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Hello Diane,

Ditto my horse. It is amazing how talking to him helps and it is 
immediate. Some of my trails go around large bushes near a fenced 
road. Just a few days ago we passed a gap in the bushes and there was 
some fresh trash caught in the fence. We both saw it at the same 
time, Datezz dropped his head, started sideways, I'm already talking 
to him, silly stuff in a calm voice, "Ya, I know, it's a polar bear, 
he's coming for you, etc" and he straightened out and continued on 
past but he put some serious lift in his normally smooth working trot 
for about 100 feet. I do really love those "bucking rolls" when I get 
caught off guard tho.

Don Huston


At 09:45 AM 9/2/2009 Wednesday, you wrote:
> One thing that hasn't been mentioned is poor eyesight.  We are all 
> so used to our horses being able to spot a bobcat standing still a 
> half a mile away that we forget that like people, some horses have 
> better eyesight than others... and some have eyesight that is a 
> whole lot worse.
>
> I have a horse that shies at rocks and logs.  I found it interesting 
> that after a while, he became familiar with which rocks and logs on 
> our conditioning routes were just that and he stopped paying any 
> attention to them.  At the same time he continued to shy at much 
> less ominous looking items elsewhere.  Then I noticed that about 30 
> feet away from them he'd stiffen a bit and tilt his head, first one 
> way, then another, just like we humans do to try to get a better 
> view of something.
>
> The solution to HIS shying was to talk to him.  As the bond between 
> us has grown stronger, he has learned to trust me so when I say, 
> "Not to worry Boo.  It's just a rock" he relaxes and walks up to it 
> and on by.  If I don't say anything, he shies :)
>
> Second clue.  This same horse used to spin and bolt from me in 
> pasture if as I got close I lifted my arm up to rub his forehead (he 
> LOVES having his forehead scratched).  He doesn't do that any more 
> because as long as he knows it's me, he figures that he isn't really 
> seeing a big club coming at him.
>
> Third clue.  Before he and I were close, I would walk right up to 
> him in pasture and he wouldn't try to take off.  "Oh look," I 
> thought.  "Boo wants to get caught and taken out."  Well, now I'm 
> not so sure.  A horse doesn't "see selectively", you know, like some 
> older humans who "hear selectively".  Horses are too honest for 
> that.  So if his eyesight wasn't very good, maybe he couldn't see 
> the halter.  My other horse could see it just fine and DID take off 
> but Boo would just stand there.  BTW, now when I go out I call him 
> and he comes.  He DOES want me to take him out NOW but back then... 
> I have doubts :)
>
> So next time you see a log or rock ahead, try to relax and just 
> watch your horse to see what he does.  If after a while you begin to 
> suspect he really has trouble seeing, start using a stock phrase to 
> tell him not to worry (they DO learn words despite what some people 
> think).  If that calms him and stops the shies, you'll have a pretty 
> good indication that he is having trouble identifying what's lurking 
> on the trail ahead and needs you to tell him what it is.
>
>
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