach the horse. What we can do is to create an environment in which he can learn.” ~ Monty
Monty says, “We hear that ‘actions speak louder than words,’ but generally we do not live by it too successfully.” Now Monty has taught thousands of people worldwide how to build trust in animals through our actions and body language.
Monty’s principles really amount to common sense and immense patience. He believes that children and horses have the same behavioral patterns. They are both naturally “flight” animals. "If you frighten them and resort to confrontation, you’ll lose their trust." ~ Monty
"Simple one-on-one reassurances and praise reap long term dividends that can all be undone with the quick slamming of a book on a desk or shouting back." ~ Monty Roberts
"No one of us was born with the right to say 'You must or I'll hurt you' to any other living thing, animal or human". ~ Monty Roberts
"My life's goal is to leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses and for people too". ~ Monty Roberts

← back

Horse Behavior and Training

Phobia of something behind him

By:

Abi

Date:

2014-Feb-08 at 11:16AM

Hi all,

I wondered if any had some suggestions for me. My pony Rupert has a 'phobia' of something being behind him.

Some Examples of his behaviour:

. When walking in hand in the arena he will run forward past me and kick out behind him.
.Sometimes if he can look behind he won't blast forward, so I try and allow him a longer line so he can move his head around.
.When out on the road if another horse is in front of him it makes him worse, but he is happy when he is in the front.

Things I have tried:

.He is completely happy with a plastic bag being waved all around him. I made an emphasis on bringing it over him front behind him and he's happy with that.
.He is happy walking over tarpauline.
.I have pulled a tyre next to him/ behind him and he is happy with that.

I'm struggling with ideas to help him, how to incrementally teach him that there's nothing behind him that's going to eat him up!

Thanks in advance, Abi x

beryl 2014-Feb-08 at 02:15PM

Hi Abi, this is an interesting one that I'm sure many people can relate to.
You're doing all the right things with your training; have you had him long?
Have you done join up with him?
I wonder if it's the echo on the road of his shoes, that worries him?
the 2 weeks my mare had front shoes on, she was petrified of the noise they made & kept trying to run away from them!
It's interesting that he's happy in front, the only suggestion i've got is to ride him in front & gradually ask him to go behind for a very short while & then put him back in front; as he gets more used to it, you can up the time he's behind.
Don't know if that's any help or not.

LennyLlama 2014-Feb-08 at 04:24PM

I think the first thing to do is to try join-up, once you have done joinup with him for some time, do joinup with a plastic bag on a stick. ive started this with my horse and now she is going from a very spooky horse to a games horse as she is learning how to react to "scary" things, shes learning they actually arent going to hurt her. so doing joinup with a plastic bag is great, even anything "scary" is good. its just normal joinup but you drop the plastic bag after, go and pat her on the head, let her follow you to the plastic bag, then introduce it and do what desensitising activities involve, then i started rubbing it down her back legs and getting it used to it under her belly and between her back legs as she used to also be a massive kicker but now after desensitising with a plastic bag on her back legs shes perfect for the farrier and me to pick up, good luck with him :)

vicci - UK (North Wales) 2014-Feb-09 at 06:28PM

Hi Abi, hmm tricky one without seeing it...I have a few questions to add to Berys so we can get more ideas. Is it situation specific? You mention the arena...what is he like if you are walking anywhere else (without another horse). what is he like if you throw lunge lines on the floor, does he spook? What happens if a person walks behind him? The road issus and the arena behaviour may not be connected, they may be two different issues...