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RE: [RC] Horse with fear of vet - Lysane Cree

Well, i guess that's possible but she behaved fairly
well with a different vet at the end of the summer,
and I was still the one holding the lead rope. The vet
did take a little more time to approach her. I had no
way of knowing that she would behave better with this
vet as she did give him a hard time on a previous
visit (when he approached her quite abruptly to listen
to her heart - she cow kicked and almost hit him). 
One time when the vet couldn't get near to give her a
shot, my friend was able to give her a shot quite
easily with me holding a very loose lead (I had a
broken arm at the time otherwise I would have done it
myself). On another occasion, when I wasn't there, she
gave that vet a pretty difficult time. 
I understand what you are saying, but I think there is
more to it than just me tensing up. The major
difference I have seen in her behaviour has been with
the way in which a vet approaches her (even the one
she is scared of, it would seem). She has her "rep"
made at the vet clinic (all of these vets work at the
same clinic) so they approach her nervously, expecting
her to kick or rear and be "crazy". She never behaves
like this with the farrier, but he talks very quietly
and he's patient and from day one gave her a chance
and took his time with her. 
I have taught her to drop her head when I place my
hand on her poll, so she was standing beside me
quietly on a loose lead with her head low this weekend
when I was there. Its only when that vet walked into
the stall and she turned her hindquarters on him
pretty quickly that I tightened up on the lead rope to
get her hind end away from him. She doesn't try to
kick anyone else who goes into her stall. 
The bad incident that she had with this specific vet
was last year when she was 8 months old - she was
nervous and he was in a hurry. When she kept shifting
around he grabbed the lead from me and he jerked on
the lead chain enough times that it cut under her chin
and smacked her with the lead rope about ten
times...she was so scared she fell down in her stall
trying to get away - that was the incident that
started the fear.  I'm quite sure she has not
forgotten him. She was stretching out her neck to
smell him while she was in her stall and he was in the
aisle talking to another boarder. 
I'm not against discipline, I'll dish it out myself,
but the way he handled her as a baby was excessive.
Especially given that she was not handled much before
I bought her at 7 months old and had been handled only
by me and two other women at the barn. My filly has a
dominant personality to start with and will pin her
ears at any stranger she doesn't want nearby. Her
reaction to the unknown or to fear is to fight, unless
she is given a chance to look and understand. Then she
is perfectly manageable. She's 2 in April so still
very young.
The fact that the vet took the time to talk to her and
pet her and let her settle down before doing anything
like sticking a needle in her, helped alot in my
opinion. I'm not saying she's cured, but its a start.


Lysane and Mae West


--- Karen Williams <karen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: >
I'm wondering how much of the problem is you and how
much is the horse.  You
know the "dreaded vet" is coming the one she
"doesn't like".  As soon as he
appears its possible that you tense up and get a
tighter grip on the lead
rope.  You seem to have a very sensitive horse.  If
you tense up don't you
think she will start thinking "uh oh ....
something's wrong" and tenses up
too?

Its telling that they had no problem the next day
when you *weren't* there
.....  Think about it.

The ride vets aren't going to be giving her shots,
so why not get a
stethascope and have friends and stranges around the
barn practice going
over her and listening to her pulse.  Make a
concerted effort NOT to tense
up when people approach her.

Karen

Karen Williams
Spotsylvania, VA
www.mattariver.com

-----Original Message-----
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf
Of Lysane Cree
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 1:26 PM
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [RC] Horse with fear of vet


I had posted to ridecamp during the summer time
about
my filly's fear of the vet. I had received many
responses and encouraging words, so I just wanted to
let you all know that I think we finally may be on
the
road of recovery!
I have been working with her alot, playing "vet"
with
her (minus the injections). There is one particular
vet that she was the worst with because she had a
bad
experience with him, but she has been suspicious of
all strangers, in particular vets. This summer she
cut
her leg requiring stitches and she was only
moderately
difficult - it was a different vet. This weekend
though the vet came out to the barn where I board it
was the one that she is really scared of. I wanted
him
to take a look at her mouth as she has been off her
feed. Her reaction to him was instant - she was
standing quietly on a lead beside me and as soon as
he
stepped into her stall, she tensed right up and
wouldn't stand still. He left her stall, her head
went
down; he came back in with the injection, up went
her
head. She totally got into defensive mode even
though
she hasn't seen him in close to a year.  He was not
able to treat her and no one had a twitch around, so
he said he would return the next day with a twitch.
I worried about this all night because I don't
really
care for twitches although sometimes it can be
necessary, and I had to be at work. While brushing
her
the night before I tried to remind of the things we
had been working on and poked at her neck as if to
give her a needle and played with her mouth and her
top lip.
The barn manager called me and told me that she was
an
angel and didn't do anything when he gave her the
shot. They didn't even have to use the twitch.
Yahooooo!!!!!!!!!!!  But this time the vet took the
time to pet her neck and talk to her and let her
calm
down before trying anything. I have been telling all
the vets to do this or to feed her some carrots, but
they are often pressed for time and don't want to
take
the time.
I am so proud of my filly. There is hope. Her fear
is
always nagging me because of course I can't even
think
of her doing ctr or endurance if she can't stand
being
near a vet. Kind of a problem!! Anyway, thats my
story
and hopefully things will only get better. I knew
they
only had to give her a chance.

Lysane and Mae West


 

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Replies
RE: [RC] Horse with fear of vet, Karen Williams