Help with extremely spooky pony when showjumping...

[katie_and_toto]

Just a bit of advice please, Toto can be very spooky with fillers/planks at shows, he tends to either spook and run sideways as soon as we turn towards the jump, or he'll skid to a stop right at the last moment, what's the best way to keep him going forward? At home he's fine with new fillers so it's no use 'desensitizing' him against fillers as as soon as he sees a new one he's terrified I'm sure I'm part of the problem Taking him to a low-key small clear round tomorow so would like a few tips, thanks

 

[JessPickle]

Henry does this, to be honest we take it as naughty and one key thing we have found is not to let him turn away from it, ideally try and rein back and then ask to go over it again. When he gets to run away from it he'll just refuse again.

 

[katie_and_toto]

Henry does this, to be honest we take it as naughty and one key thing we have found is not to let him turn away from it, ideally try and rein back and then ask to go over it again. When he gets to run away from it he'll just refuse again.

I think he genuinely is spooky though, he's a bit of a general wimp on the yard Some fillers he'll be fine with, others he'll do the whole eyes out on stalks, snorting etc

 

[DuckToller]

I'm afraid from experience I would say a spooky pony will always be spooky, but you can do lots to help. I don't think you can cure him, but you can improve him.

You are allowed to show a horse the jump now, but obviously you need to be a bit subtle and not all judges like it (used to be a rule saying you can't show a horse a jump but they took it out - yet not everyone knows that!).

So if there is one jump that sticks out, try to walk or trot past it, almost up to it if you can. If there is a double and the second half is a spooky filler, ride through the middle while you wait for the bell (bell, what bell?!) so he gets to see the filler before you land in between and he stops dead!

If there is clear round, pay for two rounds and say you want to go again immediately, so he doesn't leave the arena in between and make sure he goes over every jump. Be very determined going in to the jump, praise lots after but not so much that you take your leg off and stop at the next instead. (You can tell daughter and I had same problem.)

At home, you have to be really really positive, so he learns to trust you. Keep your leg on and don't look down yourself, look up and over so he doesn't pick up any vibes that you are nervous about it. Practice as many scary fences at home as you can, as much to give yourself confidence. Where possible, start with the fillers split apart so he can see the poles, then move the fillers in gradually. You just have to keep building up the partnership's confidence - he will learn to trust you. And you have to be very firm and consistent.

The one thing we found was that once our lad had seen a filler, he would be fine, so the first year we had him, we stuck to the same 3 venues, all year, improving his and her confidence and the whole partnership thing. If we went somewhere new, we always did a warmup class before the one we wanted to do to get any silly stops out of the way.

Hope that helps. Has he got any welsh in him by chance?

 

[diggerbez]

my horse is a wuss too... for the minute i would stick to small clear round type classes- that way if he stops you can make him do it from a standstill without scaring him- as you turn to the fence come down to trot if necessary (he'll find it easier to dodge out in canter) and keep your hands quite wide- try to channel him into the fence. if he does stop don't let him turn away- make him go over from a standstill if necessary- then big pats and praise when he goes.
they DO get better with practice- but you need to do lots of it over all sorts of different scary things....