Do some horses just not move past fear

[motherof2beasts!]

This thread is very interesting! My pony has an incredibly high sense of self preservation and I was beginning to despair at our lack of progress despite completing the Hack 1000 miles last year. He really isn't bad with a lot of things, e.g. flags, bins, barking dogs, cows, sheep and even pigs, but he isn't good in traffic as he doesn't like things coming up behind him on his right hand side and doesn't like to feel trapped.
On the plus side, if he is spooked he quickly calms back down.
As just doing lots of miles hasn't helped, I am trying the slow walk work to see if I can help him to help himself and I have seen lots of adverts for TRT training to deal with the same problem which I am tempted with.
But seeing just how many people have horses that have never overcome their fears is interesting.

I’ve also done the 1000 miles hacking and he reacts pretty much the same , the only progress is he may run past in fear, rather than swinging and running back towards home…. Small wins

 

[Exasperated]

My Appy is nightblind and although she shouldn't technically have issues in daylight I'm not convinced.

One vet after examining her did say that if she was in an opticians going through the full battery of tests and able to talk back we'd probably work out what she could / couldn't see but all he could tell me was that he couldn't see anything physically wrong.

That vet is spot on.
This issue is completely overlooked by most ‘trainers’ and owners, and long experience suggests it could often explain a lot of so called behavioural issues.
Back in early 70s a well known racing vet (where they use hoods, blinkers, shadow rolls, fluffy nose bands, all sorts), gave us a Pony Club lecture incorporating this topic).
It’s not that there may be infection or damage in a horse’s eyes, which a decent vet ought to be able to diagnose, but that the horse cannot tell you what he actually sees!
horses see differently to humans anyway, field of vision, colour spectrum; so try adding in distortions caused by what humans call long / short sight, astigma, etc, etc - and then wonder why some horses inexplicably and persistently ‘see ghosts’.
Quite what you do about this?!? Difficult, but improved appreciation of why never goes amiss when managing horses, and might prevent some of us banging our heads against a locked door.

 

[Exasperated]

This thread is very interesting! My pony has an incredibly high sense of self preservation and I was beginning to despair at our lack of progress despite completing the Hack 1000 miles last year. He really isn't bad with a lot of things, e.g. flags, bins, barking dogs, cows, sheep and even pigs, but he isn't good in traffic as he doesn't like things coming up behind him on his right hand side and doesn't like to feel trapped.
On the plus side, if he is spooked he quickly calms back down.
As just doing lots of miles hasn't helped, I am trying the slow walk work to see if I can help him to help himself and I have seen lots of adverts for TRT training to deal with the same problem which I am tempted with.
But seeing just how many people have horses that have never overcome their fears is interesting.

A good while back, a friend had a mare extremely suspicious of tall traffic coming past from behind, or coming towards her on her right hand side in a narrow lane, very claustrophobic response, despite patient work with a Sergeant who trained the Police horses.
Interestingly, she was also freaked out by walking towards trees close on her right hand side, altho would turn and brush past the same trees from the opposite direction - weird, and it was obviously some sort of focus / eyesight issue. The vet mentioned earlier suggested try her in blinkers - or get some specs!
That mare was never safe as a hack, but drove really well on the inside of a pair, either in blinkers or open bridle, which became her career.
If you discuss with Police horse trainers, there are always a good few likely recruit horses that never make the spookproof cut, nothing to do with their eyes, but just don’t become sufficiently accustomed to the necessary range of frighteners to risk using on patrol, despite extensive training. Our local hunt have bought several Police ‘rejects’ over the years, made brilliant hunters, instead!

 

[planete]

I have accepted that my pony has a tendency to over react to shadows in hedges and various innocuous things however the more I school him and improve his response to my aids the more obedient and trusting he becomes. He still startles just as often but tends to startle in place or ask if we can please go faster to get to a safe distance. The first fime he decided forward was the way to go instead of spin and run I pulled a muscle in my back bringing the surge under control but he has now learnt to ask and we just do a brisk trot. He is is happy he is keeping us safe and I am happy I am not being decked.