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Our 12-year-old gelding, Ringo, has
become difficult to bring in from the pasture. He sometimes drags us
through the barn door. Then he barges through the stall door and
straight to his grain tub. There's almost no stopping him. For a couple
of days we tried waiting until he got there to put the grain in the tub,
but he still rushed in and only seemed angry when the tub was empty.
Lately, we have been carrying a crop to try to make him behave. Now he
pins his ears, tosses his head, or rears, and just charges ahead, paying
no attention to the crop.
This started gradually last fall. At
first, he would get impatient just as we entered the stall. He would
twirl around quickly to his grain tub, pulling the shank right out of my
hand. Over the winter the rushing started sooner and sooner, so that now
the battle begins at the pasture gate. He's getting more and more
impatient and aggressive. To be honest, we're all afraid of him now, and
I think he knows it. Yesterday, my son was opening the gate for me. Ringo lunged at him, and bit the sleeve of his jacket. He got away from
me and ran straight into the stall.
Otherwise, Ringo is very nice to
ride and work around. On the way out to the pasture he is a perfect
gentleman. He is managed like all our other horses, and none of them do
this.
As you seem to realize, Ringo's behavior
problem likely relates to feeding. He has learned that rushing into the
barn is almost always rewarded with grain in the tub. If he can simply
unlearn that association, the rushing and aggression should diminish.
There probably are many ways to undo the association of coming into the
barn with feed. For horses in good health and condition that are in
light work like Ringo, I find the easiest way to eliminate this habit is
to just stop feeding grain. Most horses stop rushing to the stall after
about a week of no reward. If you need to feed grain, feed it somewhere
else-maybe over the pasture fence, when he's on the other side of the
pasture. Or you can have a delay between coming into the barn and
feeding hay or grain.
Horses such as this might be aggressive
in the stall while you are placing the feed or hay. A simple procedure
called counter-conditioning usually can eliminate that
behavior. This means training the horse to do something other than
rushing in order to get his feed. For example, you could train him to
back away from you and stand quietly in order to get his meal. I start
by asking the horse to back up (an assistant directing him at first is
helpful). I reward him for backing up with a small treat, and verbal
praise, "OK, Boy." After the horse learns to back on command,
I ask him to back and stand quietly, again rewarding him with a treat
and saying, "OK, Boy." This part of the conditioning should be
done when he is not urgent to eat, and it can be done anywhere. Once the
horse reliably backs up and stands quietly on command, try it in his
stall with some grain or hay. Remember, if he doesn't back and stand
quietly until you release him with the "OK, Boy," you don't
give him the grain or hay until he does. Most horses learn this long
before you are worried that they are going to starve. They might start
backing up and relaxing even before you give the command
Can't Be Caught
I am so frustrated with my miniature
Shetland pony gelding, Popcorn. In his pasture, we just can't catch him.
It takes me, my parents, and any other people who are around the barn to
go out at once and corner him. Sometimes we have to chase him for a
half-hour if we have to catch him for the vet or the farrier. In his
stall, he swings around to get away. Mom and Dad have to corner him.
When he has been in the barn for a while, he gets used to being caught
and doesn't even turn when he sees two people coming. Once he is caught,
he is really nice.
Alicia
Oh, how well we all know the
frustration. But they all can improve with work. There are lots of
methods out there for this problem. My favorite method for a pony such
as you describe takes a lot of work, but the result tends to last for a
long time. It involves teaching the horse or pony that "all good
things come from people," and that "people are always
good." First, at least for a period of training, the pony needs to
become dependent on people (and coming to people) for food and water.
Start with the pony in his stall where he has no feed or water except
what you give him. You and one or two assistants will hand feed and
water him two or three times a day for at least three weeks. At each
feeding, place a flake of hay and a bucket of water near the stall door.
Open the door, stand there, say his name, and just wait quietly for 10
minutes (use a stop watch; get a stool; read a catalogue). If he doesn't
come toward you after 10 minutes, get the bucket of water and the hay
and set it down at your feet just inside the stall, and wait quietly
another 10 minutes. You can say his name as if to call him over once in
a while. You can trickle the water through your hands making the sound
of running water. Put a handful of sweet feed in the bottom of a small
bucket and rattle it around. If he doesn't come, take the hay and grain
and water away and close the door. Continue this procedure every couple
of hours until he approaches the hay and water. When he does come, just
let him eat and drink while you stand there quietly. If at the end of
the first day he has not come on his own, get your assistant to help you
catch him as quietly as possibly and lead him to the hay and water. Just
stand there quietly while he eats and drinks. Take the leftover hay and
water out when you leave. Once he starts coming toward you reliably when
you open the door or place the hay and water, try calmly reaching out to
attach a lead rope. Hold him on a loose lead while he eats and drinks.
Then start catching him in the stall before you bring the hay and water.
Once he gets really easy to catch in the
stall, move him out to an open paddock without grass, and repeat what
you did in the stall. When you catch him, just give him a nice pat, rub
him gently along the neck under the mane, give him a little grain treat
from your pocket, give him his hay and water, then let him go. Whenever
you have time when it is not feeding time, just go try catching him
without the food, or just with the grain treat. Once he will come to you
reliably in the small bare paddock, move on to trying him out in a grass
pasture.
Remember that Popcorn also needs to
trust that being caught is usually a good thing. It doesn't sound like
you punish him, but for sure any punishment will make it worse. So, no
matter how mad he makes you, just keep calm and smiling, and don't shout
or hit him for being difficult to catch. Also, once he starts coming to
you to be caught, be sure to be really nice to him for the next few
minutes. One challenge with ponies is that they seem really smart; they
learn to detect when the veterinarian or the farrier is there, or if the
only reason they are ever caught is to work. Be sure to go out and catch
him frequently when you are just going to give him a treat or a gentle
pat on the neck, then let him go.
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