Doesn't like horses coming towards him in warm up!

[oldie48]

Second outing, UA and designed to be a confidence building exercise for me mainly. However, the venue was running a BD event which I thought would run after the UA one but actually ran alongside it and they had 2 long arenas (side by side) going. First warm up was fine but second was quite busy and unfortunately Mr B spooked at a horse cantering towards him and nearly deposited me on the fence. OK, no big deal but Mr B then decided he couldn't cope with anything near him to the extent that in our test he even spooked at the horse in the next arena. I know I am contributing to his nervousness by getting tense myself, he's a very sensitive horse but I also think he was taking the mick a bit today and I needed to be firmer with him. I got a pretty rubbish score but at least we finished the test although I could easily have thrown the towel in. Any helpful ideas would be welcomed. He's not a baby and having spoken to a previous owner, this is not something new but it is something I have to learn to manage.

 

[Red-1]

Hi, I am glad your first test went well.

I would not try to tackle this at a competition, but would recreate the situation at home. I would use a school (hiring if necessary) and have another horse in the arena. I would start with a distance between them and work hard, schooling away, and communicating with the other rider to gradually have more close encounters.

Once one other horse was OK, I would have 2, and as well as head on encounters I would have infront and behind, and alongside encounters, starting with bigger distances and gradually making it more challenging.

Rather than confronting any resistance I would instead concentrate on very correct schooling, including focus not to look around too much.

 

[bluebellfreddy]

As said above, also put a red ribbon in your horses tail. Although not totally true, will stop people coming too close.

 

[oldie48]

No problem with horses coming from behind so red ribbon won't work. It's only an issue with horses coming towards him when he is on the left rein ie has nowhere to go. But thank you for your suggestion.

As said above, also put a red ribbon in your horses tail. Although not totally true, will stop people coming too close.

 

[philamena]

Lessons and clinics and practice in as many group sessions / crowded schools as possible, where you can really focus on keeping him concentrating on something else to do, which is hard when you're in a comp environment and worried about getting T-boned, or kicking someone, etc. Nice full sessions in a busy school and it should gradually dim within each session and eventually go altogether. Try to give him something else to think about whenever it's about to happen, in any situation, like a leg yield or counter flexion or transition or something... and exposure exposure exposure. I know from experience that it makes warm ups stressful! You can put a red ribbon in his forelock if you need to warn people from the front, most people will clock what it's for.

 

[oldie48]

Yes, I've joined the local riding club for exactly this reason but quite difficult to replicate a really busy warm up area.thanks for your suggestion

Hi, I am glad your first test went well.

I would not try to tackle this at a competition, but would recreate the situation at home. I would use a school (hiring if necessary) and have another horse in the arena. I would start with a distance between them and work hard, schooling away, and communicating with the other rider to gradually have more close encounters.

Once one other horse was OK, I would have 2, and as well as head on encounters I would have infront and behind, and alongside encounters, starting with bigger distances and gradually making it more challenging.

Rather than confronting any resistance I would instead concentrate on very correct schooling, including focus not to look around too much.

 

[oldie48]

thanks not thought about putting a ribbon n his forelock but worth trying.

Lessons and clinics and practice in as many group sessions / crowded schools as possible, where you can really focus on keeping him concentrating on something else to do, which is hard when you're in a comp environment and worried about getting T-boned, or kicking someone, etc. Nice full sessions in a busy school and it should gradually dim within each session and eventually go altogether. Try to give him something else to think about whenever it's about to happen, in any situation, like a leg yield or counter flexion or transition or something... and exposure exposure exposure. I know from experience that it makes warm ups stressful! You can put a red ribbon in his forelock if you need to warn people from the front, most people will clock what it's for.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Yes, I've joined the local riding club for exactly this reason but quite difficult to replicate a really busy warm up area.thanks for your suggestion

I'm sure if you pop a message up locally (facebook group perhaps? ) offering free shared arena you might have to fight off numbers?
I know in the past when i needed to work something that had an issue in company and invited locals to come and school in my field with me (and then use the jumps i had then after, for nothing), i was inundated

 

[oldie48]

thank you , great idea, I have my own arena so will try this.

I'm sure if you pop a message up locally (facebook group perhaps? ) offering free shared arena you might have to fight off numbers?
I know in the past when i needed to work something that had an issue in company and invited locals to come and school in my field with me (and then use the jumps i had then after, for nothing), i was inundated

 

[wkiwi]

I had the same thing with one of mine but only when small ponies came towards her! (She didn't mind 'normal' size horses). The local pony club very kindly let me take her along to their pony club rallies - "goggle eyed mare suddenly spies 1000's of 'deformed' creatures!!!"
Used gradually decreasing distances (as per Red-1's advice above) and didn't take her long to realise that the tiny Mutants from Mars were not really going to attack/crash into her (the grey ones were particularly dangerous!!).
Holding her nerve while watching pony club games also had the benefit of bombproofing her to yelling kids, waving flags/sacks, half a dozen ponies hooning toward her at top speed, loose ponies whizzing past, parents with umbrellas etc. etc. Note that we built up to this - she would have dropped dead of a heart attack if I had done this at the beginning.

 

[JustKickOn]

No problem with horses coming from behind so red ribbon won't work. It's only an issue with horses coming towards him when he is on the left rein ie has nowhere to go. But thank you for your suggestion.

It works for us. My mare can be handy with her feet although has never attempted it out, I always red ribbon her. Once people see the red from behind, then tend to give her a wider passing gap than they do others.

 

[GinaGeo]

Mine used to be terrified of anything with a long mane, or that was coloured or remotely cob like. He'd throw himself across the school to avoid thundering hooves!

He's much better now. I just kept on taking him. In my experience red ribbons don't really work. I stood him outside some really busy SJ warm ups and let him watch. If they can cope with that then dressage is a doddle in comparison. He's fine now with BE dressage warm ups, but I do tend to be found in the furthest corner. I stay super aware of where everybody else so I can get out of the way before anything happens.

So if we're on the left rein I will do my best to get us out the way before we get stuck to the wall. We'll circle away before that happens. He's the same out hacking, with big horses, if anything looks at him funnily he'll throw himself into a hedge to get away - although that's improved massively as well. He's never had a bump or anything to cause the behaviour. He's just an alert sort!