We just got 2 (yes 2) 4-6 month old fillies and have began to try to get close to them. Any suggestions?

Question

We only have one field and no stall or round pen to work with. These fillies have been together since birth. My husband seems to think that being nice and gentle is the way to get close the them, baby talking to them - I think that we have to be nice yes, but make clear that we are the boss and make it clear that bad behavior (pinning ears, turning away, etc) will not be tolerated i.e. saying a firm no, thumping the rump when they turn. I have been able to introduce feeding buckets and foal grain and taught them to eat from it but they still won't let us get close enough to touch them much less rub them.

Answer 1

You are on the right track.  People thought I was "mean" for correcting my colts bad behavior at a few weeks old, but they need to know from the start that that kind of behavior is not tolerated.  They should be in their curious stage, and once you gain their trust they should start coming up to you on their own. Keep up with the food and treats.  When you feed them try to stay close by so they get used to you being around.  See if they will accept their grain from your hand.

Is their anyway to set up any type of temporary fencing.  If you can, do that and get them inside the fencing, one at a time if they wont flip out being away from each other.  Work on getting halters on them if they are not used to it, and rub them all over.  Once they know that they have nothing to fear from you, they will become your best friend!

Answer 2

Do they have halters?  Are you and husband willing to agree to both compromise, and work the same methods?  That will help.  also.

Read some books on natural horsemanship.  You do need to establish a pecking order with lots of love, and respect..

can you blow gently in their nostrills?  and either sing, or whistle softly when approaching, that will calm both you, and your horses.

The best thing you can do is don't give up, they are babies.  I've had my oldest horse for all of her 23 years.  She was a pistol!  I used 4-5 different backyard trainers.  First, a round pen, halter and lead rope, walk, woe, walk, woe for 3to4 times, then work your way up to more steps, then woe.  This all takes TIME; reward lots of rubs at the whithers.

If you feel they are dangerous,  build those stalls asap, and get a trainer who has more expierence than you do, it may take a lot of time, but stay on it. or it will become even more difficult.  They are old enough to learn ground manners.

  Best wishes! Cindy

Answer 3

The way I bond with horses that don't know me all that well is to have them associate positve things with me, like food.  I normally take a mounting block and a wide bottomed feed bucket, go sit where they're usually fed with the bucket at my feet, and just sit still for a while.  Eventually they'll come up, nibble at they food, maybe run away, or maybe come up to you.  Over time, you can begin to gently run your hands over their necks, sides, faces, etc.  This works wonderfully with foals, too.

Best of luck!

Answer 4

well i know how you feel, i have had a colt and a filly, and the filly was not as friendly, but i wanted to bond, also i have one pasture, and no little round pens, but the best u can do is one day just go out there, where-ever you may live, i don't know what the weather is like but just sit out there all day and don't do anything maybe read a book or some independant activity, do this for a couple days until they get use to seeing you and then they will be more comfortable, all u need is time:)

Answer 5

First. you have to gain their trust. Take your time. Go slow. Once they are comfortable, you can teach them manners.

Answer 6

I would say take some time out of each day and just sit in the paddock with them. Youngsters are always very curious, and if you sit very still, they will come up to you to try and sniff and poke around. Have some treats or some grain with you, so when they come to you, feed them some and just ignore them, or walk away if they are persistent. After awhile they will realize that they will be rewarded for coming up to you, then you can start petting them, start putting on halters and doing other training stuff. It will take awhile, but it'll be fun to watch your little ones coming right up as soon as you walk near the paddock expecting treats. Then you won't need the treats after some time, but it's always good to reward good behavior, no matter how long it lasts for. It also might be easier to keep the girls together for as long as you can. Brush them while they are near and if it is safe, work them together, that will make the transformation less traumatic, plus you won't have to worry about one running around and being anxious while you're trying to work with the other. Good luck, and congratulations! That sounds so fun!

PS some horses can become mouthy if you feed them by hand, try having a little bucket or something that you can reward them with, it's a bit more difficult, but it will be better and safer when your horses aren't always mouthing your hands for treats, and biting when they get more persistent.  Also look up some natural horsemanship, Parelli comes to mind because there is no round pen necessary and there are games that teach respect as well as would be fun for younger horses.

Answer 7

Hang around in their yard with them, have a picnic there with your partner  ignore them sometimes when they come close and at other times acknowledge them with a treat say a small slice of apple. Let them get to know that you are not a threat but at the same time do not let them get too rough or shovey with you. If they do push the boundaries  walk away and ignore them if you are about to feed them take the food with you they are not going to understand if you use physical means of discipline except perhaps a push away from you  It all comes down to trust and patience  and remember they are babies.

One other thing   NEVER feed youngsters from your hands otherwise they will learn to always search there for food and treats and this often leads to them biting.

Answer 8

if all you wanna do is pet them then the more time you spend with them and feed treats occasionally will eventually work.

otherwise, if you have an older calm horse you should put one of the fillies and that horse in a pen and do some groundwork.

otherwise research natural horsemanship and use the round pen ground exersizes. approach and retreat, pressure and release(desensitizing and sensitizing if done right), establish space boundaries and leadership. its lots of fun! good luck!