Overcoming My Horse’s Fear of Other Horses: The Breakthrough Continues (Article 2)

I'm really trying my best to get over my fears, Mum!

This is the second in a series of posts about implementing my own suggestions in the article  4 Steps For Overcoming Your Horse’s Fear of Other Horses  which I originally wrote for ezinearticles.com.

It is an ongoing exercise in putting my money where my mouth isJ

Tackling the Next Step

Yesterday Julie brought her ‘scary’ mare, Cayenne, over for our next session in getting Cruz over his fear of other horses in general, and this one in particular.

I’d already exercised Cruz for thirty minutes before her arrival, and decided to skip the initial ground work which began our previous sessions.

Instead, Julie and I immediately rode in opposite directions from each other in walk, with only a small gap between the two horses. This meant Cruz had no time to get used to Cayenne's presence before having her walk 'at him.'

I purposely placed Cruz on the outside track, as he tends to feel ‘hemmed in’ between a moving horse and the perimeter fence.

So it was wonderful when he calmly accepted Cayenne walking towards him on both reins!

Upping the Stakes

Blown away with elation, we decided to move up to trot.

During our last session Cruz walked while the other horses trotted towards him on either side. This time, with only one other horse in the arena, we transitioned into trot together. Again, we immediately rode in opposite directions.

Not wanting to destroy what we had so carefully built, I trotted Cruz on the inside track, so he wouldn’t feel claustrophobic. Julie and I rode several circuits of the arena on both reins, while I moved Cruz closer to the oncoming ‘scary’ chestnut mare.

Playing My Part

Desperate for this exercise to succeed, I think I was more anxious than my horse! It cost me a lot to sit quietly, with my hands firmly in front of the saddle to encourage forward movement.

There was only one anxious tremor from Cruz. I immediately pushed my hands a little further along his crest, with a slight closing of my leg, to encourage him without bullying. 

Ending on a Successful Note

It worked. The tremor subsided almost as soon as it had begun and we rode smoothly past. WooHoo!

After three quiet trot loops on each rein it was time to walk our horses, give Cruz a huge pat and thank Julie and Cayenne for their tremendous help.

This afternoon we will trot Cruz between the mare and the outside railing. Here’s hoping for another big step forwards in his rehabilitation!