Flight or Fight; what horse do you have?

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kateandluelue

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Hello
So yesterday i had my first proper fall off the newish horsie and my first fall where i hurt myself. In a nutshell she bolted at nothing up the road slipped and fell on top of me. Luckily she seems ok today and ran home and i have just damaged ligament and chipped a bone in my leg. I always knew she was more of a flight horse as the smallest sound or movement she will always run as oppose to stop and stare. This is different to my other mare who is pretty good and dosent flap at much even if other horses bolt. Soo my question is what type of horse do you have and how do you deal with the flightier ones :)

PS- Im ok and was more horrified by the fact the paramedics and doctors had to witness my very hairy legs that had not been shaved since the 2013 xmas party last year.
 
Oh dear! I hope you mend quickly.

In response to your question: None of my previous horses have been overly spooky, but they never demonstrated any fight response at all. The current gelding, on the other hand, prefers to stop and stare at things he doesn't understand. If he feels they're an actual threat, he might spin and retreat, but if he's unable to, then he has a serious fight response. It always worries me around dogs, as he's very tolerant and unafraid, but if he feels they're behaving out of line he has no qualms about kicking out or attempting to trample them if they show serious signs of aggression. I wish people realised that when they watched their darling pets chewing at his tail or nipping at his legs and then reassured me that 'they just want to play' - unfortunately, my horse doesn't!
 
Flight. 100%. I have spent an awfully long time on teaching my horse to march on if undecided and he is never allowed to stop and stare. Appreciate that works with some horses but with mine, if he gets to stop and look, he then invariably turns and runs (not bolting).
 
Mine does both, he sometimes stops to take in whatever has caught his attention, a blade of grass or a leaf that is in a new place can need a full on check to make sure they are safe to pass but he can also take off in panic, sometimes going straight sometimes spinning round and running, he is fairly complex to say the least although he has never bolted, rarely bucks and doesn't rear, hacking is hardly relaxing.
That said he is also at times so sensible he surprises me, today we were going towards a narrow part of the lane towards a blind bend and I heard an oncoming car speeding up, knowing it would probably end up coming onto our side of the road I kept him as far out as possible so we would be seen by the driver, there was nowhere we could go if it failed to make the bend, my boy just looked at the car when it skidded to slow down as if it was totally beneath him, which it actually was, having a horse that good in traffic makes up for the rest of his quirks.
 
I have 2 fights, 2 flights and 2 that would rather jst stand there and get eaten by monsters than do fight or flee! You can probobly guess they are both cobs lol
 
He's more of a fight than flight to the point he will bunny hop and charge not so much fun when he decides the pick up that's come too close needs telling I have tried everything moving him out the way but he's a pig headed Welsh d who can be a pain in the backside when it comes to his space fine with em and my little boy but I do have to watch him with anything and anyone else. My welsh a is the same but I just say he's a grumpy old ****** anyway
 
My mare is definitely a flight, I've been struggling with her since I got her last December, she is improving but it has been a struggle. I've only just found out that she was feral until 14 months ago, having been found tethered at the side of the motorway! She is the most spookiest horse ever but at least we now know why! My mini horse x is also a flight animal, he was a rescue also and wild until he was 9 (he's 15 now), I seem to be collecting feral animals at the minute! Thankfully my mini Shettie as I've had him since a baby is so brave as he's never known any reason to be otherwise. I'd be very interested to hear of anyone that has rescues and if they have reduced the flight response.
 
I have one of each, flight lady is now retired but I've fallen off her countless times and every time she has taken herself home! She has crossed the main 40mph A30 road 3 times! I swear she has move lives than a cat! The last time I ever fell off her, was a long time ago but I was so scared from being left for dead that I refused to let go, and got dragged around a field, holding on to her reins. luckily she did stop in the end! All thanks for a plastic bag that she shied at haha!

My 4yr old, I have only come off of him once, he was trotting around the school, started coughing, got his head really low to the ground, tripped over himself and fell to his knees, I roll of the side of his neck! he got up and stood there waiting for me!
 
One of each. Charles (AKA Tonka, Come and Have a Go If you Think You Are Hard Enough, Captain Sensible) the fighter and Stanley (AKA The Ginger Poofter, Wuss Bag, Cowardy Custard) the flyer.
 
Pie was very much flight in the early days. Sideways teleports while he was running off with me and 180 spins into a gallop were his thing.
With him winning his trust was a key part of sorting this out along with exposing him to as many scary situations as possible (without taking dangerous risks). He was on a busy cow farm back then so whenever the farmer was doing stuff we would go and watch from a safe distance. I also found that he likes to be held in a scary situation - if I relax then he will be ten times worse than if I pick up a firm contact and out my leg on.
Nowadays he just tends to scuttle sideways a bit or do riverdance if he sees something scary.
 
Moses is a fighter! Recently I took a wrong turn in a field, I was following a track and it kinda vanished. I was chased by a farmer in a big yellow tractor, beeping horn and shouting. I thought Moses was going to head off at speed and decided I was going to get off. As soon as my feet hit the ground he spun around to face the yellow monster and stood in front of me to protect me.!!! Bless him, bloody farmer should have known better! He looked a bit sheepish, I was only about a foot off the track and heading back on to it!
 
"Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough!"
She hasn't met any-one yet who is, except my 3 yr old cob filly, who tries her luck every now and again.
The local 'hard man' who nearly ran over sister and her Appy, in his poser's convertible sports car, then got out of his car, when we told him what we thought of him and his driving, and came towards us with attitude, changed his mind when he saw the mane standing on end and heard the hooves banging down in her version of piaffe. She's a big girl!
 
One of each. One who rarely if ever spooks at anything, and then only on the spot. And one who runs first and asks questions later. Only one actual bolt (chased by a dog) but many, many huge spooks forwards and sideways, at all paces. 6 years on he's better than he was - till the next time....
 
Depends on the circumstances, when I first got my Trotter X, he demolished the meet n greet paddock to get at our resident mare, for two days they kicked and bit chunks out of each other, she was as bad as him, couldn't stable them as rescue dogs were being kenneled in my stables, horrible to watch, eventually they agreed on a draw, he is a bully by nature though, ridden, he just looks, snorts and walks on
 
Both mares are more flight than fight, though it's usually fairly easy to stop them after they teleport (luckily they're both lazy girls and generally don't bolt).
 
PS- Im ok and was more horrified by the fact the paramedics and doctors had to witness my very hairy legs that had not been shaved since the 2013 xmas party last year.[/QUOTE]

Ooooo, sorry but HAAAAAA, that's made me giggle!!! Good going!!
Hope you mend soon, blummin horses!! :-D
 
Mine is "stand like a statue" and if that fails "fight". A bit disconcerting when he strutted across a stubble field to a scary pair of cyclists last September. Only at walk, but it was a walk with intent!
 
Alf is a flight-er, and this is why I rarely let other people hack him. It's not because I think I'm anything special, but because I know he wouldn't hang around if someone came off him (and his shenanigans are very unseating!). If he is going to sling someone off, gallop home and potentially get hit by a car/knacker his legs irrevocably - I'd rather it was me that it happened to. I can't imagine how bad I'd feel if someone elses horse died/was injured on my watch, and I wouldn't want anyone to go through that on my account
 
Mines a mix of the two really! She's got a right attitude and front 99% of the time and looks down her nose at everything, would rather fight. Quite literally has to be pinned down in some scenarios (vets, dentist) as she's got a wicked little rear on her.

But underneath it all she's scared and if in an open field etc would rather dodge/bolt
 
Mine is all talk, acts like a big man until he sees something wild flapping.

Some days he is the bravest, boldest boy and nothing will phase him, other days the flapping tape of the electric fence round the flowerbeds is terrifying.

He gets spooky the more excited he gets, so I do think part of it is down to him being a bit hyper and going 'whats that' at everything he sees - they're bigger spooks as well as he's already bouncing :(
 
First pony is a fighter. I have never seen him run from anything, he won't even run round with the others in his field! But he will kick, bite and barge anything that has upset him.
Retired boy is all flight. He's pretty brave but if something frightens him, he runs and runs and runs some more!
Baby cob doesn't seem to be either, just takes everything in his stride!
 
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