Arabian Mare

Question
I have had a large dog coming onto my property chasing my horses. This animal seems to be gone now. Though ever since the animal began my horses have been very scared to leave there fields. They will not walk threw the trails in the back woods and my one mare will not walk down the road even. I have tried walking side by side with her down the road to feel more comfortable and she just kept snorting loudly and trying to spin in circles to see if anything was behind her. When she does this I stop her and rub her neck trying to show her everything is okay. We will continue to walk and in a matter of seconds she is trying to spin in circles again. What could I do to help them feel safe and comfortable again?

Answer

Leading for Calmness Every horse innately knows that an individual horse is at risk of dying and that it needs herd mates for safety and security.  In the absence of another horse, another prey type herd animal will provide some sense of safety.  It is this innate psychology that is causing your horse to feel so fearful when she is taken away from the herd and worrying about the "predator" that may appear from no where.  Because of this fear, she is hyper alert and ready to flee first and ask questions later.  When her head is up (poll higher than withers) and her back is braced her adrenaline is flowing and she is mentally and physically ready for flight.  Asking her to stop and be still only adds to her stress.

You can help change how she feels by "reframing" or reshaping her body and allowing her to move but controling that movement.  Work with her when she is calm (even in the paddock with her herd mates) to get her to respond to the cue to lower her head.  With her poll below her withers, the flow of adrenaline is cut off.  She also needs to be respectful of your space (no bending in to you) even when she is stressed and needs to move. She should move around you rather than through you - just as she would with any higher ranking horse in the herd.  

Leading her with contact on the lead rope, stay at her shoulder and flex her head down as she walks.  With slight downward (not pulling) pressure gently move your wrist in a figure eight pattern in time with her front feet.  Baby finger down as her right front foot comes forward; thumb down as her left front foot comes forward.  If she throws her shoulder on you, put the point of your elbow into her shoulder.  If she becomes too rambunctious to stay safely beside her, then send her out on a small lunging circle.  Having an extra long cotton lead rope works well for this.

Focus on encouraging (but not forcing) her to come into a calm shape - poll level with or below her withers, bending around you and no pushing into your space with any part of her body.  Respect her need to move when she is stressed, but control where and how she goes.  Just move her around you in a small circle (you remain at her shoulder & push her around you as you pivot on the spot).  Keep contact on the lead rope so that you can gently rock her head downwards (don't pull on the rope but think of creating a massaging action). Only come out of the small circle when she calms down and go back onto the circle as soon as she gets overly excited.  Be careful that you do not pull her nose in towards you by bringing your hand towards your body. This will pull her off balance and into your space and create more stress for both of you.  Turn her into the circle by reaching back with your left arm towards her hindquarters.  As you send her hindquarters out, her front end will turn in.  Practicing this when she is not stressed will help to reinforce the behaviour when she does become stressed.

This might take several sessions, but is well worth the time and effort in the long run.  Visit my YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/AnneGage96?feature=mhsn#p/u/3/N4fY9OA6a2A to see a video that shows this technique.