My horse is mean in the stall!

Question
Rick,
     I recently got a 5y/o welsh TB cross. She is really good  in the ring and at shows, but the second you get in the stall with her she gets angry! She pins her ears, puts her butt right in my face and threatens to kick.
     I've gotten some suggestions on what could have caused it and what to do about it. A lot of people said that she sounds like she could have had a history of abuse. Some people said that she could be bored of her stall because she  has only bars to look out of, and suggested a stall gate. Right now I am just making sure I don't let her push me around and try to always go in her stall with a strong, positive attitude.

What do you suggest!?

     Thanks,
            Devin


Answer
Hi Devin, this is a symptom of other issues.  The advice you got both sound reasonable for the reason he may be doing this.  Most horse issues are people issues.  We cause them, we deal with from our position and not from the horse's position.   If this horse is good and has no other problems but this, this should be an easy fix.  Most problems fall in to fear or disrespect.  Respect has to come from trust.  A lot of people forget this.  Respect should not come from pushing and yanking the horse around.  Make sure you deal this from the horse's point of view and try to understand why?  If I was a horse I would not want to go in a stall, it smells, it is small and confined, I am alone with no friends, little fresh air, little sunlight and I hear all sorts of noises that I can't see and don't know what the are.  Any horse that dislikes a stall is very understandable to me.  Now you add past bad experiences like abuse, neglect, or an injury, it is very easy to see the horse's point of view.  However,  a horse should not be putting you in a position where you can get hurt.

A horse has to know that it is unacceptable to put his but to you.  You can walk to it, touch it, mess with him, but he can not move it to you for a scratch or as a threat.  Stopping this is usually pretty easy if done right and with consistency.  Some people use a whip, some use a poke with a pointed object and some old cowboys used a bb gun.  I don't suggest any of these but they do work.  A cattle prod would work but I would not use it either.  The idea is the make sure the horse understands that if he puts his butt to you, there is response that he dose not like and does not want.  I use a lead rope and it should only take one or two times.  In most training I like to ask several times escalating each ask.  Like Please, Pretty Please, You better, opps-you should have...  This model gives a horse a chance to figure out the correct response and does not ambush the horse.  With that being said, an ambush is what a horse gets if he threatens me.  But I still give him assistance in knowing the right response.

If a horse is taught to keep his butt away from you he will not do this, that is why I find odd that he only does this in the stall.  I would not try and fix this in the stall, that will only increase the horses fear in the stall and it will reinforce that the stall is a bad place.

Fix this outside the stall in a field, round pen or away from barn and stall.  Make sure your horse knows the signal for move your butt away.  I start with a click and point to the butt, at the same time I pull (lightly) the head to me and towards his butt.  This makes the butt move away from me and makes his head come to me.  After you do this a few times he may need some encouragement to move a little faster.  So next time you point and click and he dose not move, pop him with the end of lead rope in the butt.  When I say pop, swing the rope overhand and come down right on the hip next to you.  Don't be shy and it should sting.  The harder you do it the less likely you will have to do it again.  Be ready this will startle him and he may try to pull away, be ready and pull his head to you, which should be near his butt and he will face you, and his butt will rapidly move away from you.  Now the next time you move to his butt he will move it away from, that is good, but don't forget to point and click, and stop and reward when he moves.  Don't keep chasing his butt and make him circle.  He should almost be scared for you to approach his butt.  You and desensitized him later after this problem is fixed.  Do this on both sides.  After you are sure he knows this well, you should be able to move his butt away from you by a click and point, or better yet, he will not wait for click and point and will not let you approach his butt and will immediately face you when you approach his butt.

Another thing which I would do is when you put him up, have a treat in your pocket.  As soon as you walk in stall, walk to his butt, pulling his head around and make him face you.  Give him a treat.  Pretty soon he will want to face you in the stall to get his treat knowing this his your routine.  This will fix it if he likes his treat, carrot, apple or his favorite snack.  I walk in the stall next to horse and then stop, step back a few steps so I and in doorway and the horse faces me.

You should still work on him facing you or moving his butt on command (click and point) when ever you ask.

And don't forget, don't train this in the stall, you really need to try and make that stall a happy place, bring him treats, brush him, spend time with him a few minutes a day so he starts thinking this stall is not just a place I get abandoned and locked up.

good luck,  Rick