Overcoming head shyness
A trusting relationship will not only help resolve a horse’s aversion to having his ears handled but will head off future behavioral problems.
Jonathan Field shows how to establish a trusting relationship that will not only help resolve a horse’s aversion to having his ears handled but will head off future behavioral problems.
Q:I recently brought home a 4-year-old gelding from a rescue. I don’t know his history but he is friendly and fairly calm and he gets along fine with my other two horses. However, he has one major problem---he won’t let me near his ears. He leads just fine and will let me put on and take off his halter as long as I move very slowly. But grooming around his head is difficult because he raises his nose sky-high whenever I get near his ears. If I keep trying he becomes agitated. I’ve never dealt with this problem before and I’m finding the techniques that I’ve used to get past previous problems---patience, treats, gradual desensitization---don’t seem to be working. I’ve been dealing with this problem for two weeks and haven’t made any progress. Do you have any suggestions?
This is a great question because the solution I will outline can be used not only to help head-shy horses but also others with trust issues.
This sounds like a common type of head shyness, one I see often. From your description, I am assuming that your horse is averse to any movements around the air space of his head near his ears, such as approaching with a brush, headstall or clippers. You will have two goals in solving this problem: First, getting your horse to accept having you touch his ears, and second, desensitizing the air space around his head.
Before starting any attempt at retraining, however, have your horse examined to make sure this behavior is not an indication of pain. Ear infections, dental issues and other physical problems can make a horse head shy, at
least temporarily, and if they persist can lead to habits that are hard to change. They need to be resolved before the horse’s behavior gets worse and affects other areas of his demeanor.
When you’re ready to begin training, keep the big picture in mind. All too often, I see people run out, go straight at the problem to find out how bad it is, prove that fact to both themselves and their horses, fail to resolve the issue and then blame the horse, his breeding or his previous owners. Do the opposite. Be proactive and take on this opportunity to connect with this young horse and prove to him you are OK and are a source of comfort and safety.
Remember, this horse wasn’t head shy around his dam. It’s just people he doesn’t trust. If you do this right, not only will you get rid of the problem but you will head off many others that would have developed if this head shyness had been allowed to continue. That’s why I love questions like these!
In tackling head shyness, you will need to make sure your horse respects your personal space. Of course, this is true for any training but especially so with this particular problem because a horse’s head can be used as a weapon. I learned this firsthand at 10 years of age when I was knocked out by a halfdraft mare named Irish. I was leading Irish and allowed her to move too close to me. She whipped her head toward mine, caught me just right and knocked me into tomorrow. So please keep in mind what I learned the hard way: Your safety depends on getting your horse to respect your personal space. When you begin, position yourself near his shoulder, out of range if he whips his head around.
Before you start, map out a plan for resolving this issue. It will take at least seven to 14 days to help your horse get over his head shyness, and you’ll need to be prepared to make only a little progress in each session. Focus on doing what it takes each day to make the session positive with lessons that will last for life. There is no one-move quick fix here!
When you’re ready to begin, the first thing to do with this horse is to eliminate what I call the “anticipation anxiety.” That means that you won’t bring him out and go straight for the problem area. If you do, pretty soon he will see you coming and anticipate: “Here we go again. That person is coming for my head!” So, this is one case where you do not want to be direct---at least for now.
Instead, ask the horse to move at a trot for at least 20 minutes. Once you have him warmed up and mentally connected with you, training can start. Here are the key steps I use to address a challenge like this: