Desensitize your Pony
Desensitizing your Pony should be something that is done to every pony,
It builds the bond between owner and pony, it also makes for a safer pony.
De-sensitizing can be anything from walking over tarps, showing them plastic bags, walking them through creeks, over bridges, through puddles, taking them to shows just to watch and hear all the speakers and spooky things, it really can be anything don't think there is a particularly special system to do it, Think outside the box and go with your pony's own pace,
Say for example your Pony is worried of tarps flapping, Bring them into an enclosed space such as a round yard, have the tarp on the ground, Allow the horse to go up to the tarp slowly don't rush things, take all the time in the world you need for that pony to be comfortable with YOU, this is trust and confidence it can't be rushed!
Once the Pony smell's the tarp walk him away do this as many times as needed untill the horse is comfortable, (I don't care if it takes two hours you keep doing the same thing over and over) the key word is repetition!
Until the horse show's obvious signs that he/she is relaxed then you can move on to rubbing the horse slowly with the tarp, repeat this till the pony is comfortable! Then you can ask your Pony to walk over the tarp over and over, Once again only when your pony is comfortable, You do not want to rush the Pony and lose the trust you are trying to build,
This same procedure can be applied with water, Start a container of water and a rag, touch the pony then walk away come back touch the pony with the water and damp rag, do it again and agian and again have incredible patience don't get impatient otherwise you destroy what you are trying to gain its not worth it believe me! Impatience is were a lot of people fail with there pony!
Then touch the horse once its comfortable with the damp rag, touch and rub him over and over again with a dripping rag till he is comfortable,
Then do the same thing with a hose that is turned off, then dripping with water then turned on only continuing up each level when the horse is well and truly calm and relaxed.
Then you can start on puddles treat the puddle like the tarp you want them to walk over, walk them up to the puddle, then away, then let them sniff the puddle, then ask them to put there feet in, then back them up away from the puddle then ask them to walk through the puddle, only when your pony is relaxed and comfortable, this can then be taken on to creeks, dams ect with a calm quite horse.
It builds the bond between owner and pony, it also makes for a safer pony.
De-sensitizing can be anything from walking over tarps, showing them plastic bags, walking them through creeks, over bridges, through puddles, taking them to shows just to watch and hear all the speakers and spooky things, it really can be anything don't think there is a particularly special system to do it, Think outside the box and go with your pony's own pace,
Say for example your Pony is worried of tarps flapping, Bring them into an enclosed space such as a round yard, have the tarp on the ground, Allow the horse to go up to the tarp slowly don't rush things, take all the time in the world you need for that pony to be comfortable with YOU, this is trust and confidence it can't be rushed!
Once the Pony smell's the tarp walk him away do this as many times as needed untill the horse is comfortable, (I don't care if it takes two hours you keep doing the same thing over and over) the key word is repetition!
Until the horse show's obvious signs that he/she is relaxed then you can move on to rubbing the horse slowly with the tarp, repeat this till the pony is comfortable! Then you can ask your Pony to walk over the tarp over and over, Once again only when your pony is comfortable, You do not want to rush the Pony and lose the trust you are trying to build,
This same procedure can be applied with water, Start a container of water and a rag, touch the pony then walk away come back touch the pony with the water and damp rag, do it again and agian and again have incredible patience don't get impatient otherwise you destroy what you are trying to gain its not worth it believe me! Impatience is were a lot of people fail with there pony!
Then touch the horse once its comfortable with the damp rag, touch and rub him over and over again with a dripping rag till he is comfortable,
Then do the same thing with a hose that is turned off, then dripping with water then turned on only continuing up each level when the horse is well and truly calm and relaxed.
Then you can start on puddles treat the puddle like the tarp you want them to walk over, walk them up to the puddle, then away, then let them sniff the puddle, then ask them to put there feet in, then back them up away from the puddle then ask them to walk through the puddle, only when your pony is relaxed and comfortable, this can then be taken on to creeks, dams ect with a calm quite horse.
