Horse Problem - Wand-Training Fear - Horse fears training wand with plastic/How to desensitize (Contd)

Using advance/retreat, while you are still on the move there, him following, as you make a turn in direction, let the wand come slowly in close, parallel to the back/saddle area when you can, but work to stay just this side of his threshold bubble there, and just as quickly retreat the wand away, go back to swinging it around slowly in front of you, as you continue walking.

Horses must move their feet when afraid. It is how nature designed them as a prey/flight animal. But using this route, you are directing the move rationally via going for a retreat walk, horse behind you. And this helps the horse digest incrementally that he indeed can handle what it is he fears most. If he explodes suddenly, just let him circle around you, take your eyes off him so that he knows you're not asking anything of him.

Get your retreat timing quick, if you can, to retreat the wand out of his discomfort zone before he retreats and you'll get there faster. Do this repeatedly, while on your walk, letting the wand enter his discomfort zone, but just as quickly exit it. Do this until he can handle it better. Slowly you'll be redrawing that comfort zone threshold line by your quick darts over that line, and retreating instantly, and the threshold zone line gets redrawn closer and closer to him. Do this until the wand with plastic is touching his back saddle area and retreat it fast. Repeat. As many times as it takes.

Caution: when you do start to make contact with the plastic on the end of the wand in the saddle area of his back (which is where most horses will tolerate it first), or shoulder area, make sure you don't let the plastic fly over to the other side of his back at first, which would allow him to catch sight of it in his off eye and he could spook right into you! Do all your work there only on one side of the body at a time, separating that out. When he finally allows the wand to touch his back more and more, let it remain there a few seconds, then retreat it.

Once he allows it to remain there longer and longer without exploding away from it, but handles that pretty rationally, now you can stop, drop the wand to the ground, go up to the horse and reward him, lavish love, finger in corner of his mouth to get him working the mouth, relaxing him, dropping his head.

Let him sniff the wand on the ground there if he wants. Let him see: it is perfectly harmless.

We do not use my training wand in NH to ever strike a horse. It is simply: a safe extension of your arm.

Pick the wand back up, let him sniff the handle as you point the tip of the wand to the ground and now see if he'll let you touch his back with the end of it with you standing off to the side of him.

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