There was a commotion at the place next to where my horses board this morning (looks like they got a herd of brush clearing goats!) and all of my horses were up, even Moonshine (who HAS seen a goat before, although you would not have known it). When it was time to get Pony ready to ride, he was super jumpy. I mean he was literally jumping around his stall. I tried the stall that had the view of the neighboring property, and another stall that had a different view, but he was really borderline freaking out.
What I ended up doing was haltering him and taking him out, just walking him for a few minutes and then asking him to do some easy work on the lead rope, just doing circles around me at a walk, yielding his hindquarters. I let him nibble some grass, and we’d change directions. I was thinking that would get him focused on me rather than on the goats (which by this time had disappeared, which is maybe even more scary than them running around – INVISIBLE goats!). Then I let him graze and tacked him up while he was doing that.
He was a bit jumpy in the lesson as well, but I got him focused by doing circles and leg yields, and he was fine.
My question is, what would you guys have done in the situation? My three are overall pretty calm and I’ve never really had to deal with something like this before. I’d like to know what to do if it happens again.
What I ended up doing was haltering him and taking him out, just walking him for a few minutes and then asking him to do some easy work on the lead rope, just doing circles around me at a walk, yielding his hindquarters. I let him nibble some grass, and we’d change directions. I was thinking that would get him focused on me rather than on the goats (which by this time had disappeared, which is maybe even more scary than them running around – INVISIBLE goats!). Then I let him graze and tacked him up while he was doing that.
He was a bit jumpy in the lesson as well, but I got him focused by doing circles and leg yields, and he was fine.
My question is, what would you guys have done in the situation? My three are overall pretty calm and I’ve never really had to deal with something like this before. I’d like to know what to do if it happens again.