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Author
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Topic: Scary Blanket!
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Horsebrat20
Member
Member # 796
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posted November 29, 2003 07:04 AM
Ok my mare has a prob with her winter blanket. She's fine with her fleece and her heavier sheet (it's a heavy material to block the wind)but when it comes to her winter blanket she's terrified! She shakes and quivers like a leaf. I can get it on her with a little sweet talking and petting, and she'll stand for it (sometimes), but my mom is the one that feeds them in the morning and puts their blankets on and such. And my mare won't let her come near her with the blanket. Any ideas? When i sack her out, should i do it Monty Roberts style, where you bring it towards her and keep it close to her until she stops trying to move away from it, then back away when she stops? Or should i just take it slow and rub it on her and pet her ease it onto her? Thanks for any help!
PS My intructor will be helping me on this soon. But with the weather and all she can't come out for a while. SO this is just some early practice cuz it's getting cold and she needs her blanket!
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http://community.webshots.com/user/sarasbluegroove
"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.
T.E. Lawrence
"There is no better feeling in the world then having your animal surrender it's trust into your hands."
Sara
Posts: 788 | From: RI | Registered: Oct 2003
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EquestrianVNurse
Member
Member # 1050
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posted November 29, 2003 07:20 AM
I had a similar, if not exactly the same situation with with my Arab. He had major issues with one of his rugs and wouldn't let anyone near him if they had this particular rug with them.
I decided to start out with some very basic stuff. We would walk past his stable, rug in hand and stop just to pet him a bit, not making any move towards him with the rug. After we'd done this a few times, we hung the rug over the stable door. I left it there a while and I noticed he was in the far corner of his stable and wouldn't come anywhere near the door whilst the rug was there. I went and got his favourite titbit and stood at the stable door and managed to coax him forward to take the food. He had to lean right over the rug on the door to get it and when he did get the food, I gave him a lot of loving to keep him at the door by thw rug. We did it a couple of times and then we took the rug into the stable and managed to put it on him without a problem and since then he's been fine with it.
There are many techniques I'm sure but this one for my Arab, worked wonders! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Good luck, I hope you come across something that works well with your horse.
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Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Posts: 37 | From: UK | Registered: Nov 2003
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted November 29, 2003 08:03 AM
All of the above is great advise IMO, the leaving the rug on the door etc, that is what I would do. When you get to the point of putting it on her, this is what I do, with any that are scared.
I roll the rug up in side out, with the surcingles tied up so that when i have managed to gently slide it up their side and over her back, talking to her calmley all the time, when you start to roll the rug back the surcingles don't come banging down and undo your gentle work. let it sit there for a while why you talk to her and give her treats, tie up with a quick release knot incase she panics, then talking all the time to her, start fastening the front(always fasten the front first, i know a girl who got her self kicked when a pony freaked over a rug and she had fastend the surcingles first, cause it slipped back over the horses rump and it was ******** even more,anyway) then carry on with the surcingles and so on. I have left the same T/O rug on in the stable, as long as it's not wet, for them to get used to it, won't hurt for a few days, as long as you do remove it and give a good brushing, then put it back on using the method above. Good luck and hope this helps.
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Blistering Winds
Member
Member # 843
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posted November 29, 2003 08:41 AM
Definitly take it slow. Rub it all over her until she stops flinching. Then put it on her.
Is it an over-the-head type? I find those to be teh hardest to teach a horse. Mine is an open-front that I can unlatch until they learn to take it over their head.
You might switch for a while if it is that type. You can rig an open front if you know or can sew your own.
Good Luck
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Horses should not be treated as people. They should be respected for who they are and what they are capable of doing!
Born Free Now Expensive
Posts: 4337 | From: Texas | Registered: Oct 2003
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Horsebrat20
Member
Member # 796
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posted November 29, 2003 02:33 PM
I'll try hanging it on her stable door tonight. Should i do it over night or could this be dangerous? She's not scared of it when i come towards her with it. At least the last time i worked with her, but who knows maybe it turned back into the boogy man. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif) Thanks everybody!
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http://community.webshots.com/user/sarasbluegroove
"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.
T.E. Lawrence
"There is no better feeling in the world then having your animal surrender it's trust into your hands."
Sara
Posts: 788 | From: RI | Registered: Oct 2003
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Blistering Winds
Member
Member # 843
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posted November 29, 2003 07:14 PM
worse she'll do is pull it down and stomp on it to death and poop on it
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Horses should not be treated as people. They should be respected for who they are and what they are capable of doing!
Born Free Now Expensive
Posts: 4337 | From: Texas | Registered: Oct 2003
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Horsebrat20
Member
Member # 796
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posted November 30, 2003 05:39 PM
Well i didn't hang it on her door ![[Blushing]](graemlins/blush.gif) (forgot). But today after i did some round pen work which she is doing great in) i took her in her stall with no halter on (thats the way my mom would be putting it on her in the morning) and brought the blanket over to her. She sniffed it, let me rub it all over her without flinching at all, then i just put it on her without a second glance from her! It must be a trust issue, where she trusts me a lot more then my mom. SO i'm gonna keep putting it on her everyday so she gets used to it. Then maybe she'll let my mom put it on after a while. Thanks everybody!
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http://community.webshots.com/user/sarasbluegroove
"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.
T.E. Lawrence
"There is no better feeling in the world then having your animal surrender it's trust into your hands."
Sara
Posts: 788 | From: RI | Registered: Oct 2003
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Dawn
Member
Member # 14
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posted December 01, 2003 12:40 PM
Have you watched your mom do this? It might be the way she's approaching her.
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Heard in the midst of a handwriting exam ~ "And to think, we could've been bio-chem majors."
Posts: 6885 | From: Tennessee | Registered: Nov 2002
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