HELP! Advice needed for a strong, spooky and silly horse

Strawberryroan

Strawberryroan

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My horse is ridiculously spooky, if he sees something he doesn't like, he will drop his shoulder and swerve, or just stop dead and not go, spinning around, mini rears...e.t.c
At the minute i'm constantly pushing with my legs and a little tap with my whip, looking in the opposite direction, but it seems to just be getting worse and worse.
I took him out in-hand tonight on a hack as I thought this might get him accoustemed to spooky things safely, started ok but I just cant get his attention at all, I was trying circles, moving backwards lots of transitions but nothing is working and most of the time is head is right up in the air looking in the opposite direction :(
When he knows he is heading home, he gets unbelievably strong, he's 680kg, and I'm only about 8 and a half stone, so I started doing lots of circles trying to keep him calm, and slow him down but he just get worked up and trys to pull out my hands. I tryed to make him go back, in the direction we've come but he barges past me, cue more and more circles, and making him go back properly....
Came past a field with horses in, they come cantering up. He decides that i don't exist anymore, puts his head right in the sky and starts trotting sideways, :mad: I try to move forward but hes spooking at someones engine left running and getting increasingly stronger towards home. By the time I got to the field before the yard hes just absoluetly ridiculous, pulling and pulling, i'm doing lots of circles and moving backwards... hes getting stressed and trying to trot towards home and barge past me. :(

I have him on Topspec calmer but it is actually making him more spooky, I need to make him more confident, desensitise him and make him more aware of aids, get his attention!! and stop him napping towards other horses so much, in-hand and ridden, but I have no idea how too. I just keep thinking that i'm never going to be able to do anything with him :(

Any advice please!- I'm at my wits end!! :(:(
 
binkymerlin said:
what bit do you have him in? what breed is he (welsh?) and whats his work regime? questions i know but i like to know what im commenting on ;-)
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He's in a dutch gag. First hole for schooling and second for jumping and hacking. He is a dutch warmblood, he is out 24/7, schooled for about 45mins 4days of the week, lunged for 30 1 day of the week, maybe hacked for about 1hr-1hr30 one day of the week and jumped/day off for 45 one day. x
 
binkymerlin - look at the bottom of op's thread as might give you a clue to the breeding!!!!

How is the horse in company?

Also how much turnout does he get and does he have field companions?
 
My friends horse was very much like yours, has he always been a bit spooky? might be worth having him blood tested, hers was deficinet in calcium, since hes been on it hes been totally different.
Shes just stared giving him a supplement, il find out what it is and post it,, she found them very helpfull might be worth giving them a call..
 
Is he only like this when hacking or is he silly in the school or when jumping?

If he was mine I would enlist the help of a heavier, stronger rider, and see if he tries it with them too.
 
I have owned him for about 8 months. In company, he is terrible, unstoppable infact. He is out 24/7 all year, with a field companion & horses either side.
 
ooooohhhhhhhhhhaaaarrrrrrrreeeee haha such a noob! right i have a welshx who is the same to the point of being totally unreasonable. now i dont believe in putting strong bits in to cure a problem but when you are a 5ft nothing of a woman and when you are on a big animal that doesnt even know you are there it becomes a big problem. i ride in a swales pelham (my horse hates poll pressure) and a standing martingale for hacking< i know it sounds harsh and totally ott but my horse is just like op's and i need him to listen to me out hacking otherwise... he listens to me ect ect i must stress you have to have VERY good hands and take no silly risks. to school him he is in a straight bar snaffel nothing else well apart from the saddle. i must also say the standing must not be too short. if the horse for some reason falls it needs its head to get up! i rode for weeks in the school to get my horse used to this set-up before i rode out incase he freaked. he has had all his checks ect he just gets so damm excited and forgets i exist. the standing stopps his head getting to the hight of no return and the bit askes his mouth to relax. i just sit quiet move him on and ask him to work. *ducks ready for the rolloking ;-)*
 
Whereabouts are you? I know an incredible trainer in E yorks who solved all my horse's spooking/bolting problems. There were some underlying behavioural causes and this was just the obvious symptom. Completely turned my horse around. PM me if you like.
 
i have sent your post to my friend im sure she will give you more information if you need it.
Her horse is a trekhana hes a lovely horse and can do some really super work in the school and is usualy good hacking ect, he has suffered allot from ulcers, so shew had a few problems with him but over the winter period he totally changed he was so spooky he became dangerous, he wouldnt lead in from field he reared and ran foreward totally oblivious to who or what was around him, she even got to the stage where she wasconcerned about taking him out on the road, she was so close to selling him.
but hes fine now its quite unbeleiveable really, theres nearly always a reason its just finding it, we started with a blood test just to see if it showed anything and heypresto it did.
As i said it may be somthing totally different but its well worth thinking about..
 
Not much help but i know a dutch warmblood who's a Prat too, used to be very like that then hit 8 and got mildly better, now just mostly skitters instead of full blown stuff so depending on how old yours is there may be a slightly safer behaviour to look forwards to.
 
What was he like before having the Topspec stuff? If better than maybe take him off that again - there could be something in it that doesn't agreise with him. Also, if he throws his head up then I would suggest a gag (or bit that puts pressure on the poll) may not be ideal for him and it may be worthwhile trying other bits - maybe curb type for example, or indeed various different mouthpieces. I would also suggest a standing martingale to stop him throwing his head and evading.

I don't know if you had him vetted or have had the vet out to him recently but if not then his eyes may need checking to make sure he can see properly. There could be so many causes for this behaviour but you obviously need to get on top of it before you lose your confidence in him.
 
can i ask about diet? I reduced the starch levels drastically and it made a huge difference. Also is there is a deficiency of magnesium in the grass it can make them silly. I use equine americas magnitude.
 
He only gets the tiniest bit of hi fi lite so I can put his profeet in and his calmer. He got a 5star betting when I bought him x
 
Definately get Calcium and Magnesium levels checked.

The bit you currently have him in will raise his head - if you need his head down then I would suggest tha you try him in a Kimblewick or Uxeter - both have some curb action and poll pressure, the Uxeter especially as you can change the position of the rein to increase the poll pressure. The standing will protect you face should he throw his head up.

Does he work on the bit? If so then when you hack out you keep him on the bit the whole time - this will hopefully keep his head down and mind on the job. One of my TB's was like yours and this was the only way we could go out and enjoy a hack.

Leading him out may not be quite such a good idea if he is so naughty - you may get hurt.
 
I guess it might be a bit late, but was he like this when you went to try him, and did you get a 5 star vetting with a blood sample, if so get it tested!
Some horses need plenty of work, by that I mean two hours per day every day, I used to ride one that was so fast (at home but unfortunately not on the racecourse) that he could only go out on his own, he was out 90 mins every morning seven days a week, fortunately he was a good ride, but we did see the countryside.
Can you get a big strong man to come and sort him out, with a view to sending him for schooling, and maybe selling (it has to be considered) he may be a talented competition horse, just not for you.
 
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My WB sounds somewhat similar, although he is not spooky in the school as such and is better in company on a hack. My advice would be to stop the Top spec immediately... it made Freckles much worse. Try Magic instead, even if its just psychological for you to feel he is getting something. Second the calcium check and invest in a session with a groundwork trainer and rope halter, this has turned mine and my boys relationship around since Sunday. He is mannerly again and I adore him. Things will get better x
 
Theres got to be a reason for is behaviour and its up to you to find out and its not easy. First i would make sure the horse is comfortable no pain anywhere, back mouth etc then definatly get a blood test just to make sure everything is how it should be then if alls well there you will have to asume its a behavoiur problem and seek profesional help.

Thats what id do anyway, you could spend alot of money on new bits and gadgets that may make no differance :-/


Good luck im sure you'l get to the bottom of it x
 
Agree with all the above comments re: checking for discomfort/sight issues/feed intolerance (handful of non-molasses-y chaff or similar might be better for hiding his supplements in).

I'd also say that he doesn't hack a lot. Some horses need to see the same things many, many times regularly to get used to them.

If he is spooking at certain things (engine running seems to be one) then practice in a safe place with your own car getting him to walk up to it, have a polo/big fuss and walk on. He should get a reward for every bit of progress until he is fine with the spooky thing. you could investigate clicker target training (teach him that he gets a reward for putting his nose near scary things) or similar for this but I've not used anything that sophisticated myself.

For general spookiness it might be worth getting him out more often. Either yourself or an instructor/trainer. Taking him around the same small route many times and gradually building up.

Another thought: does it matter that he spooks? As in, you haven't mentioned coming off so if you have off-road hacking, try adjusting your own mind set. Instead of 'OMG I must not let him spook!!!!' try 'I'm on top of a flight animal who will sometimes start to flee and I know from experience that I can stay on and nothing bad will happen'. It ill make you calmer, help you enjoy your hacks and should feed through to calm him too.
 
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