Why is my horse afraid of cows?
Well why is anyone afraid of anything? Because it is unknown, either your horse doesn't understand what a cow is or maybe something bad happen when it did see one. Either way why he is afraid doesn't really matter. Horses are afraid of many different things, pretty much anything that moves or makes a noise can spook your horse. So what you need to do is build his confidence with cows.
We see cows daily so it is easy for us, but if you do not see them much then you need to seek out where the cows are, set up some team penning lessons or see if you can go over to a ranch and work around the cows. If you know there are certain parks with cows, seek them out and then plan to have lots of time to work with your horse once you see them.
When I have a horse that is not comfortable with cows, this is what usually happens. We are riding and all is fine and then we come around the corner and there is a cow. A truly scared horse may try to spin and run, others may freeze in place, snort, tail goes up in the air, horse becomes prancy, each horse may react differently, but they are all saying I am scared!
So first stop your horse. You have several choices at this time, the quickest is to get off, your horse is usually more confident if he has someone to follow, so if he gets to follow you and he sees you are not afraid, he will become more confident. I usually try to follow the cow, as when objects move away from your horse he will become more confident, so I follow at a safe distance, in case there are babies or bulls I do not want to be too close until I see what other kinds of cows there are. So if the cow goes down the hill or up and I can follow, then I lead my horse that way. Of course sooner or later the cow will eat. Let your horse watch the cow and let your horse eat. Once your horse realizes the cow moves away from him and he gets to eat with cows it all becomes good to the horse. Now this can take 5 minutes or months, it just depends on your horses confidence level and his confidence in you. If you are scared the whole time, then you are not helping and it may take weeks till he really feels cows are ok to be around.
Do not think you have to stay on your horse to get him over this, if you do not ride well this is the worst thing to do, as your horse may spin, bolt etc. and you may fall off or get the ... scared out of you. If you are walking and he runs away well then you may have to go find him but at least you will not be hurt. Now once he is fine with seeing the cows and you hand walking him then you can start riding him around the cows, but make sure he is confident first with you hand walking him.
I have taken petrified horses into herds of cows, but this is because I was confident, I knew what to do when the horse got scared, I also have some cow sense, but I only did what the horse could handle and no more and then I praised him and went about our ride. You can always get back on your horse after the scary objects are gone, but you do not always have time to get off. That's why if you get off immediately when you have time you can avoid an accident, before the cow moves and the horse starts to spin. You can get lots of exercise getting on and off and walking, get back on when the horse is calm, if he stays crazy then just get back on at the barn and ride in the arena for a half hour when you get back, but most of all stay safe. Cowboys will tell you to stay on, cause they can ride and have been riding all their lives, but if you haven't then get off and fix the problem then get back on.
If you have another horse with you that has been around cows and is not afraid and you are a good rider, stay on your horse and follow them. Have your friend follow the cow, when you get to a larger area, ride side by side and follow the cow, slowly move the cow if it stops and once your horse seems calm, then let them eat some grass while the cow is grazing. You can also do this without the other rider just following by yourself but you must be confident and a good rider, can steer and control your horses body parts.
I have had many horses come afraid of cows but they all leave being fine around them. This is because I read each horse's reaction and then I come up with a plan, the ones that are petrified I get off, the ones a little worried I stay on. Then instead of avoiding the cows as this is what most people will do, I search for them and every time I see them I follow the cows. In time the horses that were petrified will pack other riders around the cows and no one has any idea that the horse use to be afraid of cows. Horses are very willing and they will try as long as you try and are patient. Your horse is not the only one in the world that won't go by a cow, so don't just keep saying well that won't work with my horse. You either take the time and fix it yourself or pay a trainer to fix it for you, but make sure you know what the trainer did and ride with your trainer and the cows so you know what to do in the future.
Well why is anyone afraid of anything? Because it is unknown, either your horse doesn't understand what a cow is or maybe something bad happen when it did see one. Either way why he is afraid doesn't really matter. Horses are afraid of many different things, pretty much anything that moves or makes a noise can spook your horse. So what you need to do is build his confidence with cows.
We see cows daily so it is easy for us, but if you do not see them much then you need to seek out where the cows are, set up some team penning lessons or see if you can go over to a ranch and work around the cows. If you know there are certain parks with cows, seek them out and then plan to have lots of time to work with your horse once you see them.
When I have a horse that is not comfortable with cows, this is what usually happens. We are riding and all is fine and then we come around the corner and there is a cow. A truly scared horse may try to spin and run, others may freeze in place, snort, tail goes up in the air, horse becomes prancy, each horse may react differently, but they are all saying I am scared!
So first stop your horse. You have several choices at this time, the quickest is to get off, your horse is usually more confident if he has someone to follow, so if he gets to follow you and he sees you are not afraid, he will become more confident. I usually try to follow the cow, as when objects move away from your horse he will become more confident, so I follow at a safe distance, in case there are babies or bulls I do not want to be too close until I see what other kinds of cows there are. So if the cow goes down the hill or up and I can follow, then I lead my horse that way. Of course sooner or later the cow will eat. Let your horse watch the cow and let your horse eat. Once your horse realizes the cow moves away from him and he gets to eat with cows it all becomes good to the horse. Now this can take 5 minutes or months, it just depends on your horses confidence level and his confidence in you. If you are scared the whole time, then you are not helping and it may take weeks till he really feels cows are ok to be around.
Do not think you have to stay on your horse to get him over this, if you do not ride well this is the worst thing to do, as your horse may spin, bolt etc. and you may fall off or get the ... scared out of you. If you are walking and he runs away well then you may have to go find him but at least you will not be hurt. Now once he is fine with seeing the cows and you hand walking him then you can start riding him around the cows, but make sure he is confident first with you hand walking him.
I have taken petrified horses into herds of cows, but this is because I was confident, I knew what to do when the horse got scared, I also have some cow sense, but I only did what the horse could handle and no more and then I praised him and went about our ride. You can always get back on your horse after the scary objects are gone, but you do not always have time to get off. That's why if you get off immediately when you have time you can avoid an accident, before the cow moves and the horse starts to spin. You can get lots of exercise getting on and off and walking, get back on when the horse is calm, if he stays crazy then just get back on at the barn and ride in the arena for a half hour when you get back, but most of all stay safe. Cowboys will tell you to stay on, cause they can ride and have been riding all their lives, but if you haven't then get off and fix the problem then get back on.
If you have another horse with you that has been around cows and is not afraid and you are a good rider, stay on your horse and follow them. Have your friend follow the cow, when you get to a larger area, ride side by side and follow the cow, slowly move the cow if it stops and once your horse seems calm, then let them eat some grass while the cow is grazing. You can also do this without the other rider just following by yourself but you must be confident and a good rider, can steer and control your horses body parts.
I have had many horses come afraid of cows but they all leave being fine around them. This is because I read each horse's reaction and then I come up with a plan, the ones that are petrified I get off, the ones a little worried I stay on. Then instead of avoiding the cows as this is what most people will do, I search for them and every time I see them I follow the cows. In time the horses that were petrified will pack other riders around the cows and no one has any idea that the horse use to be afraid of cows. Horses are very willing and they will try as long as you try and are patient. Your horse is not the only one in the world that won't go by a cow, so don't just keep saying well that won't work with my horse. You either take the time and fix it yourself or pay a trainer to fix it for you, but make sure you know what the trainer did and ride with your trainer and the cows so you know what to do in the future.