Advice Re: My youngster is running away when spooked whilst ridden

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fruity

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My youngster's coming on well, the only problem i have at the moment that concerns me is that when i'm schooling or on a hack she will spook and then career off then stop suddenly and spin,now what i don't want to do is hang off her mouth and pull like mad as thats not good for her,i am getting worried bout this as my health isn't great and i'm still recovering from a car crash so am a bit delicate at present.She is on full schooling livery and is ridden 5 times a wk by a v.experienced trainer,i get on when i can,i do want to be involved in bringin her on,this is my only prob at the mo,any help/ideas? BTW she is spooky on the ground and is a anxious horse generally,she's had a full MOT so i don't think it's health related,she is a madame to ride but is an angel in the stable etc just v.on her toes out in the open!
 
Does the same thing although she bucks as well with the trainer and not with me,it's nice in a way as she hasn't played up with me as much as with her,think she's bonded well with me as she has had a tough few weeks and is now being asked to work properly,she is good at tantrums,when she starts to find things hard she throws the toys out of the pram, as thats what worked with the previous owner.She will do some lovely work and then flip when she finds it hard,on a hack she will be going along fine and then it'll be like she's found somthing to spook at and then run stop spin,very odd
 
Aside from schooling issues etc try giving her some Mag Ox or a magnesium based calmer. A friend had a very spooky horse, who was almost over sensitive to everything. She fed him Mag Ox and he is a different horse these days. Apparently lots of grazing in the UK is deficient in magnesium and as it is important to the central nervous system can cause horses to be more jumpy in some cases. Just a thought anyway, as other than a few quid you haven't got anything to lose trying it?
 
Are you hacking her alone or in company? personally i wouldnt take a youngster out on its own untill it was very well established going out in company, then putting it up the front etc.. you need to get her back with you, if you no what i mean, its only then you can start to get them listening so it becomes a learned response to behave correctly. also if she is tearing off with you i would pull her back, she wont to it to often, otherwise you are effectively teaching her to clear off, i used to ride alot of racehorse and the trainer always used to shout at me 'get hold of the bloody thing!!'
 
I think you need to do some general desensitising with her - from the ground initially. She needs to learn to be subjected to carrier bags, black sacks (well, anything you know she doesn't like basically...) & learn that she can be questioning (& that you'll give her the time to investigate & work out that it won't hurt her) BUT not to over-react. Monty Roberts would do join-up 1st & work on it form there using the trust to help you - depends if you're that 'sort' or not as to whether that's the best way to go. Clicker training can also help.

Once you feel you've got her suitably de-sensitised on the ground, you need to re-introduce the same things mounted (in the school, with someone on the end of a lunge line if you think you'd benefit from the extra control). Perhaps you could do the introducing of the items & your trainer could do the mounted bit if you prefer.

Your instructor should ideally be working on these things (with or without you), so worth discussing with him/her - you also need to agree on HOW to handle any over-reaction. There's no benefit to one of you patting & soothing & the other smacking or shoutinjg for example - the training must be a consistent message.

Personally, I WOULD 'haul' on a horse's mouth REGARDLESS of their age if in a potentially dangerous situation. Whenever I've brought on a youngster, I've taken the attitude that I'd rather be very firm a few times & nip things in the bud - this approach seems to work & seems fairer & more successful than years of problems & different techniques... In theory, the horse soon learns that that is NOT acceptable behaviour...

Hope you get it sorted.
 
I would agree with the above but I think I'd be even more inclined to recommend a serious conversation with your trainer. This is not "normal" behaviour for a young horse but it's IMPOSSIBLE to tell without seeing her what the actual motivations may be. It might be temperament, it might be situational, it might be overstimulation, it might be training . . . .it's more likely a combination of things.

You are, presumably, paying to have this horse made a safe conveyance for YOU. If this is possible then why isn't it happening? If it's not going to happen for some reason or you are expecting too much too soon (again, no one on the internet can tell you) then there needs to be a plan in play to change things. As a boss of mine used to say when I was riding sales/training horses, "Who cares if YOU can ride it?" Good point.

Are you taking lessons from the person riding the horse (always the best plan if you ask me)? What does he/she say? If that person can't teach you, who on the yard can? Can that person speak to the rider and to you and chart a course?

You sound like, given your situation, you are making the best call with training livery. But honestly - with only your side of the story, admittedly - it doesn't really sound like you're getting your money's worth. A value judgement and not mine to make and maybe totally off the mark but someone who knows the horse is still the best person to advise you.
 
This is the only thing that we are having probs with,she is fine with things like scrap yards,scary objects when you go past them it's just she will spook at really random things at a really odd time.I have/and will only hack her out with another person as i am really taking things slowly at the mo,she still spooks with another horse in company,i am taking her out with my 2 friends next weekend,they have really well behaved horses so the aim is to get her out with chilled horses in the hope she'll soon understand that running away will achieve nothing.I'm doing lots of groundwork and taking her out in hand up to scary things and thats going well.I will continue to pull her up if she trys to take off again,she was hacked out today and i was told she was a good girl but unsure of a few things which is normal so i'm pleased.The trainer is great and is lunging her well and her schooling has come on a lot,when we first put her on the lunge she went ballistic,so i think she's got that now.It's just going to take time and patience,for a young horse she's been through a lot (long story) and if this is the only problem at this age i have with her then so be it,she's getting more trusting by the day and me and the trainer talk everyday and discuss what both of us are going to do when she reacts to things so as to prevent her getting mixed signals.Thanx everyone for your thoughts,i now know that what i was doing when she took off was right,i want to do whats best for her as i havn't had much luck in the past year or so with my horses and my life in general so i'm determind this one will come good and be my horse for life! She's a sweetie and i'm gonna really work on this so that i can enjoy her to the full.Cheers again
 
I assume that your not attempting to hack a young and spooky horse out on her own - because that's just asking for trouble.

How much turnout is she getting, and how much grub??
 
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