Hi i have a rising 4yr old welsh d cross forest gelding just backed, he is very lovely and affectionate and enjoys a scratch but is spooky at small things and head shy. He will have a halter on but doesn't like people stroking his head (will back away) and is generally a bit frightened all the time. We believe this may be from a bad experience as a foal. Has anyone got any tips or tricks to help us overcome this and build up his confidence,
You need to desensitize desensitize desensitize. Are you familiar with the friendly game? It's one of the seven games in Parelli horsemanship, and it would probably be a good place to start. It basically involves rubbing him ALL over with your hands. Since you said that he is especially touchy with his head, start there and rub him all over, not forgetting the ears. Get a halter on, and just touch his face all over, and if he moves away, move with him, continuing to touch his face until he stops resisting, then immediately stop touching him for a few seconds. It is very important that you don't stop touching him until he stops resisting. Eventually I would move on to doing the same thing, but (I know this is going to sound weird) actually rubbing inside his mouth (being careful of course), nose and ears. You should try to get to where you can do this same procedure all over his body, and then you can graduate to doing it with a plastic bag. I hope this makes sense, because if it does, it'll work wonders! Having a well-desensitized horse is a great place to start training.
Pony him off a bombproof horse and start exposing him to everything. Let him see it's okay and he will gradually build his confidence, it just takes time.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com For the headshy part, that's just time and a lot of touching. My 3 year old was like that, couldn't touch his head, etc. Now he leans in to you for scratches and lovins on his head. It was just being patient , never forcing the issue and constant repetition.
I've dealt with a few head shy horses myself. It's never any fun, especially since their noses are so velvety soft.
So here's a few things you can do:
Find out his favorite kind of treat, such as bites of carrots, apples, or maybe peppermint treats. Spend time with him in his stall or in the pasture, and pet or groom his shoulder. See how far up his neck you can get before he moves away. When you find that spot, follow him and pet just under that area, and see if you can get him to let you pet it. If he stands still for you (and eventually he will) give him a treat, back off for a minute or two, and try again. Don't expect it to work in one day. It will probably take a few weeks to work your way up to his face. When he calmly accepts you petting at the first spot, move a little further up. This way, he comes to accept that yeah, you are petting areas and it seems scary, but really isn't and he gets treats if he lets you pet him there.
