Julie Goodnight Natural Horsemanship / Horse Master TV Show

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Question Category: Issues from the Ground
Question:	I have been noodling this problem through for a long time but I don't really know how to help my horse further. My big gray QH ("Saul") and I have been together for almost 10 years now. We have come a long way together in that time. He was my first horse and we have a terrific bond. The only problem I am encountering usually happens only in the stall. Prior to my getting him he was kept in his stall for months at a time and completely ignored. Then when show season would come around the owners would go into his stall with a bat and beat him before trying to bring him out and ride him. He was a young horse (about 4 or 5 years old) and needed to run outside and be a horse. He was then sold to the people I bought him from. I boarded with them for the next 7 years and never found out until recently that they abused him as well by whipping him with reins, kicking him as he stood in cross ties and punching him in the head when he poked his head out the stall window to be social. Obviously, I never witnessed any of this or I would have taken him out of there long ago. We have our own place now where he is safe. He has come a long way in the trust department, especially since he has come here. The one problem remaining is that he resists me patting/rubbing/touching his head and face when he is in the stall. He tosses his head and occasionally lips/nips me. (When I'm on the ground with him he, quite contentedly, lets me wrap my arms around his head and stroke his face.) The other morning when I was putting on his blanket he did the head nodding and nipping. I waved my arms and stomped my feet while yelling at him (lasting maybe 2-3 seconds) and he ran for cover against the back wall shaking and cowering. Of course, I felt terrible on the one hand and justified on the other. But his reaction was far greater than the punishment merited. I approached him quietly and finished putting on the blanket then stroked him until he relaxed. I understand entirely his point of view and I think, considering his past, that he sure could be a lot worse and a lot angrier. I want to help him though. I want him to understand that no one is going to hit him for hanging his head out of the stall and that head rubs are pleasurable. We have done an enormous amount of groundwork, as well as mounted work, and he does pretty much whatever I ask without questioning it. In the pasture he is neither at the top nor the bottom of the chain, he would rather just eat and socialize and prefers not to have to fight for dominance. Right now he is out with my 8-month-old colt (Saul is an awesome teacher!) and a 14 year old, very mellow Thoroughbred. He seems very much at peace. How do I help my boy? Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Answer:	You are right that Saul has a right to not want people in his face and you need to be understanding of his emotions. I would avoid messing with his face at all, except when necessary. Just because you think he should think rubbing his face is pleasurable, doesn't mean he does. Many horses, abused or not, do not like us in their face. Some horses love it but others do not. That said, he does need to accept that you will handle his head when necessary, like when blanketing, bridling or brushing. I suggest you use the technique of "advance and retreat" to desensitize the horse to having his head handled (there is an article and several Q&As on my website about this technique). First, start outside the stall where he is most comfortable, then work on it in the stall. This should take care of him being head-shy. Also, you need to remember to be more empathetic about his emotional baggage. Your correction when he misbehaved while blanketing was more pressure than he could handle at that moment, as you obviously realized in hindsight. He has a lot of anxiety when in the stall, and for good reason. Chances are, his "misbehavior" was actually an emotional expression. While we do not want to condone a horse's disobedience, sometimes we have to understand that he is having an emotional moment and make sure that we do nothing to exacerbate his emotions. A smaller correction or a step back to let him calm down may have been more effective. We cannot let a horse's emotions be an excuse for disobedience or manipulative behavior, but in the case of a horse that has been abused, we have to be very careful not to put him into the context of his abuse and dredge up those old emotions. I suggest you give Saul lots of space when he is in his stall and always approach him very slowly (a herd thing for us humans to do) to give him time to understand what you are asking of him. It sounds like you have made a lot of progress with this horse; he just needs time and patience. He is lucky to have found a kind and empathetic human! Julie Goodnight Trainer and Clinician _________________________________ If you liked this article, Julie suggests the following products to help you continue the work with your horse (or call 800-225-8827 for ordering help): From the Ground, vol. 1, Round Pen Reasoning: http://www.shop.juliegoodnight.com/shop/trftg1roundpenreasoning.html FTG, vol. 2, Lead Line Leadership: http://www.shop.juliegoodnight.com/shop/trftg2leadlineleadership.html Basic Ground Work Package: http://www.shop.juliegoodnight.com/shop/packagebasicgroundwork.html Goodnight's Complete Groundwork Package : http://www.shop.juliegoodnight.com/shop/packagecompletegroundwork.html You may also enjoy working with Julie to help conquer your goal at a Clinic Tour stop. Click here to ride or watch a clinic. http://juliegoodnight.com/clinics