I care for horses and theres this one 18 year old quarter horse who REFUSES to put a halter on. Its like a horsemans nightmare, a horse out at pasture that cant be worked with. He can be bribbed to the fence, and in the begining could be bribed into a halter with a carrot, (worst idea ever, but thats the way he came).
He's in perfect health, great flesh. He's a dream with his feet, picks them up and holds them entirely on his own when you touch them, very very responsive to voice commands once he is haltered. He has no other vices that i can find.
he is the dominate horse between him and his older pasture mate, and cannot be separated from him at this point (since i cannot get him haltered to work with him). both havent been ridden in six years, although i did get him haltered and saddled when he first came in and he went directly into work mode, so i know i wouldnt take much to get him squared away.
I dont have a round pen to work him in either, which is a MAJOR pain.
2006-07-01 04:40:38 · 9 answers · asked by amosunknown 7 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I have a break away halter for him... the problem is getting it on him.
I cant take the pasture mate out without him or he jumps the fence... been there done that.
I also cant groom him unless he's haltered and out of the field, aside from picking his feet he wont stand unhaltered for anything else.
The problem is that he's not getting enough work into him, theres not enough people spending time with him, and when they do theyre giving him treats. I explained to them that theyre going to end up with a biter if they dont require some sort of behavior prior to all the goodies. Its like telling parents their kid is a brat.
He was haltered before he came here, and they just left it on him beacuse he had this problem. So i know that that wont work.
What iam wondering is how can i train him out of this behavior without a round pen? Thats all the experience i have with training, and it would be much easier since he wouldnt HAVE to be haltered to be worked in one.
2006-07-01 05:11:53 · update #1
Sounds like someone is spoiled and made up his mind that he no longer wants to work and is getting away with it.
Why would he do anything other than hang out on the pasture with his friends if no one made him.
Get a halter with a break away crown and get it on him and leave it on him.
Go and get him out of the pasture and lunge and work him regulary until he gets back into the routine.
2006-07-01 05:08:47 · answer #1 · answered by tlctreecare 7 · 5⤊ 1⤋
What you're dealing with is a trust issue. What you want to do is spent more time with him. I have a pretty good idea of how to fix this. Spend lots of time grooming him. 2 or 3 times a day, half hour sessions. After a day or 2 of doing that when you go to groom him bring a halter but keep it behind your back. Groom him like you normally would then take a softbrush and brush his face. while he is destracted by that slip the halter on.
2006-07-01 12:02:31 · answer #2 · answered by Autumn 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i had a barrel mare with the same problem. I took a long lead rope, put it around her neck hooked the snap on the rope like a noose, took the end of the lead ran it over her nose through the noose so i could tighten as needed the ran the rest behind her ears back to the noose, instant halter to lead with to a stall where i could put a halter on her. I finally bought a rope type halter to leave on her but would break should she get nosy and into trouble.
2006-07-01 14:01:28 · answer #3 · answered by billiefsmith 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try haltering his pal first. Take him out and then come back for the 18 yr old. I had the same problem with a new horse and that worked like a charm.
2006-07-01 11:45:40 · answer #4 · answered by froggygrl2004 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go buy an inexpensive rope halter, and once you get it on him, leave it on him. Make sure that it's snug so he won't get brush and stuff snagged under it. After a week or so of this, he'll be so used to it being there, changing to a regular halter will be a lot easier.
2006-07-01 11:43:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
he probably has a fear of getting rub sores or getting the halter left on him or he might have ear problems that you cant see. My mom had a horse that got one little tick in its ear but it got infected after we got it taken out. It took my mom three years to get her where you can even touch her ears.
2006-07-02 01:29:46 · answer #6 · answered by ruff_n_readycowgirl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like he is trying to tell you he has decided to retire and intends to spend the rest of his years eating grass and enjoying his golden years. If he starts bucking you can always sell him to a rodeo as a bucking horse.
2006-07-01 11:45:57 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Robert R has a good idea, but the hatler with leave sores on his face. So do something like that but not extacly.
2006-07-01 12:05:49 · answer #8 · answered by hacker 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try to do it in the dark with a apple it might just work
2006-07-01 11:44:33 · answer #9 · answered by scruett 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋