Fear of Fly Spray

Once I adopted a little Paso mare who was terrified of fly spray. It took me by surprise, her reaction, since it all happened so fast. She was in cross-ties, and had been standing there quietly while I groomed her and picked out her feet. No problem. Then, I mixed up some fly spray and when the first drop hit her, she went straight up in the air (almost going over backward!). It scared us both to death!
I’ve owned horses all my life, and I’ve seen fear of just about everything: hoses, fallen trees, an overturned garbage can, water, cows and other livestock (like llamas), and sometimes what seemed to be nothing at all. At 33 years old, this was my first horse who was terrified of fly spray.
However, after the little mare – Izzy – and I calmed down, I decided to tackle this fear like I would any other fear: with patience and desensitization.
Patience
I took a deep breath and decided I wasn’t going to try to overcome Izzy’s fear in one day. Since I am impatient and a “go-getter” by nature, believe me, this step is very important. I had to mentally accept that this was going to take time.

Desensitization
I consulted with my sister-in-law (a natural horsemanship expert), and she suggested the following:

1. Fill a fly spray bottle with plain water.
2. Put Izzy on a lunge line where she would be free to run for a few feet.
3. Let Izzy graze and get comfortable.
4. Keep your head down and don’t look her in the eye. Keep your shoulders relaxed and stand so you’re facing her sideways.
5.Start with small sprays of water on the ground near Izzy’s feet. Do this until she doesn’t jump or run away from the water. This could take several sessions. BE PATIENT.
6. Slowly work your way up to spraying Izzy directly with the water. Start with her feet and work up her body.
7. Keep sessions to about 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

Eventually I was able to fly spray Izzy without a problem. It took a total of three weeks.It’s important to remember, when following the above steps, to end each session on a good note. If your horse starts out by running away for five feet, stop the session when you’ve got it down to one or two feet. Give her a treat and talk softly to her. Horses are creatures of habit and association. If your horse associates these sessions with pleasant memories, she will be more cooperative every time you try