how to get a horse used to his ears being touched???

Question

Ok, my nine year old Appaloosa won't let me touch his ears. This is hard because when I try to get anything on (bridle, halter), him he jerks away. Any awnsers?

Answer 1

Stand were your shoulders and his shoulders are close together.(far and near sides at a time)
start scratching behind his ears but not on them. On the first few times don't reach over the poles.
When he relaxed and enjoys the scratch, rub your four fingers behind the ear and the thumb in the ear and rub up to the tip.
If there he reacts poorly scratch behind the ear again.
Note: if you do it to lightly it tickles, If to firmly he will fill constrained.
Do this on both ears.

Answer 2

This will take a while. The head is the most sensible part of the horse. They have to trust you very much to let you touch their ears. Furthermore,horses react that way because they've been hit or treated bad in the past. As the time passes by, your horse will trust you more and more and let you touch his head. Meanwhile, try to pet him gently on the head, talk to him, trying to reach his ears, but stop when he starts to react! Tell him it's OK and continue the following day. Day by day, you will move closer and closer and in the end he will get over it. Remember to be gentle even if it gives into your nerves; violence won't help, because your horse do that due to violence from past owners.

Answer 3

Start by getting him accustomed to you around his neck and muzzle areas. Determine which area is more comforting for him, and slowly work your way closer to his ears. Don't be abrupt or twist his ears, therefore furthering the problem. Try it after a hard workout to the point where he is tired and won't spook.

Answer 4

Let him get used to you touching him on the face, and once he learns to trust you he'll let you move around his ears. One way is to have a carrot or something to that affect with you to reward him, although sometimes this doesnt work.

Answer 5

i would say that you need to work on him. you need to start with rubbing his for head as close to his ears as he will let you and as he gets used to that then you need to get a little closer to his ears and so on like that until you can touch his ears then keep on until he is used to that.

Answer 6

Here's a method by Clinton Anderson I found works very well.

Take your horse into a round pen with a halter and lead rope on. (preferrably a rope halter) Hold the lead line with plenty of slack in it. I like to start off by making the horse calm and relaxed. Talk to him, soothe him, pet him.

Don't stand directly in front of him in case he decides to jump forward - stand a bit to the side. Check yourself before you start - Are you relaxed? Remember to breathe. Start by raising your hands in the air (while holding the lead line slack) If your horse raises his head or his eyes widen, keep your hands up. Wait until he's calm and relaxed until you reward him by lowering your hands and petting him.

Now make some motion with your hands. Raise them in the air and wave them a little. If your horse backs away, advance and follow him. The key is to not let off the pressure until your horse calms down by himself, then lower your hands and praise. This method teaches the horse to accept scary things around his head calmly if he wants it to stop/release pressure.

Keep doing this until you can wave your hands around your horse's head without him getting head shy. Now you can begin to touch his face. Start by rubbing his face until he's calm. Don't forget to praise as soon he calms down and accepts it. Ease up to his ears and try rubbing them around the bases. Persist until he calms. Then rub the outside of the ears until he's calm, and finally the inside. By the end you should be able to touch him anywhere on his face without him pulling away.

This may help with you touching his ears with your hands, but there's a possibility it won't work with the halter/bridle. Sacking out with those items is a good way to get him comfortable around them. Start by sacking out with your hands. Have him halt in the middle of the round pen without the lead line attached. Start by rubbing his whole body with your hands, including his face. If he ever moves away from the pressure, make him MOVE. Have a crop or something of that sort to get him trotting around the round pen a few times (I'm assuming he knows how to lunge).

After a couple laps, tell him to whoa and bring him back to the center. continue to rub him with your hands on his whole body until he stands and and accepts it. If he ever takes another step or moves away, send him around a few laps. Repeat this process with the halter, then the bridle. Make sure you rub him all over his face and ears with these objects.

Remember - you aren't going to get this all done in one day. Break it up into even sessions along the course of a few days to a few weeks, depending on how fast your horse learns. Another hint - Mix up the locations of your sessions. It doesn't really help if you can bridle your horse in a round pen but not at the barn lol. By the end you will have a horse that isn't head shy and will gladly allow you to put the bridle and halter on. Good luck and have fun learning with your horse. Your horse is a greater teacher than any horse trainer on the face of this earth.

Answer 7

Slap the living daylights out of it!