How to Re-Break a Traumatized Horse

Horses can be traumatized because of abuse, poor handling, neglect or an accident. They can become spooky and hard to manage, which makes things difficult and dangerous for their owner as well as themselves. Once they have lost faith in human beings, they can be harder to retrain than an unhandled horse. The main focus of re-breaking a traumatized horse is to raise his confidence and trust levels before he faces his fears.

  1. Behavioral Signs of Trauma

    • Horses have a strong flight response and become spooky and try to get away from scary situations. If they have lost trust in people, they will not want to be caught or saddled. They will shy away and may even tremble when you approach. Other horses may display aggressive behavior including biting, kicking, striking and bucking. These horses are trying to defend themselves against possible hurt by keeping people away. Other horses will become withdrawn and hard to engage. Still others will refuse to do certain things, such as loading into a trailer.

    Understand the Trauma

    • It helps to understand why the horse is traumatized, as every situation is different. Find out his history if you can. A horse could have been in a trailer that overturned, been beaten on the head for being hard to catch, had severe pain from badly fitting gear or an overweight rider, been locked in a stall for days with no food or water, been whipped for a poor performance in the show ring or become lame through neglect. If you do not know the history, you will have to watch the horse carefully to see what things cause fear.

    Building Trust

    • A traumatized horse needs to have his confidence in people restored. Every animal is different, but in general you need to know that re-breaking will be a long-term project. The first step is getting the horse used to having you around without you pressuring him to do anything. This might mean sitting at the side of his yard every day reading a book for an hour during the first week just so he knows you mean no harm. Routine is also important, and he needs to be fed at the same time each day. Once he is used to you being there, you need to get him to let you pat him without him being tied up. For some horses, this will only take minutes; others will take weeks.

    Take Things Slowly

    • Never try to get too much from the horse in one session. If he is hard to float, let him get one foot on the trailer ramp and back him up; repeat many, many times and then let him get two feet on the ramp and back him up. Praise him for good behavior and always be consistent in how you behave. Do not yell at him and fly into a tantrum as you can undo hours of good work very quickly. Always be mindful of your own safety and the safety of the horse when working with a traumatized animal, as sometimes his behavior can be unpredictable. Bond with the horse by rubbing his face or neck and let him know through consistent behavior that you will do him no harm.