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Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

Nervous weanling

6 replies

LincsLady22 · 27/11/2023 18:27

Had anyone ever trained a particularly nervous unhandled weanling? I can stroke his face, neck and chest, although he is still very worried. But that's the extent. I felt I wasn't getting very far, however when I try to do specific training sessions with him where I'm in the stable just focused on working with him, he gets more nervous! I follow the typical handling advice to a T and he just gets so worried with all my attention on him during 'training sessions' (only kept short). He's much more content if I'm just pottering around him doing jobs and giving him the odd scratch. Has anyone else ever found this? I just feel a bit pressured to get him handleable for the farrier and getting a rug on him etc.

OP posts:
FuzzyFetlocks · 28/11/2023 18:44

I have had this situation with a yearling rather than a weanling. She was pretty wild and would turn to kick.

I can remember feeling like we were making no progress, but in hindsight I was expecting too much too fast.

I got a Kelly Marks trainer along (who used a glove on a stick to touch her legs) and I read all the books on the topic I could get, got loads of advice etc. However, the big step forward was when I took the pressure off.

If I had another like that I would be so much more relaxed. I would let it take the time it takes, potter about, do little and often and have them turned out with people orientated horses.

LincsLady22 · 29/11/2023 07:19

That's great thanks. That's what my gut is telling me. It's like his whole demeanor changes when we start a 'training session' as opposed to how it is when I'm just doing jobs really casual. I have a book that follows that method used be Kelly Marks, I think the author was trained by her. No Fear, No Force by Sarah Weston...But yes hands on sticks, feather dusters etc really cause tension. While just a quick neck scratch a few times a day keeps him much calmer.

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FuzzyFetlocks · 29/11/2023 09:05

Yeah, a scratch on the neck and then gently move the scratching over bit by bit in a casual manner. You do make progress in that way and they don't get upset. I honestly believe that horses don't learn things properly when they are upset. A bit of neck scratching and 'oh look, I've moved onto your shoulder... wasn't that nice? Here, have a carrot' then moves onto more and more of their body being touched, incluing their tummy and legs at the youngster's pace. It could be three days, three weeks or three months.

I was worried about hoof trimming. She'd not been trimmed ever (unsurprisingly) but they didn't look too long and her legs were straight. I do have hardstanding by the hayfeeder and I think that kept them down enough to not cause issues while she wasn't ready to have them done properly, which was good because it took a while to get to that point.

I also found that if I got a bit worried and tentative, that wasn't as successful. Once she had runny poo after trying a new feed and I needed to wash her back legs. Thankfully I could groom most of her by that point. I did use warm water, but I went in a bit too tentataively to begin with and she kept stepping away. This was fine, I'd set it up so she had that option as I'd rather she stepped away and stayed calm, than felt trapped. Anyway, I went back to her and just started to say out loud 'I'm just washing your legs, it won't take long' and wasn't so tickly with the sponge and she stood nicely. I was so happy, it was a bit of a breakthrough moment.

I think at first I almost didn't really believe that we'd ever get there. Now I've been through it and she's a normal, handled, friendly youngster I'd not have that doubt and I'd be a lot more relaxed about it.

LincsLady22 · 29/11/2023 15:08

Thank you for your reply. This is honestly so reassuring to hear. Its hard when you're in the the thick of it for the first time to ever see a way out isn't it. I remember feeling the same with my first unbroken 4yr old. So i obviously didn't learn from that challenge, as I bought a foal 🤦🏼‍♀️

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maxelly · 04/12/2023 14:50

Glad to hear it's going well. I've dealt with the odd feral/rescue baby in my time and am quite old-fashioned, I don't do 'training' as such until they're at least 3/4, can't be doing with tickling them with carrier bags on sticks and the like, they tend to come good in time just mainly being left alone, you don't need to over handle them just because they've missed a little early education. So long as crucially they are having regular pleasurable/non threatening (mainly food related!) associations with people and are kept with friendly, well handled other horses you really don't need to do that much more - his natural unclipped coat should do the job of a rug until such time as he's actually working so I wouldn't worry about that - do you need to move him around much between fields/yard etc or can he settle in one place (the latter much better if you can manage it). Does he lead OK if following other horses or is that a bit hazardous ATM?

Some of the feral/anxious ones I've dealt with come around to humans being actually quite nice and unscary quite quickly and if left largely to their own devices as above will be quickly approaching you looking for food and fuss and you can build up to handling their head, ears, feet etc gradually from there, others take much much longer and prefer to remain at arms length - it's all personality types and what their past experience has been (benign neglect vs actively being frightened/abused) but either is OK, if he's only a weanling you've got years before it becomes a necessity to do much with him.

So I'd drop any anxiety about training for now, just treat him like one of the herd, if the others come in it will be good for him to be stabled occasionally next to a quiet friend and with grub so he can see that nothing terrible happens, if you need to catch/move around the others then leaving a leather foal-slip/field safe type collar on him so you can grab hold if needed is probably sensible, otherwise just plenty of grazing and play is all he really needs for 2-3 years yet.

If you do urgently need to do anything with him, farrier/vets etc (although like a PP said baby hooves are quite soft and if he walks on hard ground reasonably often you may get away with not needing too much intervention) then there are fantastic sedatives available these days which are very safe (standing sedation so they don't get completely knocked out/go down is best). Some vets seem more reluctant to use it but I'd much rather do that personally with a very nervous animal than rush them into more handling that they are comfortable with, horses can very much go over the top into panic/flight mode and then that can undo all your good work getting them calm and trusting. Whereas if he's high as a kite/sleepy Grin your professional can come in safely and quickly to do what they need without anyone being hurt or traumatized....

CeciledeVolangesdeNouveau · 04/12/2023 14:55

Have you heard of intelligent horsemanship? Kelly Marks’s book is a really good read. I didn’t do all the prescribed activities but I got a horse with a pig phobia to walked with me after I got off, dropped the reins and walked off slowly. She then let me get back on once we’d got past the pigs.
Otherwise try not to let your stress carry over to her. When she does something right overload her with positive reinforcement. When she does something wrong don’t react (as long as you’re safe). But at the same time, you’re the boss. She needs to know you’re in charge to feel safe.

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