My creature's ever so delicate ears

[RileysMom]

Okay people, help me out.

My young horse needs earplugs (would help me stay alive this winter). He has never had them inserted before. He has no intention of allowing me to reach into his ears and is highly offended at this notion. Otherwise, he is a sweetheart on the ground and will let me rub around his ears, forehead, poll, etc.

Trainer tried the “suck it up buddy, you’re getting earplugs” method and although he submitted and stopped fussing, it made him reactive to his ears for a week afterward. Trainer’s matter-of-fact method would probably work if she did it with him daily. But that’s not realistic so it’s up to me.

Slow desensitization? What I’ve been doing is to make him drop his head in response to pressure, praise, rub around his ears, wait til he really relaxes, let go. Problem is, at this rate, it’s going to be spring before he lets me put them in. I need them now. Thoughts appreciated!

[PNWjumper]

The “trick” I use on horses who hate having ear plugs put in is to make sure I’m standing on the opposite side of the ear I’m inserting the plug in. I usually use the “suck it up” method as I don’t ever think about it until I’m at a show with a young horse that I suddenly want to stuff the ears of. I have found that having clipped ears helps (mine almost never have their ears clipped because my groom [me] sucks!), because they more often object to the hairs that get pulled putting them in and taking them out.

Good luck!

[IPEsq]

Definitely clip them. If clipping is a problem, then maybe working on clipping will work on the overall handling as well. It can definitely help to reach from underneath to the opposite ear. But if you have a real head flinger, you need to watch out for your face. I was lucky that my horse got the trainer’s matter of fact neck twitch and stuff method. Horse didn’t shake them out for 3 days and wore them continuously. And ever since he’s been fine!

[mvp]

OP, just make Precious Tender Baby submit to some form of Ear Fussing Every.Single.Day. It doesn’t have to mean ear plugs get in. He also doesn’t have to like what you do (in case you were trying to structure this so as to get his distinct approval). Your technique is basically right: He’s got to put his head down because you ask, and keep it there, but you get out of his Ear Grille when he relaxes so that he learns how to make you get out.

I think that if you made this a training goal just as important as anything you’d do under saddle and do it each day to some degree and duration (long or short), he’ll come around much faster than you think he will. I have done this with babies who don’t want their ears clipped. I just do a tad when I have the clippers out and I don’t take any of it personally, nor do a I care how much I get done in a day. Rather, I “train” on the Ear Topic until I get the horse in a relaxed, tolerating it place and then I quit, give 'em a pet and move on to a new subject. You’ll find yourself one day with a horse who lets you do more stuff and longer with his ears than you thought you had asked for. That’s how you know he’s getting educated.

In effect, I’m recommending a combination of what you are doing and your trainer’s Suck It Up, It’s Gonna Happen technique. I’ll bet her technique works because she does it every day. You just saw her being a little to quick on the first day that Tender Precious had to put on his Man Pants. But your pro’s rather impersonal feeling about it is the element you could add to what you are already doing and I think you’d have a very good technique that you can use on any and all horses.

[Sueby]

My guy hated ear plugs when I first got him, but he seriously needs ear plugs for my overall safety. I started him in a soundproof ear bonnet for the first bit to get him used to having me put things around his ear, then when I took that off, I messed around with his ears and rubbed the insides (when he let me), I decided to try plugs and used the yarn type ones so they’d be easier to pull out than pomms. I don’t clip his ears though, clipping any part of that beast’s body is out of the question.

I scratched my way up the side of his head until I could rub inside his ear (I was standing on the opposite side) and reached under his neck to do this. He kind of shifted his head to let me rub the ear, but flew backward when he felt the plug in my hand. I just kept playing with him that way until I got one in and then the 2nd ear went really well. Every couple of days I’d just play around with putting them in and taking them out and within a month, he seemed to tolerate it really well. His left ear is the one he hates so I had it checked out (when he was tranqed for his teeth) and there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong, just a preference thing I guess.

[RileysMom]

Thanks :). I’m liking the suggestion to stand on the opposite side of the ear to be stuffed. My trainer did tell me that when he puts his head up high, to not go after it, but rather make him bring his head back down to me. He’s been raising his head because he sees my hand coming at an ear, so if he can’t see it, he might be more inclined to let me play with the ear. He’s also likely never had any bad grooming/ground experiences that would really have shaken him up, so he can definitely put on the Man Pants.