You wrote:
> Hi everyone. Last night I went and picked up my new horse, sight unseen I
> had bought him. I don't think I will do that again.
Why did you buy him sight unseen? Did you have a friend or trainer
ride him or check him prior to purchase? Was he vet checked prior to
purchase? What did these folks tell you? (Even the family next door
turn into "horse traders" when they sell Mr. Personality.) If the
owner grossly misrepresented the horse, you may have grounds for
revoking the sale.
> My husband thinks he really wasn't handled much.
He is probably right! If he acted up at his previous home like he
did for you, they probably put him up & hoped somebody would take him
off their hands! Choose ONE experienced handler (you or your
husband - NOT your son). Work with him daily before feeding time -
dinner is a reward. Don't force the issue of the poll (except to
place a halter) until he leads well & respects your "personal space".
well.
> He is pretty and has great confirmation but very thin... I have decided not
to give him any (food) till he mellows out some.
Which Omelene was he on - 100, 200, or 300? Omolene 100 is a pretty
basic feed that should not make him too exciteable. If he is thin,
his excitability problems are most likely NOT food related! It
sounds like you need to start putting the groceries into him. Look
for hi fat, 10-12% protein, and the best grass hay you can find for
him. This will not make him "hot" if it is not in his nature.
Starvation/withdrawal of food is never a very good training answer.
Schedule work sessions around feeding time, even if dinner is only a handful.
He will quickly learn that responding to your requests has a reward
of dinner & "free time". My current gelding came overweight,
impossible to halter catch or tie, & wouldn't pick up his feet. He now
comes running up, SHOVES his head into the halter, loves to work,
ties & cross ties, and stands reasonably well for hot shoeing. It took
work like I'm about to describe.
> The major problem and if anyone has ever dealt with this before I could
> certainly use some advice is, you can not touch him anywhere near his poll
> he reared on me today when I was trying to adjust the halter.
GREAT thing to find out when you pick him up! And the owner said he
could be handled by a 2 year old! (Sure - the 2 year old can't REACH
his poll!) I would have been tempted to cancel the sale on the spot.
Seriously, solving this problem will be a long term poject. There
are a variety of trainers & methods out there (Tteam, John Lyons,
etc.) The basic intent is to teach the horse to trust you & to
desensitize him in the poll area.
Trust = time & handling repetitively by an experienced horseman. He
should learn that your are consistent in your approach to things, in
your rewards, and in your discipline. THEN, begin to work on his
poll. You may have to keep him haltered full time if it is dangerous
to put the halter on. Make sure it is a safety (breakaway) halter in
case he hangs himself.
Begin currying or stroking him in an area he accepts (wither, neck,
etc.) Slowly work up towards the poll until he shows signs of
becoming nervous. Tell him how wonderful he is & back off to a
comfort zone. Repeat (a lot) over the upcoming weeks. When he shows
signs of becoming too nervous or too bored, stop w/ a reward. If he
misbehaves, DO NOT end on a bad note. This reinforces that if he
acts up, he is rewarded w/ free time to himself. Instead, do
some things he is accomplished at - leading, picking up feet, letting
you handle his tail, etc. Reward him for this by giving him his
reward, & QUIT.
You may sound schizophrenic as you talk to him:
(low soothing tone) good boy, beautiful fella, [He acts up]
(sharp & loud) NO!, (low soothing tone) that's the way, good boy....
Do not confuse him by praising him as he acts up. Many people continue
to croon to the horse when he is bad because they are nervous, & they
don't want to make the horse nervous.
If he rears when you touch the halter, be sure are not underneath
him. Snap the lead shank sharply down (not towards you!, hopefully before
he reaches to the full rear), and snarl at him. If you are not a
confident handler, get somebody who is! This is not the time to find
out you can't do it, or worse yet, pull him over on you. This is a
dangerous vice in this horse that is not to be tolerated.
You may find he doesn't tie or cross tie either if he dislikes
pressure on his poll. This is another whole training issue! If you
do tie him, tie him to something solid (like a telephone pole in the
pasture, away from any dangerous objects, buried 4-6' in the ground.)
I hope that this helps. You probably won't see dramatic change in a
day or a week. Instead, you will look back 3-6 months from now & wonder
how he ever changed so much!
Linda Flemmer
ABF Challenger ("Rocket") & Eternal Point ("Major")
Blue Wolf Equestrian Supplies/ Blue Wolf Ranch
Chesapeake, VA
"In case of emergency - Fur side up, steel side down!"