In good news, Mae is ok. She may have the genetic eye problem that some chocolate rocky mountain horses have, which is only a problem if she is bred to another chocolate carrier of the gene. As our stallion is black, there will not be a problem as she cannot pass this on with him. Or something like that. I'm not 100% on the genetic match-ups, but this I know to be good news.
In not so good news, said 11 year old stallion is completely terrified of plastic bags. Tyler was working with Stormy with them and as we were waiting to go out of the barn with them, she picked them up and they rustled and he freaked out. Backed up, snorted, rolled his eyes. So, I went off to work him, not realising just how scared he was. When I picked up a bag, holding it nowhere near him and crinkled it, he ran backwards. It was pretty dangerous just walking him round near them. Every time he heard the sound he tried desperately to get away. Now, I have no idea why he's so scared (Mae let me put them on her ears earlier...) but Tyler put Stormy in the temporary corral in there and came to help me. We tried him walking and touching them, we tried to get him to come and sniff it, none of it worked, he just wanted to get away, regardless of whether he was going backwards or sideways or both. Now, I must say, he wasn't mean with any of this. He didn't try to kick, knock us down (just yet...), get angry, or anything other than panic. I was worried for him, but didn't want to quit with him still being so scared. Eventually, while Tyler was holding him, I took the bag and placed it next to his shoulder. He flinched and trembled but didn't try to get away. We did this on the other shoulder too, with a few fights, and lots of praise when he stood still. I didn't use any force with him, mainly pressure/release and backing him more than he wanted when he backed away.
Our final decision was to attach them to his saddle and let him just go crazy. He was so unexpectedly terrified at this point that I really wanted him to feel the fear but not actually get whatever dreadful consequence he was expecting. So we put them on him and he stood, seemingly not minding so much them not actually touching him. The issue now was the crinkling as we tied them on. Then, as soon as he so much as took a step, the noise startled him and he went. Only I had hold of him at this point and he pulled and writhed at the end of the longe so much that I am ashamed to say he got away from me. He ran a few laps of the arena, longe trailing, flew over two of the little jumps we have up as barriers to the entrance, then came back to me, shaking and blowing. I felt really, really bad for him, but had no idea how to make him see anything but fear for the bags! We tried again, with both of us holding him on a longe line, and he attempted walking reeeeally slowly, but it made a noise again and off he went, this time pushing me out of the way. Tyler has a lot better centre of gravity than I do and she managed to hold him, and I managed some kind of Matrix-esque dodge to escape his flying hindquarters. Once he settled this time, we let him stand with the bags, and then I removed them, slowly, as he jumped each time they crackled. We stood and made a fuss of him for a while but he was pretty traumatised.
I don't know if we did the right thing but what pushed me to immerse him, as it were, was that he wouldn't even face them. He wouldn't even stretch his neck out, snorting, to nose at it, or have any scared curiousity as many horses would. he downright refused to acknowledge that it was anything other than death.
Anyway, we all got through it. I have a sore wrist and a stiff back from all my dodging, and he was obviously very stressed, but I got on him after this and let him have a stretch. We rode past and between two bags and he looked but didn't spook. He still refused to touch them.
Next step will be big blue tarp, with me on his back.
Poor horse. Either he was never plastic bagged, he's forgotted, or someone somehow abused him and he relates that noise to it. Or something else weirder!
In not so good news, said 11 year old stallion is completely terrified of plastic bags. Tyler was working with Stormy with them and as we were waiting to go out of the barn with them, she picked them up and they rustled and he freaked out. Backed up, snorted, rolled his eyes. So, I went off to work him, not realising just how scared he was. When I picked up a bag, holding it nowhere near him and crinkled it, he ran backwards. It was pretty dangerous just walking him round near them. Every time he heard the sound he tried desperately to get away. Now, I have no idea why he's so scared (Mae let me put them on her ears earlier...) but Tyler put Stormy in the temporary corral in there and came to help me. We tried him walking and touching them, we tried to get him to come and sniff it, none of it worked, he just wanted to get away, regardless of whether he was going backwards or sideways or both. Now, I must say, he wasn't mean with any of this. He didn't try to kick, knock us down (just yet...), get angry, or anything other than panic. I was worried for him, but didn't want to quit with him still being so scared. Eventually, while Tyler was holding him, I took the bag and placed it next to his shoulder. He flinched and trembled but didn't try to get away. We did this on the other shoulder too, with a few fights, and lots of praise when he stood still. I didn't use any force with him, mainly pressure/release and backing him more than he wanted when he backed away.
Our final decision was to attach them to his saddle and let him just go crazy. He was so unexpectedly terrified at this point that I really wanted him to feel the fear but not actually get whatever dreadful consequence he was expecting. So we put them on him and he stood, seemingly not minding so much them not actually touching him. The issue now was the crinkling as we tied them on. Then, as soon as he so much as took a step, the noise startled him and he went. Only I had hold of him at this point and he pulled and writhed at the end of the longe so much that I am ashamed to say he got away from me. He ran a few laps of the arena, longe trailing, flew over two of the little jumps we have up as barriers to the entrance, then came back to me, shaking and blowing. I felt really, really bad for him, but had no idea how to make him see anything but fear for the bags! We tried again, with both of us holding him on a longe line, and he attempted walking reeeeally slowly, but it made a noise again and off he went, this time pushing me out of the way. Tyler has a lot better centre of gravity than I do and she managed to hold him, and I managed some kind of Matrix-esque dodge to escape his flying hindquarters. Once he settled this time, we let him stand with the bags, and then I removed them, slowly, as he jumped each time they crackled. We stood and made a fuss of him for a while but he was pretty traumatised.
I don't know if we did the right thing but what pushed me to immerse him, as it were, was that he wouldn't even face them. He wouldn't even stretch his neck out, snorting, to nose at it, or have any scared curiousity as many horses would. he downright refused to acknowledge that it was anything other than death.
Anyway, we all got through it. I have a sore wrist and a stiff back from all my dodging, and he was obviously very stressed, but I got on him after this and let him have a stretch. We rode past and between two bags and he looked but didn't spook. He still refused to touch them.
Next step will be big blue tarp, with me on his back.
Poor horse. Either he was never plastic bagged, he's forgotted, or someone somehow abused him and he relates that noise to it. Or something else weirder!
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