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Standing Quietly in the Barn.

873 views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  loosie 
#1 ·
I have a bit of a problem with my horse. She cannot stand quietly at all in the barn! Whenever I bring her in to the cross ties, and then leave for just a second to grab my brushes ect. she has a total flip out. We thought that maybe it was because there wasn't any other horses in the barn, so we brought her friend in and she still did it. She has stepped on my feet over a thousand times from shifting so much. She just gets so nervous.
One day, it got so bad to the point where she flipped over on her side because she reared and lost her balance. She broke the cross tie and dented a nearby freezer (which we use for feed) and got two long gashes up her neck and one above her eye. Luckily, they weren't too deep and she didn't turn up lame.
She used to stand like a freakin' angel. All by herself in the barn, without me or any horses. She used to sleep in the cross ties and be very calm.
I would really like to know how I can solve this. I don't know what is causing her to be this way, but I am just so afraid that she will get seriously injured.
I just want her to stand quietly, that's all. If I leave her for a minute, I just need to know that she won't get hurt.
 
#2 ·
She used to stand like a freakin' angel. All by herself in the barn, without me or any horses. She used to sleep in the cross ties and be very calm.
I would really like to know how I can solve this. I don't know what is causing her to be this way, but I am just so afraid that she will get seriously injured.
Used to? Is this a new barn? New BO or BM? New boarders?
 
#4 ·
Telling us what you think is different now, what may have happened to cause her to worry may help.

Firstly I would stop x-tying her. Both for safety and to help her get over her fears. Horses tend to be more reactive & nervous the more restricted they are. I wouldn't return to this method of restraint until she's once again calm & confident with everything else.

It sounds as if she is also very nervous while you're there(stepping on feet, etc), so I wouldn't start thinking of leaving her for long periods or leaving her alone until she is confident & calm being in there with you for short times. Eg. start at wherever she's at & work from there.

So if she's just nervous entering the barn, that is all I'd do for now; lead her up to it, step inside a pace or 10(as much as you think is OK *before* she gets too worried), then lead her back out again, back to her comfort zone. Do this over & again until she's comfortable doing it before going further or staying longer.

If it's being tied that makes her most nervous, I'd firstly start with a long rope wrapped(not tied) around a rail, or use a tie ring or such(the Blocker Tie Ring or The Clip are 2 options). Then if she reacts & pulls back the rope will slide & allow her to move her feet & not feel so trapped. Build up the length of time for this too, very gradually, starting at a few seconds or whatever she's not bad at & do lots of repetition, with lots of reinforcement - both negative(removing the pressure, taking her back to her comfort zone) and positive(rewards are good, but I don't advise trying to reward her when she's nervous, just lots for whatever she's confident with already).
 
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