head shy?

Question
I recently started working with a 8 yr old horse who seems to be head shy.  I am a firm believer that there are no "problem" horses, just problem people.  This also causes me to be frustrated.  He won't let anyone near him.  He is very head shy, and will go to such lengths as to run away when you come near his stall of fence.  I have gotten him to the point where he will come to me in the stall and stand quietly while I brush him.  If you try to touch his head, face, ears, or top of his neck, he will freak out.  He rears up and backs up like a speeding train.  I thought it may be a medical problem, but the chiropractor said hes fine.  The halter he had on him when I first met him was far too small and had rubbed his hair off his face on the nose.  I thought this may have something to do with it, but I took that off and he is still not allowing any sort of touch whatsoever.  I eventually want to ride him, but i don't want to rush him.  i go at his pace.  I have broke and started young horses before, but re-training an older horse that has been through all this is a whole new ballgame for me.  He stands for me to be brushed, and I can pet him on his neck and anywhere else, but that's it.  I haven't tried a new halter yet because i want to make sure his face heals first.  This is where I need help.  Normally I would get him in a roundpen and work with him there.  Problem is, he doesn't have a halter so I can't get him into the roundpen.  Its an acre away from his stall.  I have tried petting between eyes and on forehead.  I have let him sniff back of hand and tried rubbing neck and moving up to head.  Its a no go.  I have placed the new halter near him and he sniffs it.  I can rub it all over him with a leadrope and hes ok.  Its just when theres any movement near or toward his face. What can I do?  What does he need?  I have built some trust with him, but not enough.  I am the only one he comes to or follows.  (he wont even go to owner)  I am at a loss.  What should I be doing different?  Thank you in advance for your help.

Answer
Hi Mandy!

You will have some dues to pay with this horse.  Someone has done wrong by him and the human will have to prove to be trustworthy BEFORE this horse is going to trust again.  It is all about feel, timing and balance.  You are on the right track.  Your timing will just have to be spot on when you are trying to touch him.  If you reach for him and he FEELS like he is about to leave, stop reaching, go back to doing something he likes and is more comfortable with, and then try again.  Also, try this approach, don't really reach for him with your hand.  Start with lifting you arm a bit in the are close to him.  Be very soft here.  You will have to be the judge of how much he can take.  You might only get your hand part of the way up, maybe chest height, before he starts to think about leaving.  STOP.  You really want him to stay.  You are going to try and move your arm with out doing so much that it drives him off.  In the beginning it may be very little.  Where you are trying to get is the point where you can stand alongside of him, raise your arm and gently brush you arm and part of your hand over his head and neck.   You will come up from his neck and over his head just lightly brushing past his ears.  When he becomes comfortable with this, when he knows you are not going to stay so long that it troubles him, you can do more.  Stay on the edge of trouble here.  Don't do so much that your are chasing him away.  This is a feel you will have to find.  

If you can't halter him, try using you lass rope and just send his head through the loop.  This way you can lead him and using your lass rope is where you will start with his ground work anyway!  You can tip a coil up over his nose to direct him.  If you have a good saddle horse, ground work him from your saddle horse.  You don't need to touch him or have him in a halter to get him hooking on.  You can do that right in his stall.  When he is moving off of pressure both to the left and right in his stall, and you can roll him over his hind quarters, then just open up your loop  and send his head through the loop.  You can even spend some time tossing your loop at him, over his back in the stall.  Be soft in doing this because you are in tight quarters with bad footing.  I have had to do this same thing.  Sometimes you just have to use what you have and get on with things.

I would work in lots of little sessions with him giving him time to soak on what he just learned.  It will help you too.  Work a bit, reward the slightest effort and smallest try, then let him just think about things for a bit, then go again.  Pretty quick you will be over this part and on to the next.  

You sound like you have a pretty darn good feel going with this horse.  If I have used terms or concepts that you are not familiar with, let me know and I will clarify.  Just go slow.  The slower you go the faster you will get there, really!  It will not be like flipping a switch with this horse, it will just be one small click on the dial.  Keep me posted.  If I have missed something or if you have additional thoughts on this horse, let me know and we will talk about it.  And by the way, HE is making you a better and more skilled horsewoman, thank him.

Smiles,

Denise