Help/advice with my lunatic horse.

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Louby

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After an unusually uneventful ride my horse goes into his usual eyes on stalks, heart beating madly and transfixed on the monsters up the lane, here we go again :(, try to get him to listen to me but no, hes getting more wound up and is coming back at me.
The monsters are a man and his dog:confused:. I tried flexing him to the right, then left, sending him forward with my legs, half halting, anything to get him to focus on me but he will not listen. He did this the other day as one of the letters on the school had broken and 'looked' different, massive dirty spin, then legs it off in the other direction. I do eventually sort the issue out but when I feel he is going to do something, I feel like an ineffective passenger as he just will not listen to me. I cant get near enough the 'monster' to ride past shoulder in and his spooks are that dirty I feel Im going to fall off. After 8 yrs at the same yard, he still feels like he's coming back at me, doing little spooks on the way out.

I love him to bits but it drives me mad, I have never owned or ridden a horse like him. His eyes etc have been checked and he is fine.

Im not sure if hes taking the P or is genuinely scared.
 
Have you tried taking your leg off completely and giving him a long loose rein? Or will he leg it if you do that? Mine can spook a lot but us usually keen to go forward so this works well for him.

I suspect yours may be taking the P. Have you tried letting someone else who is uber experienced (not saying that you aren't of course) that way you would know!!

Also have you had back, saddle teeth checked? Mine used to ge a psycho when I got him. Once we sorted out his chronic back prob caused by ill fitting saddle he calmed immeasurably. Pain can cause extreme reactions over nothing!
 
Thanks for replying. TBH Ive never took my leg off when he feels like he goes into stupid mode, I think he'd stop dead and turn the other way. My friend is a great rider and he has done it with her. She said tonight to get my leg on, get a stronger contact and make him flex etc. It did work. We got past the monsters, onto the open field and she then said trust him and give with your hands, sit up and ride him forwards. He was great then.
Its just hard to trust him when he does such violent spooks. Ive never ridden a horse like him. I used to have one than span badly but she was forward going and I managed to stop her doing it. I think the fact he is 'backwards' makes it harder as I think Im in front of the movement, so maybe a bit insecure in my seat.

His tack etc are fine.
 
My daughter has the same problem with her boy from time to time. He has backed up for about 100 yards before now. She now finds it best to give him the reins but to sit deep and push him on with her seat and legs. She has tried leading him in hand but has found that going out with other horses a lot has made him more confident when on his own. Good Luck.
 
Thanks, he isnt actually going backwards, although as a 4yr old this was his party trick at speed :eek: Hes 12 now but feels like he isnt actually truely going forwards, its hard to explain. Its as if hes half hearted about it and reluctantly going forwards but above the bit giving me minimal control.
I will try dropping the reins and pushing him on. Thanks for the 'good luck' I think I may need it :)
 
hi, some horses just arent hacking horses. It sounds like you need to go right back to basics and get him used to different situations but safely (inside a school) with you on the ground to reassure him, then on his back. when he is calmer take him out with a bombproof lead horse to show him that there is nothing to be scared of. xx
 
Crickey - i reckon he's related to my horse, they sound like brothers!

My horse is very "busy in the head" trying to get him focused is pretty difficult. He has improved over the last few years since my instructor has helped me to get a really wedged seat so that he can't shift me to help get his own way. I find if I go out in company to do a hack and then the following day do exactly the same hack by myself, he copes better than when I tackle something new alone. I think my horse will always be awkward but you may find that a teaspoon of valerian in his feed can help to calm him (can't use it if you are competing).

I also completely agree with Hels bells, my horse had a major back problem that took a long time to diagnose, as a baby so he spent the first 2 years of his ridden life in pain (we just thought he was being a very stubborn baby a lot of the time) which meant he became accomplished at avoiding situations that scared him. He was a completely poppet in company but an absolute pyscho hacking alone, pain was the cause and it is now learned behaviour. I also had him as a 4yr old and he is now 12 but is doing fantastically well at learning to cope although we still have quite a few hairy moments. I think when they are like this you don't realise that you are riding more tentatively than you should until afterwards, I don't mean pulling him around but I do mean being confident yourself and being clear and calm with your aiding, my horse truly is the most frustrating horse I have ever dealt with, I love him dearly but some days a school master would be nice!!!!
 
Thanks for the replies.

Sorry BethH but its nice to know Im not alone :) Hes always been a bit 'strange', hes had an irrational fear of push bikes, not when then approach from behind but from in fornt but then he may decide hes not scared one day and be fine.
Yesterdays Bedlington Terrier set him off :confused:. We do have a bitting issue (thats a long story and Ive never been able to rectify it) but Im confident his saddle is fine. His back Im pretty sure is ok too but it would be worth me getting it checked.
I could do with starting lessons again as my dear old instructor died the other year and Ive never found anyone else. I remember him chasing me with a pitch fork :eek: years ago as my boy was spooking violently at the crowd that had gathered to watch. I was more scared of mowing him over than anything else :o
 
He sounds so like my horse, completely hit and miss - one day a super star the next a complete tragedy!!! Someone once said to me that apparently a rollercoaster is much more fun than a merry go round but I have had quite a few days when the merry go round has sounded a lot more fun! I keep hoping that he will eventually grow up but it's not really happening - the yard renamed him Kevin! My only consolation is that everyone loves him because he is such a character - how sad is that!

But seriously, the odd refresher lesson might at least make you feel slightly in control, even if you're not really, you could then have a good go at convincing yourself that everythings ok, it works for me! I'd try and get a recommendation for an instructor who finds tricks to persuade your horse to do things rather than pushing him - he sounds a little over sensitive rather like mine.
 
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