Horse Information - Path of The Horse

This article carries a question, which I think many of you might findinteresting and valuable. It concerns an Arab mare that is alternately fearful and aggressive and is generally uneasy around other horses.

Tami writes:

I have a lovely 17 year old Arab mare that I acquired as a green-broke 10 year old and have spent lots of time working with over the last 7 years. She is very bonded to me and when I moved from the East Coast and then up to Canada from San Diego a few years ago she came with me. She lived most of her life very happily on a farm where each horse stayed in an individual paddock and only socialized over fences.

My issue with my little girl is other horses. With me, away from other horses, she is perfect. She obeys happily, loves to ‘groom’ me and rests with her nose on my shoulder, just oozing happy vibes. However as soon as another horse enters the picture she goes into alternating aggressive and afraid modes, squealing and striking at the other horse and then cowering. In a mare herd she is always the bottom horse. We’ve tried her with all sorts of horses and she won’t go past a sort of uneasily watchfulness. I’ve never seen her groom another horse or stand nose to tail peacefully swatting flies as the others do.

She is more confident when I’m riding, but on the ground she becomes unpredictable, once knocking the barn manager down (whom she loves) in a seemingly random moment of panic and another time running through a metal gate like she didn’t even see it. It is worst when she is in season and she’s gotten herself hurt on fences twice. She won’t focus on her handler and fixates on the other horses. I have her at home now, with one other mare that is bossy but not mean. My mare is clearly wary of her but they will generally graze in peace during their turnout together. Is there anything I can do to help her overcome her fear at this point or do I just need to manage her environment the best I can to keep her in her own paddock? I hate to see her so unsettled (also makes her a hard keeper) and I’m afraid she will hurt herself or another horse in one of her fits.

My answer:

It is wonderful that you care about your horse so much. My suggestion is that you develop her ability to stay focused on you. Since she is used to being moved off her grazing spot this will be very easy to teach her to do. Your mare would be helped a lot my two of my Waterhole Rituals™ - Eye Contact and Leading from Behind.

To start the Eye Contact ritual, put some hay in the center of the area where you will be working with your horse. Choose the hay that she would enjoy eating. Be careful that she is not too hungry because this could bring out the aggressive side of a horse. Many times, I use oat hay. With some horses, such as those who are picky eaters, I will use alfalfa.

Start this exercise when your horse has settled down to the idea of eating. When she is interested in eating, stand about fifteen feet in front of her head. Wait about four minutes and then take a step to the right and stand there for a moment or two. Cluck to get her to look at you and then go back to your original position if she looks at you. If she doesn’t look, take another step to the right and cluck again. Keep this up by stepping around her, keeping the same fifteen-foot distance. Any time she looks at you, go back to standing in front of her, and let her eat for a while. That way she gets a quick reward. If she never looks at you, keep taking steps around her until you are at her backend. Wait and then drive her from the hay. Remember, she should go easily because of the Leading from Behind and the Taking Territory rituals. The object is that your horse learns to keep her attention on you when you ask her to. Also, she learns that she can control you with a look and that is good for a horse that needs more self-confidence.

Leading from Behind will also be helpful in developing her coping skills and the ability to pay attention to you. The way to begin is to follow her around in the paddock when she stops. Wait a moment and then ask her to move. When she walks, follow her again and repeat. If she trots off to get away from you, walk slowly after her. When you reach her, pause with her a while and then ask her to move on and repeat. It might not make any sense but you should see a big difference in her behavior after 30 days of this kind of training. It is how horses train other horses to fit in. My book Naked Liberty is how all these kinds of training tips are used by horses in nature to bring about proper social behavior and a unified herd. As this is about shaping her character, one thing to keep in mind is that character can be shaped but you cannot change the basic nature of how she is. You will know more about her basic personality and who she is by this practice.

To learn more about Carolyn, her lifelong relationship with the horses and her quest to findthe ideal communication method between man and horse, visit Carolyn Resnick's siteand read her book Naked Liberty published in English and German (Tochter Der Mustangs –Daughter of the Mustangs).

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