Is your horse head shy?

Each horse is an individual with nerves, feelings and behaviors unique to him. Over time, the horse may develop habits that are brought on by mishandling or by clueless owners. One of those annoying behaviors is shyness about the head.

A head-shy horse will exhibit fearful behavior including being scared and anxious around his face. In addition, he may be easily spooked or become rattled when you least expect it. Horses with this type of disposition are dangerous to ride, do not like being touched, and are often difficult to handle.

This conduct is not only annoying but it can also prove to be dangerous. In order to avoid being touched, the head-shy horse will briskly move his head away, or worse, pull away with his whole body. Either way, he is a large, heavy animal and can easily hurt his handler.

It is possible that a small number of head-shy horses have been that way all of their lives and have consequently been bullied and mishandled. Others may have developed an aversion to being touched on the head due to rough handling, twitching, and other practices. It will take patience and understanding, plus much determination, to regain the horse’s confidence again.
Since this behavior is primarily caused by abuse or neglect, the horse will always prepare himself with a flight response – hence, the head shaking to get away, or bolting to flee, or avoiding pain from fear and bad experience. I suppose it is easy enough to describe: would you stand still if another individual smacked you in the face, or beat you, or whipped you at slightest whim. Of course not. You’d flinch, bolt, try to get away. So does a horse.

Sometimes, however, a horse will have a physical reason for sudden onset of head shyness. His problem may be pain that is caused by tooth infection, an abscess of the inside lining of the mouth, or sharp points on one or more of his teeth.

Be aware of how you approach the head-shy horse. Adapt some of these helpful ideas in your everyday care and grooming.
Never strike your horse or slap him on his muzzle, nose, neck or cheeks.

Do stroke your horse often and kindly. If at first he resists, start at the neck. Progress to the top of his neck, stroke and pat and rub. With each little success, move just an inch or two over until you are able to stroke his cheeks and so on. Do not rush. If he is not becoming increasingly relaxed or trusting, progress no further and continue with the neck, and so on. Eventually, he will welcome getting spoiled, I promise.

Never grab his halter roughly or unexpectedly.

Do exhibit patience, confidence and determination as you work daily with the horse. Success and regained trust take time.

Never yell, show anger or move abruptly around the horse, especially while he is on cross ties.

Do remain calm. Always.

Never stare directly into the horse’s eyes.

Do keep up a steady stream of conversation with the horse. Talk in soothing, cooing tones. Exaggerate feelings of happiness and pleasure in your voice since this will be calming to the horse.

Never wave your hands around or make sudden moves near his face, head or eyes.

Do hold him with a leadrope while he is on cross ties. As you are holding him, and when you are sure he realizes he is being held, reach up with the other hand to pat his nose. Be sure he can see what your hand is doing at all times. Give him gentle stroking and coo to him at the same time. “Oh what a good boy you are. See there’s nothing to worry about.” And so on.

Never hand feed treats while you are working on head shyness. He may well be an eager cookie eater and nip a finger. Additionally, he may expect treats and begin to look for them, even when you don’t want him to. Better practice is to leave a treat of apple or carrots in his food bin at the end of your training session.

Do permit your horse to breathe in the smell of your hand and clothing.

Never permit the horse to nibble on your hand or clothing. If he does, keep your cool and back away slowly – do not make sudden or startling moves.

Do rub his nose and forehead as you make progress.

Never rush touching his ears until he is ready. This will be the toughest test. In fact, the ears alone can take as much time as the entire head.

Do repeat every step listed here. Adjust them to the needs of the individual horse and go over them again and again.

With repetition, kindness, patience and a whole lot of loving, the horse will get it. He will understand that it is OK to trust a human and that this human – YOU – is not going to hurt him in any way. Good luck. Your horse is well worth the time and effort.