Anyone gone onto compete a reactive/anxious horse?

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Stenners

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Just a post out of interest. My horse is very anxious and can be very reactive. Some of it was due to pain before I had him and we've spent the last 2.5 years trying to iron out the issues and build the bond. He had weakness in his hind leg and saddle issues when I got him (even though he passed a 5 stage vetting!) so have spent a long time rehabbing and building him back up and getting the right saddle and is under regular physio etc. We are getting to the point of being able to think about actually going somewhere other than my instructors or to a clinic (we have done a few pole clinics - the last one he totally freaked out at the last one)

He didn't have the best start in life and had no faith in humans (I'm in touch with previous owners) so he's very much a worrier! I really worry about taking him (eventually) to a small competition environment and wondered what success stories people may have had with these types of horses and any tips an dhow they reacted!

We did a fun ride last year - he was a nervous wreck in the lorry park (I think he thought he was hunting!) but really good on the actual ride!)
 
Similar situation here with pain causing anxiety and reactivity. We actually went out to do some riding club dressage last week, which was the first outing with any sort of pressure for 2.5, almost 3 years!

It was a struggle but there was a huge difference to her past, really explosive behaviour. Normal horse reactivity! I had to go in knowing that if it truly got too much for her I was holding my hand up and having basically no expectations. At this point you'll know your horse and you'll know what their threshold is so just keep their experience as the no.1 priority and you cant go too wrong.
 
This is what I'm thinking - a small local unaffiliated dressage one or a clear round somewhere maybe for our first one! What behaviour did your horse show and when did you find it was time to try a proper outing?
 
Goodness I could have written this myself! I have the most exceptionally bred, exceptionally talented WB but oh my lord I have never worked with such an anxious horse in my entire career!
He was in three homes in less than 12 months before he came to me (he is only 5!!) and only when he got to me, did I start ironing things out and try to get him out of pain (wonky pelvis, had been out for a very very long time causing strain on his back and left him compensating behind) he is also very sharp so I think instead of helping him manage his energy and worries, he has been rushed and had a heavy hand. I am now doing a lot of groundwork with the help of an experienced coach. I think due to his breeding he will always be sharp but competition horses need to be to get you round the tracks or do to do tests you want to do. I also have put him on a calmer to help settle his nerves, I just want him to be able to process things slower so he isn't so reactive, this has also helped! The worst thing you can do to these anxious and reactive horses is rush them and push them past their comfort zone, these horses need to stay there until their bond with their rider is established and they are more confident in their own body.

I know people see it as boring but I would 100% look into a coach who can help teach you ways to help your horse regulate themselves and also put them on a calmer, everyone needs anxiety meds at one time or another in their life :)
 
Just build up in stages and be ready to step back to ‘perfecting’ the previous stage with signs of regression- you both need to enjoy it! Something low key like a small local show or perhaps a bigger clinic next?
 
my nervous nelly isn't ridden as that just causes to much trigger stacking for him. And his reactions are so extreme. Any way he really enjoys in hand showing we found.

We started with very quiet local in hand shows. He's got awful separation anxiety but travels OK on his own once we get going. We worked out we needed to arrive in plenty of time to allow him to have a look around (we walk round the lorry park to show him around) once he see's other horses milling around he's pretty chilled out eating his haynet by the lorry. We took him out a few times in different environments with the same routine. Eventually we took him to the Royal Welsh for the week and showed in the main ring. He was an absolute star and loved his little stable over looking the showground.

He has a huge amount of trust in me and I watch him like a hawk to ensure we never push him over his threshold and only expose him to new things for short bursts initially.

We also do a lot of desensitising in the field. He was terrified of saddles when he arrived so we found some old worthless saddles and they got plonked on his pile of hay. He didn't like things on his legs so we put cut down bandages on his legs in the field for him to check out and get used too. He was scared of wheelie bins so his hay was fed from a wheelie bin. White boards? you guested it - in the field!! He's a nanny horse to my youngsters so he gets desensitised at the same time as them. Banners etc etc, basically anything you think you might encounter out and about do at home. Mimic warm up arena's, horses banging in the back of trailers/lorries, kids screaming, tannoy's, rosette's on bridles, flower pots, anything you can think of so the only change is the location.
 
EventfulEventer said:
Goodness I could have written this myself! I have the most exceptionally bred, exceptionally talented WB but oh my lord I have never worked with such an anxious horse in my entire career!
He was in three homes in less than 12 months before he came to me (he is only 5!!) and only when he got to me, did I start ironing things out and try to get him out of pain (wonky pelvis, had been out for a very very long time causing strain on his back and left him compensating behind) he is also very sharp so I think instead of helping him manage his energy and worries, he has been rushed and had a heavy hand. I am now doing a lot of groundwork with the help of an experienced coach. I think due to his breeding he will always be sharp but competition horses need to be to get you round the tracks or do to do tests you want to do. I also have put him on a calmer to help settle his nerves, I just want him to be able to process things slower so he isn't so reactive, this has also helped! The worst thing you can do to these anxious and reactive horses is rush them and push them past their comfort zone, these horses need to stay there until their bond with their rider is established and they are more confident in their own body.

I know people see it as boring but I would 100% look into a coach who can help teach you ways to help your horse regulate themselves and also put them on a calmer, everyone needs anxiety meds at one time or another in their life :)
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I do have him on a calmer! I've tried a few now but the latest one is defiantly helping! I think its me that needs a calmer sometimes!!
 
I always have Rescue Remedy spray in my pocket because I am exactly the same 🤣🤣 It took me a long time to get on my boy, I would stand at the mounting block for 20 minutes and really have to psych myself up because I knew what an anxious mess he was on the ground and I valued my skin more than to try and deal with that in the saddle 🤣
Stenners said:
I do have him on a calmer! I've tried a few now but the latest one is defiantly helping! I think its me that needs a calmer sometimes!
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I travelled an older experienced horse with mine as his anxiety started in the trailer. The first competitions I did were very local low key and I started with intro dressage as this was always the first class. I asked for an early time when I did my entry and usually was the first one in. One of the things my horse didn't like was other horses coming too close to him especially cantering past on the opposite rein and going first means less horses in the warm up. Accoustic ears also made a lot of difference, especially indoors. External noises from things he couldn't see worried him and he completely freaked out when there was a downpour on the metal roof of an indoor school. I always arrived in plenty of time so he had a while to take in the environment and it wasn't a rush to get him ready.

Get someone to go with you if possible, even if it's just for moral support.
 
General thoughts ...
Foundations at home need to be solid
These types generally better with hand firmly held by a confident rider, and will pick up any insecurities from a more anxious rider
Lots of time gradually exposing them away from home, before doing shows (a fun ride is a very bad idea for this type in the early days!!) - arena hires, well managed clinics etc - every week ideally for a bit!
Since having horses with pros where they get put in the lorry just to travel and take in some atmosphere (initially not even sat on!), by the time they are asked to do a show it's much less of an anxiety inducing activity for them
 
My lovely retired horse had a pretty shocking start in life (he came off the meat boat from South America to Italy) and when he came to me a year later at 7 he was a non loader and was scared of his own shadow. He was hyper vigilant out hacking and liable to spook massively, suddenly shooting 10 feet sideways even at canter. He used to tremble in fear if you touched his tail, and self harm by tearing at his own chest and front legs if he didn't understand what I was asking. I took things really slowly with him, never pushed him too far beyond his comfort zone, and just persisted with kindness and patience. It took several years, but he became a very reliable, solid riding horse and also a very good loader. He went on to win the Level 1 National TREC League and the following year was second in the Level 2 League. Sadly he had to retire from competition a few years ago due to arthritis, but he's still with me.
I'd say be sensible, do your despooking and practice and whatever else you can to prepare, and than crack on. You can only try. That's him in my profile pic.
 
Have you seen Bunkers hill farm horses on Facebook or Instagram? She has a bog grey called Callie that is really reactive and she is trying to get her out and de sensitives her to stuff. Might be worth a look for you?.
 
Stenners said:
This is what I'm thinking - a small local unaffiliated dressage one or a clear round somewhere maybe for our first one! What behaviour did your horse show and when did you find it was time to try a proper outing?
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She is recently medicated and has the sign off from the osteo and our behaviourist as happy and sounder than shes ever been so fully ran out of excuses not to try an outing 😂 We picked one that a friend could bring us to, 15 mins away and that we would also know other people and horses so pony had familiar company. A venue I knew well even if she didn't, as this below is 100% true and I'm also an anxious mess but far too precious about her to let anyone else ride so my anxieties get managed also!

ihatework said:
These types generally better with hand firmly held by a confident rider, and will pick up any insecurities from a more anxious rider
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Finding something you both enjoy makes a big difference, I tried dressage, jumping, hunting etc before I discovered what he loves is endurance.
He can get his head down find a rhythm and just keep going.
He always comes off the box a bit wired, ex racer from a 'tricky' bloodline and he's still psyched up to go racing. I also can't leave him in the box or go out of sight, he has to come with me to get numbers etc, but as long as he's with me he's good as gold and the moment we start he has game face on and loves it.

If you're not sure, why not take him to an event and not ride, just take him out for a completely low pressure day, he can see and take everything in while you gauge how he reacts.
 
Keep going to the same venue, over and over and over again. Do everything exactly the same. Hire that venue regularly and school there. It took me three years with mine - scared of colour differences in the surfaces, light under doors, gallery, noise of horses going past that he couldn't see, photographers - the list is long. But ... we did eventually get to the point that he would get round a dressage test without a spook. Clinics were a different matter and it was a lottery whether he would be calm or wired - I think it depended on how he felt about the other horses there.
 
Anxious, reactive horses need to learn self regulation skills. This is not the same as simply exposing them to lots of things and hoping they get used to it. To self regulate they need first to be able to respond to regulation efforts by the handler - ie the handler can redirect stress/energy and bring the horse back. Over time the horse starts being able to assess risk and think things through solve him/herself - not just react. The pros who expose horses to lots of places will do this automatically by being so calm & focused and by directing the horsess movement, attention and and energy instinctively. An amateur could do the same exposure work without the benefits - indeed it can just be a series of stressful experiences for both horse and rider which makes things worse not better.

For me the priorities are:

- In day to day handling and all work, horse learns the handler is predictable, reliable, emotionally neutral, and therefore horse feels safe
- In day to day handling and all work, horse learns the follow the handlers lead without bracing or objection. Ie lead on a loose lead rein, stand still if handler stops to chat to someone, stays out of handlers personal space- no barging, stepping on toes etc, yields, flexes, follows a feel.
- Rock solid foundation starting on the ground
- Groundwork build the relationship whereby the horse is focused on the handler and if distracted can easily be brought back. What David O'Connor calls 'The Look' - as in the 'yep I know I look to you when you ask me to'.... and later 'I look to you when I need reassurance'.
- This translates to ridden work - the horse may get distracted but handler can get the attention back easily.
- Then over time horse looks to handler for reassurance and also learns how to dial down themselves so can get spooked or distracted but not overreaxrt to that, and dial back down.

Going with a buddy can make anxiety worse as the horse may choose to look to the herd mate for reassurance instead of the handler, and be more reactive not less anytime they are not joined at the hip. Or if the other horse is getting anxious.
 
I love her account! So funny and really relatable.
IKW said:
Have you seen Bunkers hill farm horses on Facebook or Instagram? She has a bog grey called Callie that is really reactive and she is trying to get her out and de sensitives her to stuff. Might be worth a look for you?.
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We kind of specialise in ponies with ‘issues’ so have a kind of routine.
- First they build trust with us: lots of hacking, lots of fun. Saddle checked every ride, lots of building communication and understanding.
- Then once they can jump (fun!) we go to arena hire. We take a calm buddy if possible. Lots of arena hire, all over the local area, until travelling is something they look forward to because it is jump time. We keep the jumps small and fun, the whole experience positive. Start with very very quiet venues, book plenty of time to just walk round and look at everything in hand, bring enough help on the ground. Build up to busier hire, meeting with friend’s horses they don’t know. Go to baby xc with a friend. Learn to go out and enjoy it.
- Once seeing the transport is a happy thing and they are positive and relaxed in new places, we go to a very quiet local show for the 30cm clear round. It’s not about jumping. It’s about going somewhere there will be other horses in the warm up. By now, going in a strange arena alone is fine. Jumps are fun. We go round and go home. Repeat at steadily bigger venues. Increase the height if they will be wanting to jump, or not so much if they will be a dressage pony.
- Introduce dressage once they can cope with baby SJ. Jumping is easier because there is a fun focus. Dressage tends to have scarier warm-ups and nothing to focus on except what they can find to spook at!

Clinics… I think they’re a big ask. Lots of standing around. Horses they don’t know. You can’t adjust your training to your horse. If I was going to do them, I’d put them between local very quiet show and busier show.

I’ve not met one yet that hasn’t learnt to enjoy a local showjumping round. I have had a few who couldn’t ever settle enough for a decent dressage score though.
 
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