Horse Help- Fear of the Barn

 Question:
I decided to have stables built and they are now ready for my horses to use. The ex-racer will be fine as he is used to being stables, but the other horse has not been stabled for many years! I am worried he will refuse to go in the stable he gets anxious and skittish when walking through gates as well. How can I make him feel safe and encourage him in this task? I have been leading him to the stable to allow him to look at the space but now I  need to introduce him to actually entering the stable without getting frightened or panicking.

Answer:
I have lost track of how many folks have built their horse a barn, that the animal has refused to go into. Multiple aspects need to be considered and addressed that influence the "how" you help the horse work through concern.

Assess the individual horse- away from the triggering area

What are your current communication "tools"? How effective are they? Is the horse defensive toward them? Can you separate directing his thought from his movement? Can you interrupt his fixation or anticipation? Can you physically help him let go of a brace (physical tension)? Do you recognize and experiment when crossing a spatial trigger/location and help the horse mentally think through the scenario, before proceeding further? Do you see real-time processing in the equine?

Have you experimented with offering a pressure on- mentally thinking toward, then physically moving toward a concerning area- helping him stay present and release his tension in the triggering area, before offering him a spatial release (moving away from the area) as an acknowledgment of his try? If the horse is concerned, or increases his energy or tension, do you try to stop or "contain" it, or do you have the ability to help him mentally and physically let go of it?

I find most people are trying through repetition to familiarize the horse with a concerning area or location, rather than recognizing how early on in the interaction there is real-time feedback that will "tell" them way before reaching a triggering area what needs to be addressed. People also are unintentionally "waiting" until the horse is displaying obvious concern, rather than checking in and refining the effectiveness of their communication beforehand. Such as, "practicing" the pieces of what is required to walk through a gate- before actually going through it. Meaning, can we pause mentally, and physically. Is there mental presence and physical softness? Can he look and move toward the gate, but then can you draw his thought away, without the horse leaking toward the gate reflecting anticipation? What are the horse's other counteroffers? Are they addressed in a manner that helps him "let go" of them, or is his tension increasing the more the human communicates?

Assessing if there are triggers in the barn- spatially (many horses have "claustrophobic" responses, can be sensitive to light/dark changes, separation or out of view of the second horse, air circulation, etc.) all can affect the insecure horse about entering an enclosed space. You can first address the effectiveness of your communication, then simulate "tight" spaces (poles on the ground, near a fenceline, etc.) and help your horse do "unexpected" things in those small areas- pause halfway through, back, turn, etc. "It" isn't about the task, but rather, can you direct him mentally and physically- if not- what you see as his counteroffers is what he'll do more dramatically in the barn. Address them in the bigger space, then start presenting the actual barn (starting with the quality of catching, leading, approaching/moving away from the barn, and keeping his brain with you.) 

 Then short segments of starting to walk into the entrance, and not going through- again it isn't about the practicing of location, but "what" you have to work with as he gets closer to the pressure area. Then adding in "thinking through" the barn entrance and heading back out immediately, while helping him stay present and soft. Then in the less pressure place, diffuse any increased tension, before presenting the concerning area again. Eventually, quality catching leading, entering, working in the barn stall or alley, then leaving... your goal is to break things down for the horse to think through so that when you're not there he can function.

P.S. The picture if from a clinic I was teaching with less-than-ideal weather, and we used the covered storage area to work in. There was pounding on the roof from rain and hail, echoing from wind, and the location was far from other horses. Yet, participants said it was some of their best learning experiences as they had to "raise their standard" in how they helped their horses.