pigs

Hi we just got a new horse Bob and he's 16 years old 16.2 and scared of pigs as he is so big he can he dangous to handle even worst he has no respect for personal space in the first place so will quite happily knock us over without realising don't get the wrong idea he's not mean just silly we've had him around a month now but he's stayed at the same yard and in the same field for over a year now but he still acts stupid going past the pigs (there in an enclosed hit barn so there not in sight) some of the time he's so so (shorts prances past them) but when he's being a Pratt mum can get scared and I normally end up taking him
He spun round and almost knocked mum over today when she tried to turn him and he did the same to me so I ended up backing him into the field so please if anyone has any surgestions they would be much apresiated

There is really no difference than any other object as far as fear. So it will involve you, your horse, trust between the two of you, the pig and repetition. It would be nice if you could get a pig that you could leash or harness and basically have a friend lead the pig in front of you while you follow behind with your horse at a distance where he feels comfortable. While slowly closing the distance as the horse feels more comfortable and curious. You can retreat if the horse gets spooky. Repetition is the key here and it may take some time( I do this same drill with dogs). I would also have the individual make wide circles around you with the pig as you just relax and play with the horse. I am also curious if it may be a combination of more than just the pig. Are they noisy? Is it always in one specific area? More details may help. If you can't get a pig out like I mentioned then you will have to do a lot of ground work in a similar manner in the trouble area around the pigs. Also, what is the history with you and the horse?

Firstly, agree with Fingerlake's post re desensitising to scary things generally.

With no info on how you handle him, can only give general stuff too. Don't blame him for it, perhaps he's never been taught human 'manners' before. With the pigs, he's not being a 'Prat' he's being frightened & reactive in a 'dangerous'(how's he to know it's not?) situation.

I'd be teaching him to 'respect' my space & yielding to pressure(responding softly, not reacting) in all manner of ways and basically getting things together on the ground & in familiar, low stress environment, before taking him out, before riding. Done well, this will help his confidence & trust in you, which will carry over to make him safer under saddle, because he can trust you to look out for him, rather than finding himself in a 'dangerous' situation with no one to turn to.

I have always been told that most horses are terrified of pigs...I don't know if it's because it's something that they don't normally see or because of some instinct, because a grown pig with tusks can potentially maim a horse very badly, possibly kill it. We have lots of feral pigs in our area and I hear all the time about horses getting spooked by them and running through fences. Anyway, with anything scary, it's all about getting them desensitized.

Should have kept that in mind with my horse & wombats... because we actually got chased by one once! I don't know how that justifies their fear of echidnas though!

I think most horses are wary about anything foreign to their experience, especially if it moves or makes a noise...(especially if it's not showing it'self, like those pigs). Some horses are more or less reactive than others & some horses have had a worldly upbringing &/or have a lot of confidence in their handlers to look out for them, so they're less worried about new things.

Fear of pigs is actually very common/instinctual in horses. The bigger issue here, though, is the total lack of respect you have from the horse to begin with. I'd be addressing that issue before I even began to worry about the pigs - after all, you need to be in a firm leadership role with the horse to help him overcome fears.

I went to a show with my moms horse last year and a mule whinnied/honked and freaked him out he stood stiff and stared!i was told by my trainer to not force your horse to walk near it or stand next to it just walk past like you would and not force them to stare at it and stand close to it. I was riding my horse and he spooked by the stareo that he kept on 24/7 and he walked by it for 3 weeks and was in the barn with it and he freaked I just took him in a big circle and walked where I had him before he spooked and kept walking and he was fine with it for the rest of our ride.

Me and Slinky were catching a wild cow for a farmer once. The cow ran past a hog barn and I had a good shot to rope her. As we came around the corner of the barn at a high rate of speed, Slinky's horse spotted some pigs. My horse was T-boned by a 1300 pound runaway rope horse (just as I made the catch). The crash that ensued was spectacular and I ended up on the bottom of it as always

I always hear that pigs are greatly feared by horses. Where I board, the arena is on the property line and on the other side, the neighbor raises pigs. All new horses get turned out in the arena during the day for a week or so and after that, none are even remotely afraid of pigs.

I had the neighbor's dogs try and kill his pigs while I was riding. My gelding was very curious but not at all afraid (even with the dang pigs SCREAMING for their lives) until the neighbor's wife came out and started screaming her fool head off. That upset my horse!

I'm guessing that the poster is in the UK! In which case it is unlikely she can arrange to borrow pig to train the horse with - movement of pigs is restricted, and must be reported to DEFRA at all times.

However, I wouldn't be suggesting this anyway as I agree with the other posters that the OP and her mum needs to get some help from an instructor in how to manage this horse from the ground and in saddle.

OP where abouts are you?