Helping horse concentrate in new places

[RachaelJC]

Morning

I'm now starting to take my horse to other venues for clinics and lessons, and am finding that it is difficult for me to persuade him to concentrate, although we do get good work in the end.

Everything is exciting for him! Other unknown horses to say hi to, new people who may have mints or tasty treats, different banners or mirrors to snort at, dogs and cats that may want to be his friend...!

Now, he is seven and a genuinely inquisitive, happy lad. However we seem to move back a month or so in our performance whenever we leave our yard because there are new things to look at.

I realise that's the reason I'm continuing to take him out in order to help him get used to it. I guess I'm asking whether it gets better eventually or some horses remain as inquisitive as they were when they were young, and it's something I need to ride through?

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

I posted something similar the other day, my mare isn’t young but she is green in the world of competing and schooling. Mine is lovely and forward at home but tense and behind the leg out. The first time I took her showjumping she called constantly and was so tense and behind the leg. Fast forward maybe 10 or so outings and last weekend she just stood there watching the world go by inbetween classes. Still behind the leg but it’s now a case of nagging to maintain a canter rather than me almost keeling over trying to get into trot!

I know some horses never do completely chill out when competing but I’m sure the more you do the more yours will get bored of everything new.

 

[scats]

I also have a sight-seeing horse. It’s like taking a tourist out. She gawps at everything, noses in every wagon on the way past, spots things 2 miles in the distance and then gets all worked up that it’s going to come and eat her.
She is getting better, but it’s taken 2 years to get to this point. I try to get her out somewhere most weeks and do my best to just ride her through it.

 

[Upthecreek]

Most get better the more they do, but unfortunately there are no quick fixes. Like most things with horses, repetition and positive experiences are the key to success. It’s difficult though as you can’t re-create the competition environment so can’t practice it without actually attending competitions. The only way to get them used to the lorry park, the busy warm up etc. is to do it regularly at the real thing and this is why it takes longer than most other experiences for them to feel comfortable. I’ve had a couple who were always idiots at competitions though, no matter how often they went!

 

[Goldenstar]

When I have a horse like this I put them through four days a week away from home working and two at home they soon give it up .
I might also work twice a day for a while so that’s once at home once away say three days a week .
It’s about working away from home becoming the norm .

 

[scats]

Mines the same at home too, particularly if there’s something ‘different’ going on. I took her for a hack around the farm land last night and she spotted a tractor about 5 fields away (easily a mile, if not further) and she just locked on to it and got really tense. I moved her around a bit with my leg, which she did obligingly, but she kept an ear in that direction!
Last week she had an absolute meltdown at some kids walking down the lane adjoining the field we were riding in. I ended up taking her to a far corner of the field and schooling her quite hard to get her brain back on me.

 

[Scotsbadboy]

I had a similar situation and it was all in the groundwork. Asking them to move around you, back, forward, side to side, getting their concentration on you and not worrying or having time to see anything else. This translated nicely into the saddle as well as being stricter with my contact, very much a 'right, listen up, you've no time to sight-see or your going to fall over if im asking you things' (serpentine, changing direction, leg yielding etc.)

Groundwork definitely helped with a rather hyper and sensitive horse for me, plus the repetitiveness of going out on a regular basis of course.

 

[RachaelJC]

Thank you all for your replies.

We'll now be going out twice per week minimum for schooling - whether it be flatwork or jumping - until the new year, and then if nothing has improved I'll up it again to four days out per week.