Any suggestions

[Luclila]

I’ve have a young 6yr old welsh mare and am needing some ideas.

She’s very anxious and flighty so spooks a lot as a result. We’ve been doing groundwork and horsemanship with her for about 5 months and done some ridden but as soon as there’s a sound she spooks.

She’s very sound receptive and is lovely and loves work but as soon as she spooks she’s sharp and it’s as if all she sees is a cloud

Looking for some tips as the anxiety is causing her to get ulcers so vets have said try to reduce it but nothing seems to work.
Also means we cannot progress properly with her schooling which doesn’t help


Am trying buck off but been nearly 2 weeks and seeing no difference at all

Any tips???
Thanks

 

[SpeedyPony]

It's worth keeping a close eye on her before she becomes spooky- if you can spot when she's starting to get tense, you can help resolve that before she gets into a state.
You also need to figure out what settles her when you first feel the tension start- is she better walking or stood still? Some need the movement to burn off adrenaline, others need to stand and process. Once they have tipped over into that sort of hyper-arousal they won't learn, any attempt to give them an aid/teach them something will just be adding another stimulus they haven't the bandwidth to process, so you will need to work out a) how to stop her getting there in the first place and b) how to manage her once she is there. This may mean you end up walking circles or just stood in one place for 10-15mins, until she has come down off the adrenaline high and is able to think/process again.
When you are used to reading them, you can usually pick up the tension while they are still rational. It can be easier onboard (IMO) as you can feel the tension start through their back and you also have some influence to relax them with your seat/body.
It's worth remembering that they aren't doing it to be naughty, they are trying to communicate something and usually they react so dramatically because they either aren't being heard when they tell you quietly, or because they have been taught earlier in life that they aren't allowed to express an opinion, so they bottle it up until they aren't able to stifle it any longer. (See the old PC approach "don't look at anything he spooks at, don't let him look at it, ride hard past it" rather than just showing him what it is the first time and then not having an argument every time you pass it again)
She will need to learn to trust you- which is easiest to achieve if you start small, set yourselves up for success. Don't try something you know she will find stressful/spooky, but just start in a situation she is comfortable with and show her you will listen- when you see tension pick up in her, relax yourself and try out standing quietly with her, if she is worried about something she can see/hear look at it, but stay relaxed, give her a pat/scratch then look back to her, around at your surroundings- basically acknowledge it but don't show any stress/fixate on it. If she won't settle to stand still, let her walk, but keep her on a circle, keep yourself relaxed. With both of these options, wait until she has settled and relaxed until you ask her for anything then once she has settled, ask for something simple that she is confident doing- walk halt transitions, serpentines- whatever she understands but still needs to listen to you for. Talk to her constantly, calm cheerful voice- doesn't matter what you say, I've recited poetry before!
After a while, she will learn that you do know what you are talking about and that every time you have told her that the rustling is  not a tiger you have been right, so your opinion can be trusted.
Another horse (not one that is spooky! ) is very helpful in these situations, as they can take a lead from them as to how to react in whatever situation they find themselves.
ETA- if she is constantly tense, I would look into there being another cause- either pain or management- a lot get wound at this time of year due to changes in management, lack of turnout etc- if she's been like this since you've had her, is she settled on the yard, how was she kept before- more or less turnout, stricter/looser routine, fed hard feed or not, different kinds of forage (hay vs haylage etc)?

 

[Luclila]

yes - I try to keep her moving usually on a smallish circle I’ve found standing usually does nothing more than make it worse - I think she thinks it’s as if I’m saying I’m scared of it too!!! It’s hard as she goes in comfortable but then a bird will flap and pheasants etc and set her off and thrown even leaves and wind will

She’s all settled has really good turnout and loves being out - isn’t as comfortable in but is getting used to it. She’s in a routine as is normally worse without it - cannot cope with change

I’m might look into another horse in the arena maybe???? That’s a good thought

Thank you!!!

 

[Cowpony]

I have an anxious one and have found that calming cookies work if I give her one every day. I'm also considering an acoustic ear bonnet

 

[Bobthecob15]

Our pony can be a bit like that but it’s quite intermittent. She keeps my daughter on her toes!

We find she’s better if another horse is with her (safety in numbers when it comes to horses as herd instinct) but if we are on our own we try to keep her busy with changes of rein, bending, poles, transitions etc to keep her attention on my daughter.

Have you had her eyes checked? Ear bonnet is a good shout we might try this also!

 

[Luclila]

I have an anxious one and have found that calming cookies work if I give her one every day. I'm also considering an acoustic ear bonnet

Oohhhh - what ear bonnet do you use? Can they still hear you?

 

[Luclila]

Our pony can be a bit like that but it’s quite intermittent. She keeps my daughter on her toes!

We find she’s better if another horse is with her (safety in numbers when it comes to horses as herd instinct) but if we are on our own we try to keep her busy with changes of rein, bending, poles, transitions etc to keep her attention on my daughter.

Have you had her eyes checked? Ear bonnet is a good shout we might try this also!

Yes we’ve checked eyes all fine definitely will try to get her with another horse I think and see what happens thanks

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I have an anxious one and have found that calming cookies work if I give her one every day. I'm also considering an acoustic ear bonnet

Was gonna suggest an acoustic bonnet really helps both of my horses as they get easily distracted and there is always alot going on near the arena.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Oohhhh - what ear bonnet do you use? Can they still hear you?

Le mieux is the one I have.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Yes we’ve checked eyes all fine definitely will try to get her with another horse I think and see what happens thanks

One of my horses is so much calmer and relaxed with another horse in the arena I would definitely try that as well.

 

[Luclila]

Le mieux is the one I have.

Amazing thank you - think I will purchase and try - can they still hear you???

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I've used the ear buds as well they are just little sheepskin balls you place into the ear.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Amazing thank you - think I will purchase and try - can they still hear you???

Yes they just make she surrounding noise more of a muffle the le mieux come up small medium was too small for my Arab's and the biggest one is only 15.3.

 

[Luclila]

Yes they just make she surrounding noise more of a muffle the le mieux come up small medium was too small for my Arab's and the biggest one is only 15.3.

Ah perfect - ooh ok thanks for the tip will get the large then x

 

[SantaVera]

Lots of work and very long hacks,go out hacking for three hours next time you ride her. A lot don't get enough exercise these days and people rely on useless things like "calming cookies"and other rubbish. Old fashioned work,a good rider with a good seat who stands no nonsense is what's needed here ,if you are not up to it get someone who is to work her or sell her to a suitable home.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Lots of work and very long hacks,go out hacking for three hours next time you ride her. A lot don't get enough exercise these days and people rely on useless things like "calming cookies"and other rubbish. Old fashioned work,a good rider with a good seat who stands no nonsense is what's needed here ,if you are not up to it get someone who is to work her or sell her to a suitable home.

How do you know the horse is not already in a suitable home? that's a bit of a statement considering its a thread about a spooky horse

 

[Luclila]

Lots of work and very long hacks,go out hacking for three hours next time you ride her. A lot don't get enough exercise these days and people rely on useless things like "calming cookies"and other rubbish. Old fashioned work,a good rider with a good seat who stands no nonsense is what's needed here ,if you are not up to it get someone who is to work her or sell her to a suitable home.

How do you know the horse is not already in a suitable home? that's a bit of a statement considering its a thread about a spooky horse

Exactly- she’s in the right hands and has a wonderful home which suits her perfectly. She has plenty of exercise also
Already done the hacking - hasn’t changed much and needs to progress in arena
She was broken elsewhere In the ‘old fashioned way’ and worsened the issue

 

[2 Dragons]

My Welsh gelding can be anxious. He is triggered by sounds and generally ok once he has seen what is causing the noise. I find talking to him helps- I tend to name the thing he is scared of in a sing-song voice, this also calms me! I never say good boy as I want to see these things as normal not something he has had to be "good" to face. My daughter plays music when they hack out through the fields together, apparently he likes it. He has got better, for example if we hear a bike behind us, I let him look and once he has processed it he is happy to move on. Generally trying to not make a big deal helps.
I think he was always have some spooks so work to keep my core strong.

 

[Wishfilly]

My pony can be pretty spooky, certainly he was when I first got him- he's improved a lot since I've had him, he's now 10 and much better than he was. So you may see some improvement with time?

Being kept out on herd turnout really helps him- having that time just to be a horse definitely really relaxes him. If he can be with another calm horse out hacking, that's really helpful to him.

If I get on and he is feeling spooky, for him it's key to keep him moving forwards, but with lots of changes of direction so he has to engage his brain a bit. So I wouldn't just do one circle going the same way in the same place, I'd go for a figure of 8, or circle at a, circle at e, circle at c, change the rein and do it all the other way. I'd avoid transitions between the paces if he was feeling spooky, but work him in for a long-ish period in trot to enable him to settle. When I'm getting a more relaxed trot with a correct bend, I know he's got over it, and we can settle into something more complex! I've been having lessons recently, and we focus on asking him to work into a consistent contact, ignoring him if he's making a fuss about something but rewarding all the good work with a release.

Poles also help, as it gives him something else to focus on, but I'm fortunate in that he's not spooky about poles/jumps!

If he's worked more he's definitely better.

He also doesn't get that much feed- a little bit of chaff, some high fibre nuts, and at the moment we're trying winter herbs, once a day in the winter. In summer he only gets a feed if he's worked! If he's got excess energy, he'll sometimes find things to spook at!

When I first got him, we also did quite a bit of focused in hand work, in part because he'd not really been taught certain (key to me) skills like standing politely at the block and giving me 5 seconds to sort myself out once I'm on! If I need to get his attention on the ground, I usually ask him to back up a step or two, so that he focuses on me, not the spooky thing. Although he'll follow me/a known foot solider past anything.

He can habituate to things e.g. he used to be terrified of sheep- the only time he's had me off was a spin/drop shoulder/tank at a sheep coming through a hedge. However, at our last yard I was able to turn him out next to some sheep and he became a lot more comfortable with them. I do think it takes him longer than a bolder horse, but given time they can learn to get used to a lot. Sometimes I'll use high level bribery to help him habituate to stuff- I know some will disagree with this!