Any way to help a spooky pony?

[alice.j]

My pony is incredibly spooky. I know that some ponies just are, especially when newly backed like he is, but he was born in the New Forest and ran on it for nearly five years, so when he spooks at cows and trees and twigs (all recent incidents), I feel like he's being a little bit stupid. I'm very lucky, in that I've done all the groundwork with him and am basically the only person to have sat on him, so he does trust me quite a bit, but today was the second time in a fortnight that I've come off because he's spooked at something 'stupid' (a cow that didn't move once in the whole five minutes we were moving towards it).
I don't mind spooky ponies, I know him well enough that I can generally determine what he might spook at before he does so, but is there a best way to act when he does spook? I know that some people will force their horse right up to the offending object, but I've tried that with him and he will not go near it; he'll walk past it fine, but directly towards is not going to happen. Is forced exposure a good technique I should be using, or should I just do as I do now, and not make a big deal out of the scary item, instead just let him go past it however he wants (but with me in the saddle, preferably!!)?

Thanks for any help

 

[Snow Falcon]

Are you in the forest? Has he been long reined across it? It's a different kettle of fish when you're riding. When he was running on the forest he had the support and comfort of being a herd animal. He's now out of his "natural" environment in his eyes and therefore things will look different.

Do you ride out alone or can you go out with someone else to give him the initial confidence that he may need.

 

[alice.j]

Are you in the forest? Has he been long reined across it? It's a different kettle of fish when you're riding. When he was running on the forest he had the support and comfort of being a herd animal. He's now out of his "natural" environment in his eyes and therefore things will look different.

Do you ride out alone or can you go out with someone else to give him the initial confidence that he may need.

He grew up around the yard (my friend and her family - who own him - live in the forest), so where we ride he's definitely been before. We did do some long reining but not much. I've been riding him since early April, and apart from a few weeks which he had off due to an abscess, he's been ridden at least 5 times a week since then, and at least 3 of those have been hacks, so he's been out and about a lot!
We've hacked out in company a lot more than alone, but it doesn't seem to make a huge difference - he's actually spooked at my friend's horses before!
Like I said, I don't mind spooky ponies, I just don't know what I can do to help him feel more confident!

 

[pansymouse]

Our Forester is a bit of blouse - he needs to take confidence from his rider. He will also pick up on his riders slightest fear or apprehension and act it through. Think thoroughbred in a 13.1hh orange pony body!

 

[pennyturner]

Find a friend with a very non-spooky pony, and go find all the scary stuff you can find. Stand still and watch it, turn around and walk past it again. Walk up to it and stay there until he sniffs it. Repeat until he's bored.

We deliberately take ours to see plant and equipment, pigs, marching bands... anything we can think of. As a result last week, when we hacked past a combine harvester working a field with half a dozen rough shooters around the edge shooting at anything which broke cover, they didn't bat an eyelid! When I made them stand still and watch the process for a couple of minutes (on the buckle), they were quite literally on 3 legs, bored as the guns fired.

 

[alice.j]

Our Forester is a bit of blouse - he needs to take confidence from his rider. He will also pick up on his riders slightest fear or apprehension and act it through. Think thoroughbred in a 13.1hh orange pony body!

My pony seems to be the opposite - when I was still quite nervous on him (we had a rather scary incident the first time I rode him!) he was super, and the braver I get the more spooky he seems to be. Hopefully it's just a phase!

Find a friend with a very non-spooky pony, and go find all the scary stuff you can find. Stand still and watch it, turn around and walk past it again. Walk up to it and stay there until he sniffs it. Repeat until he's bored.

We deliberately take ours to see plant and equipment, pigs, marching bands... anything we can think of. As a result last week, when we hacked past a combine harvester working a field with half a dozen rough shooters around the edge shooting at anything which broke cover, they didn't bat an eyelid! When I made them stand still and watch the process for a couple of minutes (on the buckle), they were quite literally on 3 legs, bored as the guns fired.

I'll have to find a friend with a non-spooky pony I think! He's generally very good with things that most horses would spook at, but today in the school he spooked twice at a jumping pole that was lying on the ground, and has been in the same place since before I started riding him! It's things like that which frustrate me the most, he'll walk past something 100 times but the 101st time he'll find something to spook at, even though nothing's changed. Grrr, horses!

 

[Ben2684]

Whereabouts on the forest are you?? I have an ISH that is currently out of work due to lameness but hoping to get out soon, if you are near us you could join us? s had never really been out of a school before I got him and the forest was rather scary! But he's now pretty much bombproof with everything that we encounter.. Have used him as lead horse on many occasions. I'm near burley and ride around the picket post/verily area mostly

 

[spookypony]

Time! See my screen name...I've had him for 7 years, nearly, and he's improved loads, simply by continuous, non-stressed exposure. For most things, he just needs a little time to stare at the offending item now. But we've had some battles, which have sometimes been counterproductive, and he is generally a worried sort. He'll always have a spooky streak (and a wicked spinning manouevre), but he can actually lead other horses past scary things at times, now!