Q: My horse really doesn’t like dogs and can get quite aggressive when they come near him. Is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable around them?

A: Horses often have past trauma we are not aware of. It’s possible your horse has had a negative experience with dogs and, as a result, has become defensive. If this is the case, you may never wholly relieve him of his fear.

Rewarding him when he doesn’t display an aggressive reaction to dogs could help calm him, but you would have to be careful, as his aggression could potentially harm the dogs (and you!).

To do this, ask someone to help you and get them to bring a dog up to a distance where he is comfortable and slowly start getting closer and closer from there. Don’t bring the dog up to him from the front, but rather from the side so he can see them properly. As the dog gets closer and the horse shows no reaction, reward him. If he starts showing aggression, move the dog out of his space and try again from further away. It will take time, but if you keep working on it, you should see an improvement.