Fear Problems
The second in a three-part series by horse trainer Doris Eraldi
Problem horses generally fall into three categories; horses in pain (as we discussed last month), horses that are reacting out of fear, or horses that have developed deliberate bad habits. Sometime it can be tricky to decide if the horse's bad behavior is caused by fear or belligerence. Panicked horses can act in very uncontrollable, dangerous ways, but treating a fear reaction the same as a deliberate misbehavior can make the problem worse.
Horses often become fearful in the first place because they have been pushed beyond their comfort level too quickly or without preparation. Some horses are just naturally more self-confident than others and handle stressful events easily, but a timid-natured horse will need more time and patience when presented with new situations. A surprising number of problem horses are actually untrained horses being asked to do more than they know how. A horse might be fine in familiar situations such as following his pasture buddy down the neighborhood trail, but when put into a new situation, the lack of confidence and training shows. If he is punished for being afraid, the horse will remember it, and the problem snowballs.
When determining if the problem is fear-related, start in a safe familiar place and check that the horse responds correctly to basic cues such as going forward when asked, bridle response (turning) and stopping. If the horse doesn't understand the underlying commands in the first place, then using more aggressive tactics for the misbehavior will only cause more anxiety. Be aware of the horse's body language. A nervous, frightened horse will often chew the bit, raise his head and roll his eyes, flip his ears or over-react to cues. A frightened horse's reaction is often violent and without regard to his own well-being--such a horse might crash through fences or bash his head repeatedly against the roof of the trailer. Belligerent horses are more likely to toss the rider and go eat grass. Finally, note whether this is a new reaction to something that the horse had been doing successfully before; either he's had a terrifying experience or has learned some bad habits. If the horse has never been able to handle the situation, it is most likely a stress or fear reaction. If in doubt, try a patient approach first and always consider getting a second opinion from an experienced horseman.
This isn't to say that all horses who misbehave should be treated as if they are frightened. A firm reprimand is in order with horses who have developed aggressive habits, think they can bully their riders, or otherwise exhibit deliberate misbehavior. The caution is, punishing a fearful horse will make the problem worse very quickly, so recognizing fear-related misbehavior is vital to good training.
Next month: Bad Actors
Read Part One: "Problem Horses"
E-mail Doris at: dyan@eraldi.net.
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