Hacking in open spaces Anxiety (horse not rider)

[Bec26]

My 4 year home bred gelding seems to get anxious hacking in open spaces. He doesn’t nap or misbehave but seems tense and changes from his normal big stride to a choppy Shetland stride. He will canter but is reluctant (it doesn’t make any difference if he is in front or behind)
He is excellent to hack alone or in company and isn’t phased by any traffic and never spooks. Hacking in woods and lanes he is forward and relaxed. I’ve never experienced this (Quite the opposite where they get silly) and wondered if anyone else has

 

[Sossigpoker]

I wonder if it's you getting tense and that's impacting him? I'm having similar issues and currently don't have an answer unfortunately!

 

[Orangehorse]

Sing to him, that will calm both of you. Remember to breathe and I would stick to walk and trot for now.

I used to go and help out a lady and she would get us to trot round on a plateau on the top of a really steep hill - eek. She said it was part of her schooling method, as too many young horses are just ridden in an arena and then suddenly are in a wide open space and it can go to their heads.

Sounds as though yours is the opposite, not getting excited, but unsure. I wouldn't be in a rush to make him go faster, just enjoy a gentle toddle until he is much more familiar with the aids. Having once had a horse that wanted to gallop off as soon as she got grass underneath them, I spent a lot of time going very slowly in open spaces when my horse was young.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I have had youngsters like that, fixed it by doing the same ride in the same open space/route every single day until the horse said 'bored'. Then we chose another route and it started again, so we repeated the dose.

Your problems will wear off with age, confidence and education.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

@Bec26 did your problem ever wear off?

My youngster is the same, she’s 5 but very green as has most of her 4th year off work. She’s very confident on tracks or even walking through crop (bridleways) but we have lots of open spaces like fields and even the roads. She goes right into herself. Walks slowly, looks around at everything but doesn’t spook. Bless her.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My 4 year home bred gelding seems to get anxious hacking in open spaces. He doesn’t nap or misbehave but seems tense and changes from his normal big stride to a choppy Shetland stride. He will canter but is reluctant (it doesn’t make any difference if he is in front or behind)
He is excellent to hack alone or in company and isn’t phased by any traffic and never spooks. Hacking in woods and lanes he is forward and relaxed. I’ve never experienced this (Quite the opposite where they get silly) and wondered if anyone else has

^^^ Currently we have a mare on loan here at my yard and the owner lives near one of the National Parks in the SW of England. Owner decided not to keep her as apparently she was very sharp out on the open moor - too sharp for comfort!

I'm not a fan of open spaces without trees or tracks; that's just me, I can't help it. Guess it might be a bit of agrophobia? I dunno. But I know that I will have to be careful I don't "tell" my pony if we ever go up onto the high moors. We do ride occasionally on the local "common" but whilst it is open space there are plenty of trees and tracks there so it doesn't necessarily feel like "open space".

 

[JGC]

Actually my current mare is like this! And she's 16. No idea why, although her previous home was wide alleys in forests, so maybe just what she's used to? Anyway, she had a few meltdowns in big open fields, even with another horse. If you canter on your own in a field, she'll try to nap to the nearest track!

Basically, what I've done is start to build things up: cutting through smaller fields and a lot of riding in fields with trees to one side, so I can ride down the tree line, just building things up slowly. Also, when it's dry, schooling in the fields out hacking, so I warm up round the lanes in walk and then I find the edge of a field that belongs to our stables and do a bit of schooling to keep her occupied and then do our last lap in walk on a long rein. Also, just generally, mine wasn't truly in front of my leg, now we've resolved that schooling, I am able to get better canters out hacking.

 

[Jambarissa]

Agree with all of the above, repetition and nothing bad happening should eventually sort it out.

More short term, have you tried an ear bonnet and/or nose mask? I know so many horses that are uncomfortable in a breeze and that could be an issue in open spaces.

 

[J&S]

I wonder if it's you getting tense and that's impacting him?

So often one hears - "My horse doesn't like XYZXYZ..." and in fact it is the rider who does not like XYZXYZ.