How can i fix a broken horse?

by Dawne
(Blackie, Alberta, Canada)

I have a two year old filly that is really head shy and was a rescue horse. i have had her for a little under a year but i'm not ready to give up on her yet if you could offer any advise it would be vary appreciated. Thank you.

Answer: With extremely head shy horses, you have to take it really slow. Start simply by rubbing her neck up and down keep moving up toward her ear closer and then back down. Then simply rub over her ear and then immediately back down as if you don't even know you touched her ear. Dont make a big deal out of it and don't just reach up there and grab her ear. Then start rubbing her face and do the same thing just brush between the ears with your hand and immediately back down. This may take quite a while on a extremely head shy horse. I have a mare that was so ear shy that you couldn't get within a foot of her ears. I did this and finally after a couple of months, I can look in her ears, stick my fingers in her ears and whatever else I want to do with them. Someone has probably hurt her before and she has to know that you are not.