Handling the unhandled
Working with unhandled equines can be a straightforward process in skilled hands, especially if they are very young. Young equines are usually curious and by giving them positive and consistent contact with humans, with plenty of reassurance whenever they are faced with something new, the lessons they learn will quickly start them on the road to being happy, co-operative companions. Reward for good behaviour (praise, not treats!) is much more effective than punishment for getting something wrong. It is also important to only work for short periods of time, no more than 20 minutes, and try to finish on a positive note.
Older equines that have never been handled are more challenging as their patterns of natural behaviour are very established. If the equine has been living in a herd environment, the individuals that are usually more resistant to new ideas are those that have been highest up the pecking order, in particular the most dominant mare and the stallion. These horses generally are used to getting their own way and are the most likely to become defensive, perhaps kicking or biting to resist what is being asked of them in the initial stages. One of the most important skills of our rehabilitation staff is to carry out exercises successfully without putting themselves at risk and the horse very soon learns that aggressive behaviour is not an effective tactic!
Ideally, one person should work with an unhandled equine through the first stages of their rehabilitation because their body language, smell and tone of voice will become familiar and help the horse to bond with them. A later stage of rehabilitation will involve familiar exercises being carried out by different people.
