Has anyone ever heard of cracking an egg on a horse's head as a training technique?

Question

My horse is into its sixth week on training and still showing to be a bit stubborn - she's an Apaloosa and would love to be the alpha mare but isn't. The trainer talked to another trainer and he said that if she does something like buck, rear, or bite our feet we should crack an egg on her head, because horses don't like things to run down their face and she will actually think it is blood running down and maybe think okay I just made myself bled so I won't do that again. I think we are going a little crazy now - somethings I was okay with but this one seems a bit wacky to me - what do you think?

Answer 1

Find another trainer- people stopped doing that a long time ago. First it's no way to solve a horses problem- it in fact creates more.

People who do this find themselves having a hard time cleaning and grooming their horses face along with clipping and putting their horse in a halter. Your right horses don't like things running down their face so why inhibit that fear by doing an act that will make them more scared.
Unless your horse is bucking or rearing or doing any of those acts you've mentioned due to medical problems then your trainer will have to gain your horses respect so those problems no longer happen. Cracking eggs is no way to deal with a horse.

PS. Tell your trainer that horses don't have that complex of a brain to relate bleeding or know if they are in fact bleeding to an act like humans would be able to. They can however relate pain to a certain act that the do but you should never inflict pain on an equine to train them out of a certain behavior.


And this is to Phil H below....My daughter worked at Wal Mart during the nights while she was still training horses. Very successfully I might add. She went to work with very little sleep and sometimes broken ribs and bones. Some people have to have a side job to help pay for doing things or working with things they love. I don't know one trainer that didn't start off that way- working a side job to help pay for hay, feed, or equipment. I did side jobs and even became a veterinarian before I started training on my own and going to shows regularly. There is nothing wrong with putting a little work behind the work you do.

Answer 2

Go ahead and try this. And when you lean forward and hit her between the ears and she either A) throws back her head and hits you in the face or B) rears up and dumps you off, then you will know that this is a pure myth. I have heard this one so many times and it is still laughable. I think it was started by a chicken farmer who wanted to sell more eggs. If a horse could reason like a human, then they would not eat themselves to death if they get into the feed bin either. They would stop when they are full. Your trainer sounds like he does not have a clue. Or the other one for that matter. Just hung out a training shingle. My first suggestion would be to find a reputable trainer. And my next one would be to stop being in such a hurry on the training. It takes a lot longer than six weeks to make a good horse. And years to make a great one. I have trained horses for 20 years and never once broken an egg on a horse. If it worked, then everyone one would do it. Have you ever seen John Lyons, Clinton Anderson, or Pat Parrelli do this? Think about it.

Answer 3

I heard someone at farrier school say their trainer used that method. He thought it worked well for a cure to throwing their heads and rearing. I suppose it would work for other problems but it's would be very hard to reach her head while she's bucking and it won't do much good to get once she's finished. It does sound odd to me but I can see how would work. I don't think it's mean, it won't cause any pain, if your other options are to use force to break a dangerous habit like rearing how can this be mean? I would give her more time, it sounds like she was green going into training. If she's really not working through it with training and is becoming worse or dangerous I'd try any simple gimmick before resoating to actual "breaking" methods. An egg is really tame compared to some of the equipment and techniques used by some trainers.

Answer 4

Um...that just sounds plain stupid. I dont see how training a horse and eggs have anyhitng to do with each other. If i have a horse thats bucking and rearing the last thing im gonna think about is hey hun get the eggs. Really now. Come on. If your trainer is in anyway fearful enough of your horse to try an egg, i think you need a new trainer.

Answer 5

LOL! I have friends that rope, in Texas and all over, they would laugh at that idea! Remember, horses do things like that because they got by with it before! Try a tie down! Or find a trainer that dosnt work at wal mart during the day, and call theirselves "Horse Trainers" on weekends.. I'm sorry, I just never heard of any pro trainers doing that, in Texas or anywhere else.....

Answer 6

the egg cracking is an old technique for horse's that are chronic rearers. but its hard to employ because you need to be on the horse, able to reach up & slam it down in between their ears at the pinnacle of their rear.

I don't reccomend it. (rolling eyes..)

so what if your horse is a bit stubborn? you just need to be more stubborn, stay firm & gentle with her, but don't back down, & she'll give up eventually.

If your trainer wants to use a whacko trick like cracking an egg on her head, no offense, but you need a new trainer.

Answer 7

i have heard of this before and it seems to get mixed results at best. i myself wouldn't do it, unless you always ride with an egg and can slap it on their head in under 3 seconds its not worth doing. then you risk making the horse headshy, i myself would stay away from that. i had a chronic rearer and turns out he was just acting out over an old back injury. from years of riding in an ill fitting saddle he had learned 2 things. 1- being that riding is painful, 2- that people are easy to throw off and if you can they leave you alone. always try to eliminate the physical first. then your equipment, then your technique, then behavioral. i got lucky my old boy was fine physically he just had to relearn that riding isn't painful, and rearing wont get rid of me. as for trying a tie down, that dosen't always work and can make them pop up higher than if you just left it off. i also tried one on my rearer, on multiple settings and he went sky high. sad thing is normall he only popped up 6-8 inches. you could try it i have seen it work but it wont stop them if they really want to go up.

Answer 8

I've never tried it, but I've heard lots of seasoned cowboys here in Texas say that it works for a horse that rears up. If I ever have that problem it's an easy harmless thing to try a few times & see what happens.

Answer 9

I've never heard it before, but it might help. I don't think it would hurt to try; what's the worse that can happen...You have a horse with egg on it's head! That's funny, but seriously I would give it a go!

Answer 10

is this legitimate? i know they used the same technique in the fiction books series of "Misty of Chincoteague" which based on the chincoteague ponies and the annual round up. these books were great kids books, i remember reading them all when i was little.

it doesnt sound mean by the way, those who say it sounds mean must think horses are made of toilet tissue