Horse getting her knickers in a twist at comps...please please help

livvyc_ria

livvyc_ria

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My girl has always been one to get wound up at comps and it has seriously held us back. She becomes a different horse, and ive worked very very hard on me not reacting at all and getting wound up myself

Sweat starts pouring from her as we walk to the warm up. She kicks out, goes up, bounces on the spot, spins around and goes incredible tense. Now theres only so many things i can do to relax her as best as i can.

Today went to hunter trials, was eliminated in the showjumping after she freaked all of a sudden, she refused the 1st fence twice, then refused the second. I honestly dont think i could have done any more to get her over, she simply wouldnt focus and said "No".

The organisers very kindly let me go on to xc. She was very very very tense, shes always better at xc. She scrambled over the first, and the second then freaked again and refused all three parts of the third which was a step up, bounce over a house and off a drop.

I am at my wits end, if i could harness that energy she'd be fab. All this summer i'll keep taking her to smaller events, because when she's schooling on her own even at xc she is not remotely like the horse she is at comps.

Does anyone have any advice or suggest any supplements to give her? I dont normally like to resort to things like that but she is totally unmanageable and on the verge of dangerous

Thanks so much

One very dissapointed rider here!!!
:(
 
You haven't said how old she is, how experienced she is, or if this is a relatively new issue.

I will assume she is young and just starting to go to competitions ... in this case I would get her out and about to as many parties as possible BUT low key things, training clinics, group lessons as well as small competitions tec. As many will have gone though with youngsters they can be going beautifully at home but take them out and they can turn into a different horse, completley show themselves up and you but you have to keep getting out in these situtations, keeping yourself quiet, riding forwards and working through these things. Like you say once the energy goes in the right direction these are the sort of horses that are great but not all days do they use the energy how you would like.

As with reagrds to supplements, is she on a balancer/mineral supplement? Some need more magnesium, many clamers etc contain this but you can feed extra on a daily basis, not the answer for every horse though. None of mine have anything fancy, they don't have balancers but a high fibre diet and a NAF supplement (diff horses have diff ones) to make sure they are getting all their vits/mins. Don't feed calmers either.
 
Sorry i havent mentioned any important details!!

She is 10! not a baby, however she probably didnt go to her first competition untill she was 7.

She has done all the local unaff ode, hunter trials and sj, and one very embarrassing dressage comp! I want to do be with her this year and entered Bradwall at the end of this month but was balloted (might be a good thing!!)

She's always been the same and i hold my hands up maybe we should be competing more regularly to let her get used to the atmosphere but i just feel like we are up against brick wall with this.

This summer im going to try and get her out somewhere at least once a fortnight
 
I would try and take her to as many small low key events as possible and keep doing it every weekend so it becomes a non-event to both of you. Keep to small little RC events ect so she doesn't feel the pressure of a big atmosphere.

Hopefully over time and with practice she will get better but if she doesn't you may have to face the fact she doesn't like competing :(.

Good luck, it must be so frustrating for you.
 
I would go to lots of events but not do anything with her other than ride her around. Box her over to friends and use their facilities. Get her out as much a possible but with zero pressure, so, there is no pressure on either of you in terms of time or performance.
When she starts to take things ion her stride a little more then try a clear round or a walk/trot test, anything low key and quiet. Just like you would start a baby.

Have you considered a calmer?
 
I have a mare who was like this. Started off ok, but got worse. She would also stress out when we got home, getting colicy the night after the show

I gave her Nupafeed for about a year, and it did help her a fair bit, but ultimately I stopped taking her out, as it became such and issue and put us both in danger, not to mention other people and horses.

Thats probably not what you want to hear I'm afraid.

We still do lessons with a horse she knows and trusts, and the dressage comps that you video and send away are perfect for her.
 
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we had this problem with an ex racer who was 8 years old

wound herself up before even getting off the wagon --stressed and tucked up

a freind suggested to give her a tube of coligone 1/2 hour before setting off
i must say it really did help she was far more relaxed than she had ever been before and not tucked up either

we just rode round small local riding clubs --stayed an hour or two then back home we did this all last summer until we felt she was ready within herself to take part --that was the end of the season but we did it and she was very well behaved in the class

through the winter we went to dressage which as helped an awful lot
we put her onto the powder coligone as it did get quite expensive using the paste all the time
 
My mare is a bit like this. She is only 5 though and only been out of racing for a year. She has been ok at parties but always on the excited side. I took her to a busy county show, with tradestands, a huge fairground and bagpipers :eek: and her brain fell out a bit!! I could not of even ridden her in the warm up! I did manage to ride her in a quiet corner but no way would I of got near the actual event!!!!

I took it back down a few notches and we just go out and about all the time. We go out at least twice a week in the truck, either to lessons, hacking with various friends at different yards, baby competitions and the most important thing (that has helped her) has been going to our local riding club group things. I dont really care if its jumping or dressage or xc but as long as its in a group. She now stands almost like a rock and watches other horses doing their things whilst she waits and the other day I had just got on (I was late) and someone cantered up right behind us over canter poles and clattered and battered her way through them all, Lill didnt bat a eyelid! Previously that would of been a source of drama!!

Going out in the truck used to be a exciting event and now it is a complete none event! She used to be all fidgetty when we got there, the other day after going jumping I left her tied up to the truck and she ate the grass!

My plan with her is to BD her and do some showjumping this year. I know that her and I could go jump round a BE100 now but I still doubt her brain would cope well enough to make us competitive so no eventing for us this season, but Im happy to wait and put the time in as I really like her.

I just think get yours out to anything and everything that you can, esp group stuff, the novelty is wearing off with mine, she is already completly diferent to how she was when she first went out, fingers crossed yours is the same.

Good luck :)
 
All fab advice thankyou!

She is not like this at all when you take her anywhere else, even in a group. But at competitions when there is so much more going on its like trying to tame a dragon!

Im just going to keep taking her to little unaff events and play it by ear on the day. If she feels like shes relaxed i'll take her into something, if not we'll just walk around the grounds.

The seriously worrying part for me is, she's done all this before. She had last summer off due to injury but the year before she was competing and with some success. Still very excitable but in the right sort of way. However when i finally got her back to competitions this year its worse than it was when she first started going to competitions! Im hoping as this was her first comp this year, it was all very new after a year off and it was just very very exciting!
 
What has worked for me, as I think someone else said, is just taking the horse out somewhere and getting it used to riding in the collecting ring / hacking round the showground. Don't actually enter anything until the horse is a bit more chilled being somewhere new. Do you get nervous too at comps? In which case some of this might be being transmitted to your horse?? (I know I ride very differently when I am nervous!!)
Good luck and hope you see some results
 
My horse is very similar but with lots of negative energy :(. Although he is quite chilled mooching about and warming up. My problem is once something sets him off and its always something stupid like a push bike, person just stood there and the final straw the bell, he just turns into a spooky lunatic and will not come down. I gave up the other year after the bell episode and swore never to go again :(. But I have recently bought a wagon and Im determined to try again this year although even though I really want to go out and have fun, his idea of fun puts me off a bit.

I did take him to an indoor comp, didnt enter, just rode him arround and although he was spooky he wasnt half as bad as when we are competing which suggests I could be the problem :( and maybe my nerves are transferring to him.
I dont feel nervous but I am told by a friend I am :)
 
I feel your pain!! Tho my mare is like this hacking alone :-(we are working on it :-) and I should imagine our first event or exciting gathering of horses and general showground stuff will be an exciting one!
I think the advice of goin to small rc events riding around and going home is a good one. But I just wanted to mention I tried a few calmers with my horse and Feedmarks Steady Up plus was the best for my girl. Also tried Blue Chip Karma but she wouldnt touch her dinner with it in... fussy cow!
I stopped using the steady up on a daily basis now but always feed the day before and the day of an exciting event.. i.e for us a stroll around the block alone! It def takes the edge off her sillyness without affecting her performance as such.
Good luck xx
 
have you thought about gastric ulcers my mare did exsactly the same as this and as soon as she was treated was fab still have to give her gastro gaurd when competing and travelling or anything i no is going to stress her out!
 
Twinkle did your mare show any others symptoms for the ulcers?

Although she has a fiery personality i dont want to over look anything.

Im still going to get her back going to little comps every weekend and just trying to get her used to it all.

Its going to be a busy summer!!
 
I know exactly how you feel, I have the same problem, my little horse can get so wound up at events that I sometimes end up taking him home!! He is going to be 14 this month and even now after 6 1/2 of cometitions at local level he is no better. At a show I get up on him a couple of minutes before the class and let him mooch, if I do anything more than walk around he winds himself up big time, dressage he is a little better as it is always indoors and needs warming up. I too would appreciate any help offered, I have tried every single calmer possible without any of them making a difference, he is normally a mannered horse but sometimes at a show I have had to excuse myself from the class and go home as it is like sitting on a stick of dynamite and he won't stand still etc and manners go out the window!! Any help appreciated please. :o:o:confused:
 
her symtoms were mild stressy colics 4 of them within a 2 week period of each other btu other symtoms which she had for about a year before was swishy tail starting to refuse to jump most of the time would do the first jump then no more (later realising that the acid in the stomach will splash up the stomach when they jump or do a bigger movment shy ,spook ,canter,big trot.

she would lose forwardness and lost a bit of weight and would stress out at silly things.

but i no other horses that have just had a pot belly look about them,refuse to canter,just dont seem 100%, just playing up after being travelled there is a good website with a risk assement on it here it is http://www.equinegastriculcers.co.uk/which_horses.html

my girl has always been on great turnout and low sugar startch feeds so that isnt the reason for her getting them she just stresses inwardly alot.
 
Have you tired taking her to the shows without competing? She can get used to the atmosphere then, also the magic instant calmers i find to be good for my boy! They work within an hour and last all day! Hope you egt her sorted soon
 
Is her behaviour is consistent at comps or could it be related to her seasons? My mare is a stressy little so and so and being in season just pushes her over the edge to the point where she loses it. She's on regumate now and it's taken about 18 months of going somewhere AT LEAST once a week to get her to the point when she is manageable. My advice would be do not go anywhere near BE until you have it under control at unaff stuff. The atmosphere is so much bigger and you will inevitably feel under pressure in the more professional environment.
Try a few different calmers as some work better for some horses than others. I'd also try messing about with your warm up to try and find a system that settles her.
Good Luck I feel your pain!
 
Just do more! Showing is excellent to bore the pants off a horse. Its not very exciting and there is lots going on. Does not matter what the class is just enter a few and keep going. Try a calmer - I swear by Karma made by Bluechip as it actually has triptophen (Sp?) in it.
 
Im definitely going to have a chat to the vet about ulcers, as lately i have felt she has not been 100% at home. Very quiet to handle on the ground which is unusual, a bit down in the mouth and this year (I put it down to spring grass) although she is very muscley she has this belly which she's never had before.

I also just took the risk assesment and came out with high risk, might be worth a chat.

I didnt think her behaviour is linked to her being in season. She's never been affected by this before, however, ever since we got a new gelding whenever he comes really close to her she spreads her hind legs, holds up her tail and "squirts" him. She has never done this before, and he is totally uninterested. He never gives her a second look, but ive never seen her act that way around anything before.
 
We cured our TB of the same problem by putting him on the horsewalker for over half an hour before a small show at the yard. He was too tired to misbehave. He had been hunted in Ireland and thought every warm-up arena was a prelude to a day's galloping - but daughter's nerves were a big factor as well. Knowing the horse wasn't going to react to anything helped her to stay calm.
 
LEC said:
Just do more! Showing is excellent to bore the pants off a horse. Its not very exciting and there is lots going on. Does not matter what the class is just enter a few and keep going. Try a calmer - I swear by Karma made by Bluechip as it actually has triptophen (Sp?) in it.
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haha, had to laugh at your comment about showing LEC :D

OP- i would second all of the advice here about making it boring for her to be out and about - so get her out to shows as much as humanly possible. even if there isn't really a class for her its about getting there and riding her.
would also second the supplement suggestion. my horse sounds like the opposite of yours- he's an angel away from home but a spooky little sod at home. have just started him on equifeast cool calm and collected as i liked what i read about it and a few people recommended equifeast on here.

good luck :)
 
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