PLEASE HELP - FEAR OF PLASTIC BAGS ETC

[Flappy Bag]

Please help me. I have a beautiful young pony who has an absolute terror of plastic bags, or anything that flaps really. He seems to be getting worse rather than better and he has started to become frightened of stewards with clipboards, qualification cards etc, and on windy days he is frightened of rosettes. He is fine with sashes luckily!!! Though the way he's going he wont be winning any more of them. I was advised to put bags in his stable. I had to put them at the front as if they were at the back he tried to jump out to get away from them. I left them in for about a week but nothing changed. everytime I moved one or stood on one he had the total heeby jeebies! Tried leading him round whilst carrying a bag and leading him past them tied on the fence but nothing seems to improve him. He is completely terrified. Please someone give me an answer. I love this pony and he is beautiful and is doing very well in the ring and I dont want this fear to lose him some good placings. What do I do?

[malarkin]

I think you are on the right tracks, de sensitizing has to be done slowly, otherwise he will have such a phobia.

I would knot bags to start with so that they are not flappy, attach to something firm, ie stable bars, gradually add others and you might not have to tie up so tightly. I would be tempted to att one round and round the handle of a rubber feedbucket and knot it tightly, you could re tie it gradually so that more and more of it 'sticks out'. Obviously it needs careful supervision so that he doesnt have a frenzy and hurt himself. Horses like everything to be in its place and when they see something different they are out of their safety zone and its natural to panic and flee.

If he is the sort that wont take advantage of getting the odd treat I would be tempted to feed him from bags/ cardboard( he doesnt know its not a clipboard) in your hand, start with a small one that isnt too noisy and progress when he is interested and he is confident.
You dont want to freak him out. You might try adding a baling twine line to the stable, the sort we all put up to hang rugs on, you could add a few small things on the line gradually, even a few threaded carrots and yummy things. Progress to tying ribbons on or just strips of fabric or card. I use empty fizzy bottles' when my ponies are grounded and hung up in the stable they are there for amusment but a youngster soon gets used to things swinging about and being in their space. Keep old crisp packets, put morsels of carrot or apple in it, if he is nosey he might well rattle the packet himself( with you holding it)they are quite noisy.

You are right to want to sort it out it can be frustrating if a pony is scared of rosettes, clipboads or if you want to adjust your clothing when mounted and the pony startles. You sound like a kind owner and your patience will pay off. Good luck

[flappy bag]

Thanks for that MaLarkin. Its very helpful. Ive been trying to feed him with plastic bags in my hand for a bit but he wont have it. Today though after your advice he ate a treat out of a piece of paper in my hand so thats def progress. Ive put a washing line up in his stable with carrots and strips of plastic bags on. Will see what he thinks when he comes in from the stable tonight!!! I will take him very slowly as the advice I was given by a very well known person in the horse world to bombard him with plastic bags seems to have made the situation 100 times worse. I do love this pony and in every single other way he is perfect. Hopefully we can get this matter sorted out. Will keep you updated on his progress. Thanks again!!

[ellieraga]

Maybe try taking his feed bucket to him in a plastic bag or even a bin bag, then removing the bucket from the bag before entering the stable, hopefully when he sees you doing this a few times he will become more confident. When he is then completely happy with this take the bucket still in the bag and remove when in stable.

With regard to the rosette issue have you one that you could attach to yourself and gradually try removing around him when in a safe place .

Good luck to you and im sure you will get there in the end and it will all of been worth while , keep us updated

[flappy bag]

Thanks will try the feed bucket thing. Tried with rosettes over and over again. Every show I play with the rosettes around him and eventually he gets slightly better and I can even get it on his bridle. Once on the bridle it can flap about all it wants and he isnt bothered. The problem is the next day he freaks again when he sees a rosette. he just doesnt seem to be able to learn and stay confident.

[ellieraga]

With regard to the rosette thing, do you have any old ones that you could put around the stable door and where he looks out, if they are there all the time he will slowly get use to them, if hes going to freak maybe start off with just one and then add another every couple of days when he becomes more confident

[nativeponies]

sounds mad but we tied carrier bags to one of our ponies haynets, freaked him out at first, til he got hungry!! had the same problem with rosettes, well to be honest was scared of everything, was a slow and tedious journey but he is on the way now...just pink feed buckets he wont accept!!

[flappy bag]

He now has his washing line with lovely carrots hung on it which he wont go near!! Ive been feeding him treats on a piece of paper in my hand but he scared himself to death the other day when he finally plucked up courage to grab the treat very quickly from off the paper before darting back. Unfortunately he also picked up the piece of paper in his mouth which terrified him!!! I will keep trying!!!

[vjc]

My Friend had a welsh cob that was terrified of plastic bags, or any bags that rustled! she just kept taking his feed to him in a bag, at first emptying it out of a bag on the floor in front of him for a few days then tipping it into a bucket in front of him untill he was tentically hand feeding from a bag, finally he was looking into the bag although with his neck arched stiffly, next she left the bag in the corner of the stable with food in, temptation got the better of him and he ate some of it, this carried on untill he would happily eat his tea out of a plastic bag held in her hand! it was a long process but well learned and never forgotton! best of luck!