Franklin Levinson's
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Nervous Horse
I have 3 horses in a field beside me. They are not mine, the owner lives a few miles away and they were put there out of harms way, It's a mare with her filly who is nearly 4 and another piebald also 4yrs old.
My problem is with the filly. She won't let me touch her. She will come over to me, smell me and walk everywhere with me but as soon as I put my hand out to touch her she turns and bites the piebald. They are not broken and have never seen a head collar let alone have one on. I always groom the piebald and the filly will come over and see what I'm doing but I just can't touch her. I am living there almost a year and I do Reiki to help calm them I also have introduced Shiatsu massage but of course not with the filly, sometimes I think she might be jealous but I always talk softly to her and spend time with her.
She is also still taking milk from the mother and acts similar to that of a spoilt child. Please help, she won't even take the carrot from my hand, she starts to stamp on the ground until I drop it, she is really a pity.
Thanks for all the other tips, keep up the wonderful work.
Norma Schulte
Ireland
Hi Norma,
Thank you for your question and your kind words. The filly is going to be a 'hard case' without the use of a round pen and permission from the owner to 'adopt' her. She is a "spoilt child" as you say. If you pressure her at all she will most likely just leave or swing her butt to you. She is probably too much of a pest for her mare to even stop nursing her. She has learned to get her own way, always. This type of unfortunate situation produces a potentially dangerous horse. A horse needs to be accustomed to yielding to a leader. If no leader shows up they can become bullies, sour and mal-adjusted, fending for themselves all the time. There is no easy answer for you. I would try this one thing though. Absolutely, don't give her the carrot until she has let you touch her. Hold out and be patient. Let her stomp her feet, run around and kick out (fend her off if she comes at you at all). Keep the carrot handy, but do not give it. Only until she lets you touch her do you reward her. What do you think? Give it a try......Please let me know how it goes. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Aloha, Franklin
Hi Franklin,
Hi Franklin,
It's been over a week and I have given Frankie a carrot from my hand (I can hear the cheers)!
I bent down in front of her and she seemed less frightened, now I'm working patting her ever so gentle and if I manage to get her away from the others she's quite happy to have me all to herself and doesn't mind too much. Mind you I have only managed to rub her by the bridge of her nose and when I bend down, by her elbow, I am parked on the other side of the fence for my own safety. No doubt I will be calling on your help again. But in the meantime thanks for the help
Take care, Norma
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Hi Franklin,
It's been over a week and I have given Frankie a carrot from my hand (I can hear the cheers)!
I bent down in front of her and she seemed less frightened, now I'm working patting her ever so gentle and if I manage to get her away from the others she's quite happy to have me all to herself and doesn't mind too much. Mind you I have only managed to rub her by the bridge of her nose and when I bend down, by her elbow, I am parked on the other side of the fence for my own safety. No doubt I will be calling on your help again. But in the meantime thanks for the help
Take care, Norma