More help with the filly!

[rideonawhim]

So I posted a little while ago about a filly I own who is terrified about fly spray ( community.livejournal.com/equestrian/5938517.html#cutid1). I posted an update saying how my gf and I had started working together to spray her and get her used to it, focusing on the suggestions we were given. Well, it seemed to work at first, and we have been

Comments

[xpioti]

My old trainer would say "Make her move and behave, then once she's behaving go back to the fly spray. Or just don't spray her at all that day." Of course, he'd probably phrase it "Make her get a life, and then get on with it!"

My QH gelding, trained in roping, used to turn and face me whenever I initially tried to lunge him. I finally turned him over to my old trainer, who made my gelding get a life: he stayed in proper lunging position, pushing my horse forward, no matter what my horse did. They wound up halfway across the farm, but the horse lost the argument. :)

[rideonawhim]

She knows how to lunge and does so fairly well, so I don't think she is doing it because she doesn't know what I want. She seems to be doing it to be assertive. I know that I shouldn't back down to her but I also do not want to get hurt. One horse-related injury was enough for me thankyouverymuch! :-)

[xpioti]

Ohh, I get it. She's playing the "so what are you gonna do about it?" game. My older gelding likes that game, and I always have to come up with something new. It's like I'm his personal entertainer or something!

[infinitlight]

I agree with your trainer :). OP, In your situation I would work on going forward for a few minutes, then back to the fly spray. If the rearing starts again, forward again, then halt for the fly spray. Make sure you have plenty of time, be patient, and keep doing it until you get the result.

[em_eye_are]

I think you need to separate the rearing from the fly spray issue. Meaning, if she rears on you, forget about having her stay quiet for the fly spray and deal with her rearing.

As soon as she shows any signs of rearing put her work on the lunge line. And when I say work, I MEAN work for at least a couple of minutes before letting her settle down. I'd do a lot of transitions and trot/canter work and no stopping until you give her the okay! (don't have her run around in a circle like an idiot or anything. Make the work productive in itself, but having it be WORK is important). I suggest using a lunge line each time you work with having her stand for the fly spray, just in case.

Try spraying her again and if she offers any attempt at a rear, work her butt off. Repeat. Besides nipping the rearing problem in the bud, you'll also work on gaining her respect. And, in the long run, I but it will help teach her to stand, as well.

[skippadedoda]

I'm going to emphasize the "work her butt off" portion of this advice- MAKE her respect you. I agree with this post completely- and it will take repeating and repeating, and many days of consistency, but I think this is the best approach!

I might get disagreed with here, but I sometimes carry a dressage whip instead of a lunge whip for a horse that isn't afraid to jump on top of me or rear at me- its a lot easier to control and get your point across, if you end up in a dangerous situation. Just a thought.

Good Luck!

[pythia]

I agree with this and the post above. Most importantly, it sounds like she's trying you out so don't take ANY crap.

[candysgirl]

Seconded. Rearing is a whole 'nother can of worms. I'd deal with that first and foremost. Forget the fly spraying if she starts to rear. Make rearing NOT an option. Work the living daylights out of her if she does it. Rapid fire transitions, direction changes, etc. I'd do enough to get her breathing hard. Then go back to neutral and try the fly spray again

[penella22]

Desensitizing training 101; QUIT WHEN THEY BEHAVE

[colebaltblue]

This.

[greyskyridge]

I mostly agree with this, except I don't really agree with letting her move around until she behaves and then stopping to spray.

I think that method teaches her to accept flyspray, eventually.

But if you address the moving around by correcting it while she is trying to evade the spray, (i.e., tug on the lead with a "Stand!") she will learn "Stand for this even though you don't like it."

Then if there is something scary on the trail, where you DON'T have until "eventually" but you need her to "stand for this even though you don't like it", you will have already trained that response.

[rideonawhim]

We do stop as soon as she stops moving, and we do ask her to stand while we spray. She started rearing yesterday whenever we brought the bottle near her. We have worked just rubbing the bottle on her and it isn't that she is afraid of the bottle. She just doesn't want it and I don't want to get hurt. I am liking the suggestions I am getting on here though.

[greyskyridge]

First of all, why are you doing this in the ring?
Do it in the grooming stall (take the crossties off if you think she is going to be bad), spritz spritz spritz, and then carry on with your lives and go ride.

Do not make this some huge major twenty minute production.
Spritz spritz spritz, STAND!, spritz spritz, FEET BACK WHERE THEY STARTED, pat pat and off you go.
That is your flyspray training IN ITS ENTIRETY.

Give yourself TEN SECONDS to practice with the fly spray every day, not a big session with two people.
Repeat every day until it isn't a problem anymore.

(Actually, next time the vet comes, hand the vet the fly spray bottle and say, "Could you please matter of factly fly spray this horse." The vet will show you.)

Secondly.
If she ever rears up and acts like that kind of an ass while anywhere near your personal space, feel free to take the end of the lead rope and crack her one with all you've got. Give yourself three seconds to become hellfire and brimstone and make her cry sorry, and then carry on with your lives

[penella22]

Well said. And in a stall, or at least in a corner of the arena certainly does help...

[fidgetknickers]

I agree with a lot of what other posters have to say, but I'm also going to share my personal experience.

I bought a four/five year old mare who was terrified of everything. Spray bottles were a huge no for probably the first year I had her. Even after she settled to letting me groom her and do all the other daily business, I had to very quietly spray fly spray onto a cloth to get it on her. Trying to get her to accept it was just making her worse. After probably about nine months, I could stand a few feet away, in her eyesight, and spray onto a cloth without trying to hide the noise, then rub it on her. Six months or so of gradually moving closer and then starting to spray on less sensitive areas (her back and butt) has eventually gotten me to where I am now with her - I can spray her loose in the field and she'll stand for it. But the whole shebang took at least three years to get to that point. Forcing her to accept it would have resulted in a meltdown

[rideonawhim]

I really don't think she is afraid of it. I just don't think she likes it. I am okay with it taking time and patience, it just seems like she is getting worse instead of better.