Hacking issue

[thehorsethatspooks]

Hello, i have a 16.2 tb
I’ve had him since october and he’s an absolute dream in most ways from leading to tacking up and goes amazing in the school with a wicked jump.
However…
We have major issues out hacking! When i first got him it was more of an issue. He’s starting to learn he can’t get away with it now however at least once on a hack he will try it on.
What he does is it he sees something he deems as ‘scary’ he will stop, look, then spin. If i try to turn him back towards to thing he sees as scary he will turn to look but repeat process. I can’t give him a tap with the whip or growl etc as it makes him 100x worse and then he becomes nervous of me (it took him ages to build trust in me on ground but not quite there with me on him yet).
I end up getting off of him mostly because it becomes dangerous and we’ve ended up in a ditch before where he cut his heel, and he’s amazing for me to get back on anyway and there’s loads of walls around where i go hacking so that’s not an issue and as he has trust in me on the ground he will happily walk past what he finds scary with my reassurance, although he does still jog past.
What i’m wondering, is there any tips anyone would have so i don’t have to constantly get off past this scary stuff. It’s a different thing every time and it’s seeming like it’s more of a napping thing now rather than him being generally scared but it’s hard because i have to be so gentle with him otherwise it makes it much worse and he will try and take off with me
Thank you

 

[Barton Bounty]

Yes, persistence ? its the only way, you are described my boy to a tea. Its persistency and calmness that will get you through it. Just go so far, if he refuses, sit quiet and maybe give him a treat, and ask him to walk on firmly. Its building from there that will help you. Sometimes I used to sit for 10 minutes after spooking spinning rearing moonwalking and bronking. You will get there but he really needs to trust you! Tbs are very insecure

 

[Caol Ila]

I would drop the language about the horse "trying it on" and "not being generally scared." Horses don't lie. The horse is incapable of thinking, "I will pretend to be scared just to p1ss her off." If the horse is acting scared, he probably is. He will be feeling very insecure, being in a new home for only a few months.

I have a horse who I've owned for a year and a half, and he plants and spins when hacking alone. He is a very insecure guy. I also have a youngster who I recently backed. She will follow me pretty much anywhere when led or long-reined, but she is very much in the process of learning that a human on her back is just as good as one on the ground.

It's very natural for them to feel secure with their herdmate (you!) with them on the ground. They would have been able to go beside their mum as foals, and then their pals as adults. There is nothing natural about being ridden, and it takes time and training to get them to realize that their herdmate is still there protecting them, even when sitting on top of them.

If your horse is an ex-racer, I doubt he will have spent much time going out on his own. Even if he has, you're still new to him so you have to develop that relationship.

The steps BB gave you are good.

 

[Birker2020]

Hello, i have a 16.2 tb
I’ve had him since october and he’s an absolute dream in most ways from leading to tacking up and goes amazing in the school with a wicked jump.
However…
We have major issues out hacking! When i first got him it was more of an issue. He’s starting to learn he can’t get away with it now however at least once on a hack he will try it on.
What he does is it he sees something he deems as ‘scary’ he will stop, look, then spin. If i try to turn him back towards to thing he sees as scary he will turn to look but repeat process. I can’t give him a tap with the whip or growl etc as it makes him 100x worse and then he becomes nervous of me (it took him ages to build trust in me on ground but not quite there with me on him yet).
I end up getting off of him mostly because it becomes dangerous and we’ve ended up in a ditch before where he cut his heel, and he’s amazing for me to get back on anyway and there’s loads of walls around where i go hacking so that’s not an issue and as he has trust in me on the ground he will happily walk past what he finds scary with my reassurance, although he does still jog past.
What i’m wondering, is there any tips anyone would have so i don’t have to constantly get off past this scary stuff. It’s a different thing every time and it’s seeming like it’s more of a napping thing now rather than him being generally scared but it’s hard because i have to be so gentle with him otherwise it makes it much worse and he will try and take off with me
Thank you

In short what worked for me was to rein back past the scary object. Its reverse psychology - literally. The horse thinks 'its won' as its facing the direction it wanted to go even though its walking backwards and the rider is happy because the horse has gone past the object. If you ride the same route back towards home the horse isn't likely to shy at the same object again.

My horse Bailey was a nightmare with spookiness and this always worked with her. She would shy and spin - funnily enough never when a car was going past her and always clockwise. When I had Lari he would only ever shy anti clockwise so it was a sharp learning curve!

 

[throwawayaccount]

Welcome

I had a pony like this when hacking alone and despite everything we couldn’t sort it.he was great in company tho

how is yours in company?

 

[ycbm]

Great suggestions here but you will get more of you start a thread on Tack Room. Welcome to the forum ?

 

[ycbm]

Have you tried waiting him out? You need to go out when you have no time pressure to get back, and you may, seriously, need to take a book. It worked with one of mine.
.

 

[thehorsethatspooks]

Welcome

I had a pony like this when hacking alone and despite everything we couldn’t sort it.he was great in company tho

how is yours in company?

Amazing! He will happily walk past anything out hacking and leads most of the way as he has a rather forward walk
I think it’s more he’s just very nervous by himself but when he’s with another, even though he’s leading he still has the company of another horse or at least that’s what i’ve put it down to X

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Next time you get off, make sure it is before the behaviour has escalated to keep the adrenaline as low as possible, lead him past, lead him back and repeat as many times as you need to until he will go past the scary object between you and it. Then go back, get on and ride past.

 

[Northern Hare]

Probably a silly question, but if for example your horse spins 180o (or more!) to the right, do you keep turning him right to get him facing forward again?

That's what I was doing until a new instructor spotted the error of my ways, as my horse was spooking and spinning to the right going down a scary track to a indoor school we'd not been to before.

As soon as I started turning him back round to the left to go forward again, it made a massive difference and eventually fixed the spinning.