# Dulling the Highly Sensitive Horse



## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

There's sensitive - which IMO you never want to 'dull down', and there's reactive. Sounds like this horse is reactive. Either due to lack of good basic training, bad experiences, and/or pain. And nutrition also has a bearing.

First & foremost, evaluate nutrition, add extra magnesium & whatever other changes may be needed. Rule out/treat any physical reasons for the horse to be reactive - eg. if he's got ulcers, if he's 'out' somewhere in his spine, if the saddle hurts him, these could be reasons for him to be generally 'flinchy' & anxious about people touching him.

THEN is the time to look at training. If he's nervous even about being touched for eg, sounds like he's not up to having someone on his back yet. I'd be working with him on the ground to get him confident & relaxed & *responsive* to physical & implied pressure first. 'Responsive' means yielding softly & reliably, with understanding, not reacting away or bracing against, in fear.


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## squirrelfood (Mar 29, 2014)

Agree with the mag supplement, it can work wonders. And don't cater to his reactiveness. If "leg" bothers him, give him more leg (gently) til it doesn't. On the ground, more rubbing with strange things, anything you can pick up and put on him or against him. Randomly tap him with your hands, gently bump him with your shoulder; basicly just be all over him like a cheap suit. Eventually he will get to that "why bother reacting" place. Tie streamers in his mane; to his bridle, things like that.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Good advice but I will say that this may not be the right horse for your aunt.

Either way he's not going to do a 180 in a week.

I would like a horse like that for myself and just ignore the behavior. Oooh baby flinched? OK let's do it again type of thing without making a large fuss. However for the average owner they either can't handle or don't want a horse like that. I've seen it go wrong way too easily and it's a situation that shouldn't happen in the first place.

I think sending him back may be something to genuinely think on or maybe she would be willing to give/lease him to you?


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I agree what Loosie and some others have said
Sensitive and reactive are not the same thing
You want a horse to react to very light leg, but you don`t want a horse that won`t accept any leg on him, for example
Can such a horse be fixed-sure, but not in a week or even a month
These type of horses also require a calm and confident rider, which your aunt is not.
Were she to have someone that will just ride this horse out, give him a job, for a year or so, he might be a great horse for her, after that time. 
These horses need lots of regular riding , so they gain confidence and learn to dampen their reactions, which is not the same as being dull. The horse learns to control his fear, as in spooking in place, rather then spooking and `trying to leave the country
Is this an older broke horse with issues, or a green horse
You say he wants to gait immediately, so a gaited horseÉ 
Often gaited horses have been trained to just go,


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

He has the mind because of how he is on the ground and I know well enough he won't do a 180 in a week, that's perfectly fine. I just want him to have made some progress.

He's green. The past two rides are the first he's had in about 4 months since the ride the saddle rolled under him and he spooked from it, dragging the rider who had his foot stuck in the stirrup down the road..

My aunt is a relatively calm rider, not a bad rider, etc. She doesn't want a spooky horse.

I guess dulling him was a bad way to put it..I don't want him dull, but I don't want him sensitive enough to leg (like mine I personally use) that he picks up another gait with just a tightening of my calf.

Saddle fits fine, I did try a different pad on him yesterday when he kept cross firing though, so I'll be putting him back with the pad I used before that does seem to fit better. His back/hips/shoulders are all fine, already checked those. He doesn't have any ulcer symptoms, so I'm tentatively ruling those out.

He's fine being touched on the ground, it's undersaddle that he's flinchy about me even touching him. All his groundwork is pretty good. He's not as good as my mare, but she took a year to be what she is now. He leads fine, stops, backs, moves his butt, moves his shoulders, etc. He doesn't like fast movements on the ground either, but even my mare will move her head/body away from someone flailing their arms around.

My aunt has that person to work this horse until he's fit, that's me. I've offered to let her take my mare out when she wants to ride, she's also taking lessons on my mare for now, soon switching to my gelding (green broke as well, but not spooky). Eventually she'll get lessons on him and then she can take him out on the trails once the miles are put on him.

He'll be ridden/worked with 5 days a week once I start working again, so he'll definitely get the miles on him.

I'm invested in him only because that was my fee for putting the training onto him. Saves my mare from giving lessons in an arena she isn't super fond of. If I didn't think he'd work for lessons eventually, I'd be all for sending him back because he wouldn't be worth it to me.

Everything you guys have suggested is in my plan for him, so nothing I haven't really thought of yet. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for him. He's going to be desensitized on the ground with bags, cans, streamer type stuff, swinging the lead rope around/on him, rubbing him down with the whip, gently flapping the whip on him, etc. I think he'll do great tomorrow, personally. I'll definitely have pictures (possibly video) of how he acts with everything. If he does okay he'll be accompanying my finished mare and my green broke OTTB gelding on a short trail ride afterwards.

I'm real big on groundwork, so if he wasn't decent on the ground (decent being what most people view as great, lol), I never would've gotten on him, especially the day he showed up, haha.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

I also want to add, if he doesn't make progress relatively quickly, he will go back. I have no use for a horse that can't be used for lessons/guest horse, neither does my aunt. I do understand he may very well not be the horse for my aunt, I definitely won't be the one that urges her to get on something she isn't comfortable on.
Just to put that out there in case someone wants to assume I'm selfish and intend to keep him anyway like people else-ware do.. *rolls eyes* I just want to give him a chance in case it's just the change to a new barn from one he hasn't left in 7 and a half years.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## LynnF (Jun 1, 2011)

When I have a particularly sensitive horse, I will often just bring them in, tack them up and leave them safely tied in a higher traffic area of the barn. My barn for example has a long tie rail along one wall where everybody tacks up etc. I will tie him near the end where he cant get into anything and just leave him for a few hours as people come in and out, carrying saddles, tacking up, shoveling poop etc. Once he is standing quietly and relaxed then I will ride him. Being spooky and reactive doesn't fly with me. I just work them as I normally would ride, ignoring any spooks. If they try to take off I will use a one rein stop and then immediately go back to what I was doing. No calming them down, no stopping to make sure everything is fine just immediately back into work. It sounds like he is used to being babied along, as in "oh you don't like having my leg on you? Well I will just ride with my legs 4" off your sides where they are completely useless" I would instead keep my leg on his side, where I would normally have it and just ride through it until he settles down and accepts it.


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## Hackamore (Mar 28, 2014)

Sounds like your aunt may be using the best logic here. If this is a reactive horse and she is not confident with him then he will become more reactive with a rider that is not confident. Send him back and get a horse that is finished & seasoned and more suitable for a beginner if that’s an option. 

Desensitizing a very reactive horse can entail lots of miles and lots of hours & while he may become a very nice horse he may never be suitable for a beginner.


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## Boo Walker (Jul 25, 2012)

sounds like you may be trying to force a round peg into a square hole


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I don't think he is worth your time for your purposes. Young horses do not have to reactive. He might just as well be an adopted Mustang by the way he behaves. Too bad that people don't realize that horses don't train themselves. Too bad, also that people don't realize that a horse who has been trained right, then left for awhile WILL REMEMBER their training.
It's ALL in the training.
I don't think that have the time to put into this horse, though it sounds like you have the ability.


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

He very well may not be worth putting the time into. I want to give him a week here to see if that's his problem (a trained horse should be just fine, he's green) since I've seen finished horses act like nuts for a week or so after moving barns.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Yeah, agree that if you want a horse that is soon to be a quiet mount for inexperienced or unconfidant riders, sound like he's not it.


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

Well, an update after today. He is sold to my buddy, lol.
I think if I rode him 5 days a week for a month, he'd be good enough for my aunt. He was a completely different horse today than he was the second and third day he was here. Still a little spooking, but nowhere near what he was when I wrote this. I fully believe it was the move for him, my aunt decided that since we can't get him to gait anymore (he's now trotting, same saddle size/build that we tried him out in though) there's no point in her even riding him because the trot is too hard on my aunt's back.

He did absolutely great on the trail ride (better than my new OTTB! LOL), desensitized very quickly, and even jumped! LOL

But, we mayy have found the _perfect _ horse for my aunt. Granted..it's 2k over what she wants to spend, but we may be able to get seller to drop the price because she's moving and doesn't want to take all the horses.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

He does sound lovely just not the right horse at the right time for the right person.

So he's actually sold?

I'm glad you/your aunt are being realistic. Better for everyone involved.

Good luck with the new horse.


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

I'm definitely a realistic person when it comes to horses, I hate throwing money/time away on a horse I can't use for the purpose it was bought.

He's definitely sold, he's being paid for friday, not sure when they plan to move him home though, his board is paid to the end of the month anyways.

I really wish he wouldn't have changed so drastically from the move though. He's going to be the perfect horse for my buddy though, exactly what he was looking for. I actually got yelled at for going to look at him with my aunt before him, haha. I was looking for both of them as a trainer, still turned out perfectly in the end though. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Hackamore said:


> Sounds like your aunt may be using the best logic here. If this is a reactive horse and she is not confident with him then he will become more reactive with a rider that is not confident. Send him back and get a horse that is finished & seasoned and more suitable for a beginner if that’s an option.
> 
> Desensitizing a very reactive horse can entail lots of miles and lots of hours & while he may become a very nice horse he may never be suitable for a beginner.



Agree with this. the horse is not intended for you, but for your aunt,and as a lesson horse
You also have sensitive /responsive somewhat mixed up with over reactive

For instance, I can get on my gelding, Cody Chrome, and do stop to lope lead departures and a series of flying changes, with leg cues invisible to anyone watching, yet put A beginner on him, and he rides only to the ability of that rider That is a sensitive horse, tht is not reactive , and the type needed for riders with lack of confidence and as leasson horses, although, I for one, would never let a bunch of lesson people get on any of my well trained horses!
If you have the time to work with this horse for several months, then give him a chance, as he might work out, but I also know that a lesson horse should be a seasoned, 'been there done it type".
Can work out to being a great horse, but maybe not as a lesson horse, or one for your aunt.
Is it not your aunt that wanted to send him back? Is it truly smart to try and have her keep a horse she considers not suitable?. You are not getting the horse for yourself.


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

Read my last post please, Smiles.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Sounds like you made the right decision, OP. I think everyone will be happy with this arrangement ^^


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Iseul said:


> Read my last post please, Smiles.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Got It!


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