Ho do you train an abused Horse or Pony?

Question

I'm thinking about adopting an abused horse or pony to work with. I've had many experiences of training horses & ponies, but the problem is- I've never worked withy an abused one!!! How do I do so? Anyone have any tips, tricks, suggestions, or ideas??? Thanks a whole bunch!!!!

Answer 1

No matter what anyone on here tells you, no one answer is going to be correct for every horse. Some abused horses (and when I say horses I am including ponies) are extremely shy and require months of desensitization and trust building, while others are so desperate for love that they can't get enough attention from the start.

The first thing to think about is whether you want to work with a horse that has actually been abused versus neglected. More horses are neglected than abused in the U.S., and that's by quite a high margin. I would recommend that you start with a horse that has been neglected. Neglected horses generally have health issues, but in most cases have fewer "people" issues than abused horses. Does that make sense? Think of it this way: A neglected animal has not been aggressively physically harmed by humans, and therefore does not fear humans. In fact, a neglected horse will generally be so happy to have a human paying attention to him that you will be able to build trust and a good relationship rather quickly. However, a horse that has been physically abused by a human will come to fear most humans in general due to the injuries that humans have inflicted upon it. It takes much, much longer (sometimes years or even decades) to teach an abused horse to trust humans again, and some abused horses will never trust again.

I strongly suggest that you begin by volunteering at a horse rescue facility. Taking care of and retraining neglected and abused horses is FAR more complicated and difficult than working with a "normal" horse. You may even find that volunteering quenches your desire to do this--many people come to realize that working with neglected and abused horses takes far more time, patience, and money than working with your typical horse. If the volunteering goes well, then move on to taking on your own case.

I hope this helps, and I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do.

Answer 2

Training and abused horse is twice as hard as any other. First before you can even str\art trying to do anything else you have to gain the horses trust and let them see that you are not going to hurt them, also these horses might be hard to feed around other animals if they have been starved as they will be territorial of their feed. At first I wouldn't do anymore than walk around the horse and let it smell you and get use to your presense. Maybe carry some treats in your pocket and if it comes close offer it one. Don't take an abused horse and tie it into a stall. Once you start getting the trust of the horse start with a lead rope and just walk it around letting it get use to you being there. When you get ready to start adding saddle and blanket let the horse sniff the blanket and then rub him down with it and let him sniff it again. It takes time but the horse will know what is what then so no surprises. We had gotten my son a horse that was very skiddish and had been abused and neglected in the past. To start with it was over a month before we could get on to ride, even though he was broke, and then it would take us an hour to saddle him and calmly get him started. A lunge line also works great in this situation. With a lot of patience we now have a horse that my son can go out and saddle by himself and when it isn't being rode he thinks he is the puppy or something and follows us all over the pasture when we are out working on fences. It will take time and patience but it can be done.

Answer 3

You are doing a good service to the abused horse or pony if you pick either one.
What you need to do first is to gain the horse or pony's trust that you will not harm them.
Treat them like a new horse, letting them approach you first and get a smell of you. If you have a treat in hand, that is always good because they will see you as someone friendly to them and will come to you when they see you.
Some horses will take to a human after they are abused and some will not want to associate with a human after that and they need more time to get used to you.
I had an abused horse which I went to where he was at and fed him food for two months and then he was at the fence whinnying for me one morning. I was not really able to brush him or pet him till that moment. I had him for over ten years when at age 35, I had to say goodbye to him.
I started to brush him down very gently and talked to him. Never moving too fast or too abruptly. I always moved slow around him and always treated him gently.
The horse or pony may be underweight and slowly give them food to eat if possible three times a day, morning, noon and night till the horse or pony start gaining weight and then move it to morning and night. And be sure to give them ample water supply and as much hay as the horse or pony can eat.

Answer 4

Slow, take all the time in the world and start at the beginng. Like it has never been handled. I would give the horse/pony an least 6 month to rest and just be a horse before you do much of anything. Then just go slow, short lessons. If he/she seems nervous go back to basics and re-do something they already know.

Answer 5

It takes a LONG time, and a LOT of patience. I have friends who got an abused drafthorse, Bina, about 3-4 years ago. For the first 2 years, she would still flinch, spook, and pretty much freak out very easily, and only the most experienced riders could ride her. Now, she has gotten to be sooo much more gentle/docile/calm, and truely gives meaning to the phrase "gentle giant." She will only freak and struggle a little if she finds herself backed up into a corner or a trailer (b/c her old owner would corner her and beat her), but she's getting better and better. Now, even beginner riders can ride her... my friends have trail riding for tourists, and I've seen many first timers ride her quite easily.
I know that I didn't really answer your question, but I hope that my experience helped to give you some perspective.

Answer 6

Natural horsemanship programs work best with abused and/or wild horses. I suggest Parelly Natural Horsemanship. The program's homeschool kits take you through pretty much everything, beginning with basic ground manners. Any NH program would work, but Parelli has a progression of training to keep you on the right track.

In any case, dealing with an abused, wild, or even mis-trained horse takes lots of patience and repetitive training. It's also dangerous, so please be careful! Good luck with this. I hope everything works out for you!

Answer 7

Well first of all your going to need a coral where you can keep her.You have to make friends with her first.Find out her history it helps in the process of training her.It might take a while for her to trust you.It really just depends on the horse and how bad of shape she's in(how bad she's been beaten).Just make sure you give her lots of love and care.Oh and by the way abused horses usally turn out to be better horses than most.

Answer 8

i have handled several abused horse . i have a 8 year old mare right now that i bought at an auction that had been abused and beaten . just give the horse lots of time with you .don't try to force the animal into anything . that will only do one of 2 thing's / teach him to fight or flight . . you have to be smarter than the horse . set down on a 5 gallon bucket in his stall and read a book . let him start coming to you . slowly touch him . find the spot that he likes touched . it might take a while . give him a hand full of grain at a time from your hand . don't allow anyone to handle this animal but yourself . build up his trust . and GO SLOW ALWAYS till he no longer runs away . if you are riding him and he shys away .stop . get off and walk him over to what ever it is that spooked him . put your self in a place where you are slightly in frount of him . but out of the danger zone of getting hurt . . my mare is my mare . she don't get along with anyone but me . i give her lots of time . touching her, screatching her. give her grain and stand beside her stall or where ever while she eat's talk low or normal to her. the quiter you are around her the better and calmer she will become . no sudden movements to spook her off till she gains trust in you and you in her. good luck . you can do it . all it takes is time and commitment

Answer 9

My Grandpa has a barn on Helios. He has taught me lots about horses. The thing you really need to know is that you need to have a lot more patience than you've probably everhad in your life. They have learned(if they have been abused) that humans are evil and unkind creatures. So you need to show them that we can be loving, kind, and fair. Make sure that they have exacly the right amount of feed and sometimes give them treats. Remember if you plan to ride and start early make sure that you don't punish it right away. Give the horse a third or fourth chance. If he bucks just smack him on the nose. No more. Never give the horse a treat if they didn't earn it.
P.S. I can't find anyone who likes horses. please keep in touch. My e-mail address is [e-mail] (no spaces.)
Thanks,
Anne

Answer 10

The key is to work slow and build there trust first. Abused animals may have bad associations with people. first be patient and dont use physical violence to obtain your way. That just scares them more. Show them you wont hurt them and develop a good strong bond. After that train the gently and slowly.