My horse is scared of umbrellas!

[Mary Poppins]

I have always known that Ben is scared of umbrellas, but today we went to a show in the rain and he found the umbrellas terrifying.

I need to get him used to them. I have some ideas on what I can do, but has anyone else had a horse scared of umbrellas and how did you overcome it?

 

[Flipo's Mum]

Yeah we have a dislike of them. I've done some spook busting and he calms down but then we don't see one for ages. If we see one out riding, he's fine as long as no one wields it at him! But last year at the show it kept stopping and starting raining and everyone opened their brollies and Flipo freaked. My arm was sore by the end of it! Get him following them, that's how I'd start. And have it open already on the ground and let him sniff, approach and retreat. I'd use clicker because were well versed in that but a pat and a scratch would work just as well as a reward.

 

[Mary Poppins]

That was exactly what happened. The rain came and about 5 umbrellas opened in all directions. He spooked and span round, and which point I quickly got off and calmed him down, but the umbrellas still came at him from all directions and he felt so tense (despite me shouting at everyone to put them down). I was then left in a difficult situation because there was absolutely nothing I could use to get back on him again, and to get back to my lorry to use my mounting block meant that I had to walk past the secretary's trailer where the whole queue of people were holding umbrellas!

I thought that I would start off by putting him in the field and then putting up an umbrella outside his field. I will then walk up the down the lane with the umbrella up and see what he does. Once he is happy with that, I will walk around the field putting the umbrella up and down. I thought that if he is in his own field he can do what he likes. Once he tolerates me walking round the field with an umbrella, I will let him free in the school and put the umbrella up there and once he gets used to that I will hold him and put one up directly next to him. When he is happy with that I will ask people to put umbrellas up and down when I am riding in the school. Hopefully this will mean that we won't have a repeat of yesterday!

Why do people put umbrellas up at horse shows anyway? Do people have no sense at all?

 

[juliecwuk]

I have the same problem with Moet. She freaks at them. To be honest i rather ashamedly have never bothered de-spooking her to them, but i will at some point. Though we really only see them on hacks, which tbh we don't bother doing if its raining.

We did have one incident coming back from a hack we came to the end of a lane which joined the main road. On the corner an older lady was standing under an umbrella. Both of our horses started spooking sideways into the main road (luckily no traffic). I asked politely could she just put the brolly down whilst we went past and she said no as it would ruin her hair. I replied with oh of course best not ruin your hair, but its okay for us to have our lives ruined by being forced sideways into a main road......

when you despook Ben make sure its a rainy day as with Moet I'm pretty sure its the noise of the rain on the brolly rather than the brolly itself.

 

[Kite_Rider]

Belle is usually fine with brollies, however, like anything with her if she's not seen one in a while she will still have a moment when we meet one! Luckily if she is allowed to have a good look and a sniff at whatever it is she is ok with it. So even if you desensitise him to them you'll probably find unless you keep seeing them (although with the British summer that shouldn't be a problem) he may well react the next time he sees one.

 

[Trewsers]

Is it worth putting one up in his field and just leaving it there to see if curiosity gets the better of him? Appreciate it might get damaged but you could get a cheapo one off flea-bay? Just thought it might be worth a try? Or even sillier sounding: maybe put something nice like carrots inside the brolly and let him take them after sniffing them out?

 

[notpoodle]

Just show him an umbrella, let him sniff it, open it a bit, let him have a good look, touch him with it etc. I've also seen a local RI simply ambled around in front of a youngster with an umbrella until the youngster couldn't contain his curiosity any longer and had to have a look! Worked a treat!

 

[Flipo's Mum]

Is it worth putting one up in his field and just leaving it there to see if curiosity gets the better of him? Appreciate it might get damaged but you could get a cheapo one off flea-bay? Just thought it might be worth a try? Or even sillier sounding: maybe put something nice like carrots inside the brolly and let him take them after sniffing them out?

Ah now there's an idea. Hang carrots from the umbrella, help him learn they are good things lol!

 

[Cortrasna]

Well unfortunately it isn't surprising that people at outdoor shows will be bold enough to use umbrellas rather than get soaked. Damned inconvenient if your horse doesn't like them, but I am amazed you didnt get any verbal abuse when you asked everyone to take them down!

I think your plan sounds grand though, slowly slowly catchee monkey. But I do rather wonder if he might be perfectly Ok with them whilst at home in his field and in the schooling area, but still throw a paddy at unknown events with a lot going on around to hype him up a bit anyway? Might be worth actually asking a few people at events if they would mind wandering around him putting umbrellas up and down, that sort of desensitising might be more useful? Or bring some helpers with you and give them an umbrella each to unfurl at odd moments until he takes no notice of them?

 

[Mary Poppins]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am away at the moment but will start on Friday evening when I am home. It is the umbrellas moving around which freak him out. If they were still I am sure it wouldnt be such a problem.

I did get some abuse for asking the umbrellas to go down, but after seeing how much he was spooked I couldn't care less.

 

[chunky monkey]

Moving brollies are big monsters. Yard owner had hers yesterday, his eyes were on stalks till she got close enough and he realized who it was. Then he went back to grazing in the field.