Building trust with my horse (easy 10pts)?

Question

I have had him for 4 months now (can't believe that long!!)

I have joined up with him a few times, but sometimes he seems nervous around me, won't come to be caught or jumps when I'm touching him.

He may have been mistreated in the past; how can I build his confidence?

Thank you in advance

Answer 1

is he jumpy around evry1 or just u? if evry1 i would try massaging some diluted lavender oil in his coat 2 make him relax. also guve him treats if he lets u handl him. dont give him any treats 4 no reason if u try this though

Answer 2

i had a cat like that. all you do is let him come to you for a while. give him treats and if you want to like pet him or something make sure he can see your hand and slowly move it towards him that way it wont scare him

Answer 3

With trust also comes respect which is crucial... I have found these types of steps to be helpful on one of the most stubborn horses I have ever met.

http://www.equusite.com/articles/ground/...

good luck!

Answer 4

well i ride horses and to build trust you have to do the basic like pasture walk in were you walk the horse into the pasture and you groom and ride at begginner to start the process of trust so you can try those and they might work!!!

Answer 5

Take treats with you when you go to catch him, and be patient. Do not chase him - stand nearby, hold out treats, and talk to him. Handle him as often as you can, but be very quiet and slow. You want to make him comfortable around you, and I can tell you that the best way to make a horse your friend is through treats. Give him treats when he comes to you, let him follow you to get them, give him one when he stands nicely for you. I'm not saying to overdo it, and if he gets nippy back off, but food is a horse's favorite thing. If he can associate you with his favorite thing, you then become part of his favorite thing and he will learn to trust you. And always be quiet and gentle. Even a flash of agressive behavior can be enough to take a few steps backwards.

Also, don't expect miracles. We have a pony that was abused, and he's still a little fidgety in some situations. We've had him 15 years and he knows he can trust us, but strangers still make him nervous, as do fly spray and water.

Answer 6

Most horses are terrified of flyspray,try wiping it on with a cloth as you pet him.As for building trust and confidence,it takes alot of time and patience,and yes years if he's been abused.Talk softly to him,never rush or push him,let him approach you in his own time.Start with the little things,like feeding and grooming.The more calm and relaxed you are,the more you can convey you won't hurt him the more he'll come to apprieciate you're being there.4 months may seem like a long time,but it's not.A mare I had once,I got when she was 6 months old.She couldn't stand men and ran from everyone who tried to handle her.The closest she'd get to anyone was mabe 5 feet,and the poor horse would just tremble.She was 6 years old and pregnant before she even let me do more than pet and groom her.At that time I was lucky i I could stand next to her and scratch her withers without her bolting.She never bit or got nasty,just extremely 'don't touch me'.It ended up being a game of 'imaginary petting and nose kisses',her walking alongside of me,a foot away,totally content with that.After she foaled,she really calmed down to the point of being able to groom her for a extended period of time and halter break and lead her.What always calmed her down was simply talking to her,walking around the pasture,hand feeding and not expecting anything in return.Only occaisionly would she brush up against me or nudge me,her form of affection.It took her 6 years,but she did it on her own terms and it worked out.All I can say is give it time and never ever try to force anything,for one they are more powerful and quicker than you can imagine.One thing,if he's one who kicks out,bites or charges you'll need to consider other options,but this seems not the case,anyway be careful and take things slowly.Good luck!

Answer 7

just relax when your around him

and talk to him it helps alot. and play with him  as much as you can.

Answer 8

be relaxed and gentle with him, but still firm. when you go to put your hand on him, press just a bit, dont press lightly and "tickle" him. if he was abused, dont make sudden large movements, and eventually he'll learn that you wont hurt him. rub your hands all over him and just be calm with him. do alot of groundwork with him and he'll begin to trust you.

Answer 9

Spending time with a horse is one of the best ways to help them build trust.

If you can, take him into a round pen and just stand in there with him. Let him come to you. Feed him, play with him,  pet him, whatever he wants to do. Just spend time letting him get used to you being around. Soon, he will expect you to be there for him any time he needs you.

Also, never use fast or sharp movements. If he has been mistreated before, anything sudden can scare him quite badly. Move slowly. Let him see anything and everything before you use it on or near him.

With some time and effort, he should trust you enough that you can do anything with him. Don't worry that nothing is happening right away. You have only spent 4 months with him, he's probably not used to everything that has changed yet.

Answer 10

You definitely need to fool with him as much as possible....you need to be the one to feed him and handle him.....try to rub him...and believe it or not.......talk to him....if he is young it is normal for him to be jumpy...if he has been mistreated.......then it will take longer to gain his trust.....just be patient with him........I would try to be around him everyday.....

Answer 11

Forget about bathing him, and use a mit to apply insect repellent...and do it where he is comfortable.  Bring treats in a bucket every day...never go after him...get a lawn chair and sit with the treats until he comes to you, and feed them to him without expecting anything from him.  He'll let you know when he trusts you if you do it on his timeline.

Answer 12

This takes time and patience, especially if he's been mistreated.

Joining up, when done properly works wonders, but it's very easy to lose patience and thereby diminish the outcome.  Also, joinup doesn't happen over and over.  Once you've accomplished it, don't keep trying to use it.  Once that horse has locked on to you he's realized there's a value in being with you.

It sounds like your attempts to join up might have mixed him up a little too.  There's a difference between sending him off and chasing him.  There's a difference between causing him to work when he's not willing to come to you and punishing him.  You may think you have not punished or chased him, while he thinks you have.

The process must be quiet and slow.  And you must stop a session when you've reached a benchmark point giving him the reward of a job well done that's done until next time.

You must calmly and slowly approach and retreat.  Allow him to define how much time it takes.

As Pat Parelli says "Take the time it takes so it takes less time" - this is abundantly true.  You cannot lack patience and push the process of faith and understanding that builds confidence.

Can I also share another little diddy with you?  "My horse is my mirror".  I used to hate this one until I understood it.

When a horse seems to have a problem, more often than not, his handler has the problem not him.  A horse responds to his expectations - if you've taught him that you can readily punish him to the extent that he thinks is severe (which is different for all horses) he will be wary of you.

You must impart in him the thought that there will never be extreme hurtful or mean interactions.

Go get Buck Brannaman's two books - The Faraway Horses and Believe.  They're easy reads.  Take them out there by the pasture, sit in a lawn chair and read the stories in there - you will come away from that simple experience with a whole different outlook.

Buck will show you how your difficulties with your horse are deeply rooted issues you must tackle within yourself.  Are you impatient?  Impatience will ruin the relationship very easily.  You must be able to listen and feel what the right thing to do is.  You must understand what and how your horse thinks.

Watch RFD TV, get to a Pat Parelli show somewhere and listen - he's very entertaining while imparting wisdom that's very useful for novice horse people - he just has a way of saying things that make complex ideas easier to understand and remember.

He jumps sometimes when I touch him - speak soothingly to him, move slowly - find comfort in time just spent at leisure in the barn or pasture grooming and interacting with him until he becomes so accustomed to you that he rarely jumps.  Don't push him to accept something he's afraid of.  

Wann hear something funny?  When my mare was a youngster, she HATED flies touching her (they're often intolerant of flies as babies).  She also was afraid of the fly sprayer.  So I got a quiet sprayer and I stood with her securely tied in the barn waiting for a fly to land on her.  I'd spray it a little and cause it to fly off.  I did this a few times just a squirt or two - not enough to make her flip out and not too long that she simply couldn't accept it.  As soon as she'd calm down, I'd quit and move on to something else.  It took about a week of this before she finally stood with her head hanging when I'd spray her - it got so when the flies were bad if I'd get that bottle out, she'd winny or come running to be sprayed.  I remembered this just last night.  The bugs were bad.  So I walked out into the pasture with a spray bottled.  She nickered and came trotting toward me and just stood there while I sprayed her.  She KNOWS what that spray does.

They are not dumb animals - through patience and time they can be taught anything - but remember this:

Every experience has to be fun for the horse.  You cannot go catch him, drag him in the barn, saddle up and take off riding then turn him loose time after time and expect him to be happy - after a few times of that he'll run away when you go to catch him because what you're doing is causing him to work, not have fun nor be relaxed.  A good 50% of the time you ned to walk out to the pasture and just find his itchy spots and scratch them.  Play his masseuse with the goal of making him relaxed and happy.  One time take just the lead rope and use it to rub and itch him all over, then leave without putting it on him.  That was fun, wasn't it?  No work there.....your coming into the pasture doesn't mean he's going to have to work for you.

Move deliberately slowing around him - especially if you are a quick moving person naturally.

Remember - you're a predator and he's prey......

Answer 13

It takes time. Horses sometimes need longer then 4 months to get accustom to the way things are. Just be patient. Love on him, pet him, brush him, lots of treats. Never hit him. Sometimes just go out to the barn, not to ride him, just to brush him and love on him. My horse was also liek this when I first got him, but he was also not even broke. He was horrible. Now I have had him for 4 years and he is completley amazing. He has no bad vices at all. It just takes time.

Good luck