Hi everyone,
I've just joined the online university and this is my first post so I'm just getting to grips with it!
In August I adopted a rescue pony who is a 12hh 6 year old welsh section a gelding. The rescue centre said when they got him he had a headcollar on that was too tight and was dug into his flesh, apparently he wasn't too underweight but he was VERY headshy and they believe he had been abused which breaks my heart as he really is the sweetest pony.
I originally got him as a company for my 17hh Irish hunter so he wasn't alone but as time has gone on I would really like to start working with my pony. However(!) when I first got him he was terrified (understandably) and would not come near me. Over time, and with stacks of patience, he will now eat out of my hand and will allow his near shoulder to be touched. Sometimes, when he's feeling brave, I can stroke his nose. I'm so proud of him as these are big steps for him to take! I would love to do join up with him but will need to be able to put a headcollar on him first, but he won't let me near him with a headcollar.
He is out in the day and in the stable at night but he just follows my other horse in and out. I sit in the stable with him for hours, he has lovely manners and is so sweet and gentle. As soon as I pick up the headcollar the whites of his eyes show and hes shaking at the back of the stable. I understand this is probably due to the horrendous and painful experience he has suffered but this is my main question (I'm getting there!)... has anyone got any suggestions/previous experience of how to deal with this? I really want him to see that I'm not going to hurt him. He follows me at a cautious distance round the field and when I'm in the stable with him he's totally relaxed. It's just getting a headcollar on him!!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and I would really appreciate any advice at all!
Hannah
Hi Hannah, welcome to the forum and the Uni!
Your story about the pony is heartbreaking, lucky pony to have found you now!
Since you're new I guess you cannot have seen all the videos. Ofcourse it is critical that you watch the basics first, but please work your way up to "Giorgia's Phobia". Remember that you have a real remedial horse at hand, if you feel insecure about any handling, don't do it yourself, but search professional help. Wear a helmet and any other protection that seems fair.
Taking your pony to a roundpen will not be easy without being able to lead him, maybe you can try to make him follow your other horse into some kind of enclosure, where you can do Join-up (other horse out).
Even after a few Join-ups you will have a lot of work to do, building trust is the most important part of it. How is he reacting to leadropes around the rest of his body? Maybe you can start to desensitize away from the head. Remember that taking away the scary thing is the most important part of rewarding for accepting it even a very short moment.
Good luck and tell us about even the smallest progress!
I did join up without a round pen or a halter. All you really need is the basic understanding of join-up and the language of Eguuus. There are no hard and fast rules for reaching the goal of join-up. Monty has his way of doing it, but if you think about it horses establish heirarchy without the use of round pens, halters or the imaginary clock. I was in a square arena and even though my horse had to stop and turn at the corners the language and communication was still there. Do what works for you and your pony as long as you are both safe.
Remember that the point of join-up is to gain trust and respect. It may take several attempts, but it will happen. On any given day if you feel like it's not going to happen try again the next day. Don't exhaust yourself or your horse. That'll only backfire.
You might want to work on desensitizing your pony with the halter. Let it hang on his stall at night. Keep halters safely laying all over the place. That way he will get used to seeing them, realizing that they will not hurt him. As you walk toward your other horse with halter in hand keep it in plain sight of the pony. As he watches you handle your other horse with a halter he will start to figure it out. But, I think its essential that he become accustomed to it.
I have a dog that was severely abused. He would scream everytime he was faced with a situation that could have potentially brought pain. After awhile I decided that he needed to be acclimated to real life. So, we started carrying on with business as usual without worrying about his reaction. It worked, but it took along time...three years before he initiated play by dropping a ball at my feet. My point is, that you will get there. Patience reaps the greatest reward.
Is there any way that you could drape a lead rope around his neck and lead him that way? I would think that just being handled more would cause him to trust you better, then you could lead him in this fashion to an enclosure where you could do join up.
I would also suggest that with a horse this timid and having an abusive past, you should make your sending away gestures as mild as possible. I recently joined up with a VERY timid arab mare and needed very little energy to send her away. In fact, I did the entire join up at the trot without her getting overly excited and it worked great! Originally, this horse wouldn't let me get within five feet of her, and it took me a VERY long time just to get a halter on her. After join-up, she followed me around and even hung around sniffing and nuzzling me while I adjusted the saddle. In only a few more minutes, she was standing quietly for me to mount, and we walked and trotted. Point being that you can adjust the join-up procedure depending on the horse's personality and needs and still have great results.
Good luck! It is commendable that you rescued her and are taking the time and effort to help her overcome her phobias :)
Very good suggestions by all, remember you can join up anywhere, I have worked with several (10 now) rescued and abused horses, and all eventually will join with you if you are patient and very careful not to threaten. I try to use my own body energy to calm the horse. Even though I am usually quite assertive in nature, when I know I have a difficult horse, I make myself RELAX as much as possible and connect through the spirit. It has worked with horses that no one could touch.
At the barn I am at now I practice with the horses that are the most closed off, just relax, whisper, touch very softly and they all come around.
Dear Hannah,
It is difficult to really go to work with your pony unless you can put a head collar on him, so this should be a priority really. One way of desensitising your pony to the headcollar is by holding it in the hand furthest away from him, and rubbing his shoulder or whichever other sweet spot you can create with your free hand. You mentioned he lets you do this when he is feeling brave. When he relaxes you can take this free hand away from his shoulder. You can change things up by taking the head collar out of the equation and rubbing him with two hands, as he get's braver. This will prepare him for when you need two hands on him for getting the head collar on further down the line.
Gradually, as his confidence builds, you can start to move your hand that is holding the headcollar, further down the free arm that is rubbing his shoulder. You can use advance and retreat all the time, so taking the headcollar away when he relaxes. Eventually, if your timing is right, you will be able to rub the head collar directly on his shoulder.
From there you can progress to his neck and head, taking the time you need to ensure he is comfortable with the process. Good luck. Let us know how you go.
Laira
Hi Hannah,
I have experience working with unhandled horses in both the UK and the USA and am a Certified Monty Roberts Instructor. I am in the process of putting together some videos for an online horse education company and am looking for some demo horses - I wondered if you would like to involve your chap? Any work would be free of charge of course. Please let me know....
Many thanks,
Laira