My horse has a problem with being tied. Whenever she is tied to a fence she pulls back and rears until she breaks her halter, sometimes she even falls over. Even if she is not tied, when she feels in danger she will rear and fall flat on her back. I think she has been abused in the past, any advice on how to help this horse overcome her fears?
2006-07-16 11:55:47 · 12 answers · asked by yankee_blondie 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
She isn't afraid of the fence, she will sometimes stand quietly for 5 mins, and after realizing she can't get free, she starts to react. This is especially bad when getting her hooves trimmed.
2006-07-16 12:40:36 · update #1
Another poster talked about Monty Robers, and she is correct. The process she was trying to explain is called the "Join-up". Monty has a web-site, oddly enough it's www.montyroberts.com
He has a newsletter, and it's very informative. One of the horses he talks about was a mare who had the same problem you're having. He was her last resort, and he got her over the hump. I strongly encourage you to look this man up on-line.
2006-07-16 17:19:55 · answer #1 · answered by Suzette R 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
UGH! No fun...and of course all of us will have different opinions. I personally have never tied my pulling back horses onto a fence of any kind...don't know why anyone would. However I have and still do one thing that my grand-dad taught me. I believe one other post was similiar...take a tractor tube and loop it in the "Y" of a sturdy tree, run a long lounge line and tie it off through the tube and leave the clasp hanging down so that the horse can hold it's head in a normal position. You need to be w/ the horse the first couple of times that you do this ad talk it through the ordeal. Once the horse starts pulling you say whoa, easy but you need to be far enough away to not be in danger. Once the horse releases from the pressure you need to reassure and talk to him/her. The horse will test it over and over until it learns that it will be okay. Do not let the horse set back for too long as it will make the horse fall asleep due to the pressure on the poll...you may have to smooch or smack him lightly on the butt to come up. I have never had any issues of my horses getting hurt when doing this and I have been training horses all my life. You have to develop your own way of doing things or get the help that you might feel more comfortable with. This is just an example of what I do and several other folks do.
Good luck!
2006-07-17 08:13:44 · answer #2 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This behavior can be very dangerous. If you don't know her past it will be even more difficult to change her behavior. The first thing I would do is merely drape the lead line over the post. She may not like the sensation of being unable to escape any threat. The best thing you can do is make her feel as safe as possible. However horses tend to freak out about the littlest thing, they are flight animals.
When she does spook don't tell her its "ok", she will simply think that the action is ok. Tell her she's "alright or fine", Calming her is your first priority, punishment will only make her more fearful. Once she is calm give her something positive, a treat or a pat. Also when she is behaving well remind her that she is doing good. Say "good girl" or a pat or a treat when she does something really good like go past a scary bucket or something.
She needs to know she is safe around you, that you aren't going to hurt her or allow her to be hurt. She needs to learn to trust again. If the problem persists I would suggest finding an animal behaviorist to help retrain her. Email me if you still need some help. Good Luck
2006-07-16 12:13:16 · answer #3 · answered by Kellie M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My horse use to pull back, but not the the extent your's does. It sounds like you need to do alot of work here. Start off slow. Get the halter on her, but do not tie her to the fence. Take her to the fence and hold her there, talking and calming her down. You've got to teach her she has nothing to be afraid of when it comes to the fence. In otherwords you've got to make the fence her friend. A place she will go to willingly when asked. Does she shy away from the fence when you lead her to it? Does she go right up to the fence or is she like 4 feet or so from it? This is not going to happen over night, it may take weeks or more. But, you have to be consistent and reassuring to her. You are her key to not being afraid. If working with her slowly like this is not something you're able to do, you may want to find a trainer/rehabilitator in your area that can help you.
2006-07-16 12:05:44 · answer #4 · answered by Fawnice 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my horse did the exact same thing and once he did fall over too... we used a "inner tube of a tire" (a stretchy tire shape tube made of rubber) raped around the fence and then tied the lead rope to the tube, that works great because now he can't break the halter and just pulls on the tube and gives up after he found out he cant go any where! but i think my horse did it because he hate being rid, and is not that scared.. i hope you solve your problem :)
2006-07-16 12:43:23 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should NEVER tie a horse to a fence, or anything else.
If you can't cross-tie your horse someone should hold it for you. There are break away ends that you can get for your cross ties. If a horse pulls on them hard enough they release. If your horse is flipping over and breaking equipment she is going to hurt herself or hurt you.
Without knowing what has happened to an animal in its past it can be very difficult to overcome fears such as this.
2006-07-16 12:49:00 · answer #6 · answered by Sharingan 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it will take patience. I suggest following Monty Roberts way when it comes to doing this. Turn your horse out into a round pen and take off her halter. let her walk around for a few minutes and adjust to her surroundings. then take a lunge rope and flick it at her, but dont touch her. get her moving around the round pen at a steady trot. after a few minutes, turn her and make her go the other way. what you want o watch for is her ears to flick toward you, then for her to start licking and chewing. once she does that then she is saying "let me back into the herd". She will trust you a lot more. keep working with her liek this for a week or so, but dont overdo it. You will need to invest in what Mr. Roberts calls the "Dually halter" This halter is set up so that when normal pressure is applied, it will calm the horse. I forget what all he said to do but this will at least get you on the right track.
2006-07-16 12:15:47 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
stay w/ her. don't leave her alone 4 a while.
may be each day keep her tied up for a little bit longer at a time. have something to keep her busy so she doesn't think about it. reward her if she stands quietly. if she starts to get scared release her from a quik relese knot b4 she brakes her halter
is she affraid of being longed? mayb try longing and keep her moving. starting w/ big circle and then shortening the longe line as you go.
those were just a few thoughts
2006-07-18 03:55:33 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would get a lead line and take her up to the fence and talk calm but I wouldn't tie it. I would do this for about a week. Then when I could get her up to the fence I would put the lead line on the fence but I wouldn't tie it. when she could handle this I would tie the line with a slip knot. that I could losen if she started to get excited. a horses instinct is to run from fear so you have to take the fear out of the fence for her.
2006-07-16 12:19:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put her on a lead line a lot. She could have a had a scary experience from those when she was little. Use treats to bribe her a little or hay. Also hook her up in her stall or pasture. When a horse is in there stall/pasture it is like there bedroom. If they get hooked up their a lot they will start to not care where they are hooked up.
2006-07-17 16:54:06 · answer #10 · answered by Ashleigh 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋