Sorry for the essay here. But has anyone had any luck with getting a reactive horse to not react to bears in and around their property? My young gelding was clearly scared of bears when I got him, I was hoping he would grow out of it; but if anything he is getting more difficult about them. And his being scared of the bears is now starting to cause the other two to be equally spooky about them, previously they were fine. I am only just starting to work with him seriously (he is just 3 and a slow maturing draft) so most of this behavior I have observed when they are loose. The problem is made worse by the fact that the bear is generally going along the property line and road to get to the vineyard next door, which is also very close to our barn, dry lot with the water, and where I obviously work with the horses. The bear is not actually coming into the dry lot.
He has taken to herding the other horses away from the area if he smells the bear, sees the bear, or thinks the bear is nearby. So they of course are learning that the bear (which wasnāt scary until he came) is scary because the dominant horse says it is. They are locked in to the dry lot during the day (weight/grass control) and have taken to staying at the point farthest from where the bear walks past, which is a marked change for the worse from last year. Even if that means standing in the full sun, not near their food, and not taking any water during a heat wave unless I am there with them. Iāve literally had to stand there āon watchā in order for them to eat and these are horses that Love eating. Working with them on days when the bear has been around is starting to get difficult even with the older horse who was fine previously, and I admit to several days of simply not working with them because of the bear.
I donāt think it is unreasonable for a horse to be scared of bearsā¦
Is there a way to alter the bearās path so it doesnāt walk on your property line?
Iām with the horses. Screw that!
Sadly no, the dry lot and barn are up against the dirt road (town owned) and the vineyard is on the other side of the road. Because of development the road is also essentially a wildlife corridor to points east and west of both us and the vineyard.
Can you call and see if animal control can find a way to relocate the bear?
If you are seeing him everyday and he is causing an issue , it wouldnāt hurt to find out.
When do they hibernate in your area??
The horse is displaying common sense. Doubt youāll be able to convince him that being close to a bear is OK.
In Connecticut they donāt really hibernate, we have a lull for about three months but that is about it. Last year the vineyard had over 10,000 dollars in damage from a bear (different one based on markings), but a crop damage permit on bears is not legal in this state and the state no longer relocates bears (no where to put them!). The vineyard has been told to scare the bear off, but they donāt want to do that since (being good neighbors) they know that scaring the bear guarantees scaring the horsesā¦
Ironically, I think if the bear was an absolutely constant presence things might settle down. I have to admit to contemplating getting bear scent. But that seems like it might be a really, really stupid concept.
I get that the horse is displaying common sense, I really do. But, he is endangering both himself and everyone else with his reactions. Horses refusing to drink on a 98 degree day, even when clearly thirsty, until someone stands with them, because a bear walked past four hours earlier? (Game camera told me what was going on). I can move the water, but I use that as an example of just how extreme his reaction is.
Sorry. Very unhelpful, not least because we are in Scotland where there are no actual bears. But I could not resist. This is my unbacked four-year old.
Contact your fish and wildlife to see if they can offer advice. Many bears become habituated to residential areas due to easy access to food. It may be your area needs some education and mitigation.
This is not an animal control issue in most places
For what purpose?
Heās part of a species that has developed their ability to run from predators over the course of millions of yearsā¦bears are predators. BIG, SCARY, STINKY ones.
If he becomes ādesensitizedā, he may let his guard down one day and get attacked.
I canāt believe someone would even be asking this question.
Much of the USA is full of black bears, horses see them very commonly in most states. Coyotes and mountain lions too in CA are very common around horse farms. Far, far, far more than the owners know. And most horses do not care about them at all- so yes this is unusual and unfortunate. I would say the best way to deal with it is to get a more dominant horse in the paddock who ignores the bear if you can. Otherwise I would try working with a behaviorist or move the horses, or at least this one.
Bears and coyotes rarely attack horses, black bears and genetically pure coyotes essentially never do. A healthy draft horse has essentially nothing to fear from a black bear. Domestic dogs are far more dangerous to horses.
Heās bear-ly hanging on!
Iāll show myself outā¦
Thank you. It is very unusual to have this level of fear response that is escalating. He is otherwise just fine, about everything. Connecticut has well over a thousand bears (most are in our county, we are right next to the state lands that they used to be relocated to). The bears arenāt going away. My other horses (current and past for over 30 years) have seen bears regularly, after the first time they generally figure out the bears arenāt an issue and they get less and less spooked. This guy is going the other way and because he is dominant is taking the other horses with him.
I was hoping for something usefulā¦
Honestly, our area needs fewer bears that are completely habituated to people. This is true. But they no longer relocate them (they used toā¦to the state land that is essentially next to me). And they only euthanize if the bear has actually attacked, and breaking into your kitchen does not count anymore. Breaking into a kitchen for the fourth time in three months and coming at a person in the kitchen, that counts (a bear the next town over last month). All of which I am fine with. I like the bears. But surely people in areas with high bear populations have had some experience? Or anyone else with experience with a scary, inconsistently appearing āthreatā? As I mentioned in the post above, this is unusual. Most horses figure that black bears are not a threat, and while they notice bears they donāt loose their minds in an ever worsening fashion. This guy is.
Can you accommodate a large retired draft horse or two, already bear desensitized, as a companion? Iāve seen riding-sized horses be very comforted and reassured by a massive draft companion.
In addition to the large desensitized horse companion, is there another species that could be helpful / comforting? I hesitate even to mention this because this is out of my lane, but donkeys? Noisy and defensive. Maybe a mammoth donkey? I would ask donkey people about this first, though.
I agree with what has been posted that I wouldnāt expect to successfully desensitize your horse. Mostly because you would have to have control over the bear for that to be successful, and obviously the bear isnāt going to help you train your horse.
You probably donāt want to hear this story.
Where we lived before we had bay bears. One lady had a tiny farm with a few horses. She had one that eventually she had to rehome bc it never got used to the bears and would run herself ragged in a panic every time a bear came through (pretty much daily). The owner told me sheād had a dozen horses there but only that particular mare never got accustomed to the bears.
Maybe not a helpful suggestion, but is there any way you could relocate the dry lot away from the road? To me it seems unlikely that youāll change this horseās mind about bears; he probably thinks everyone else is crazy for not being scared of them!
If the bears use the road as their own vineyard tour route, youāre probably not going to discourage them. At that point, the only possible answer is to relocate the dry lot, even if you just move the fence back 5 feet or so and maybe plant some fast growing shrubs between the fence and the road. (Again, maybe not helpful).
In the meanwhile, Iād also look into moving the horseās water and putting up some kind of shade in the part of the lot that is away from the road. You probably donāt want the bear thinking that water near the road is convenient for him/her anyway.
Good luck!
Is there any way to get your hands on a bear pelt? I know some folks have used something similar in obstacle challenges over here, but Iām in CA. My only idea at this point would be to get a pelt and slowly acclimate scared horse to it through groundworkāand work up to it hanging out in the field with them. But I would worry that it would end up attracting the bear to come closer and investigate. Sorry youāre dealing with thisāgood luck!
Iām thinking about seeing if I can source a pelt, they are state protected species, but I know the guy in charge of the state wildlife division on bears pretty well and I know they confiscate any roadkill or dead bears, so they may have them to hand. It might be that if the horse got the opportunity to investigate it he would be fine. That was the case with him and balloons last year I found.
@OverandOnward these are draft horses! And he is in the process of teaching the bigger, older one who was fine with bears to not be. Otherwise I would thinking that way
@lenapesadie that is what I am afraid ofā¦
Not sure of the acreage or topography of your place, but this sounds like maybe something to consider trying.
Otherwise, I realize itās a tough decision, but perhaps itās time to find a new home for this particular horse before he ātrainsā the rest of your herd. Iām so sorry youāre in this predicament!
