Horse scared the hibie jeebies out of me

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gable

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I have owned this horse for nearly 4 months now and seemed to be getting on fine.

Tonight I lunged him in his head collar rather than tack up - purely due to time. This is the first (and after tonight propably the last) time I have lunged him without a bridle.

He went forward willingly at first - a little playfull, but was listening to me commands.

A firework went off and he spooked - natural.

But then he refused to go forward, and eventhough, I sent him forward, flicked the whip etc (which I normally do with him) he turned, reared and charged at me.

Obviously I kacked myself, but sent him forward again, he did it again and again - everytime I sent him forward, he reared and charged.

I didn't want to give up but could see this could turn nasty, so managed to get him to walk a circle - just once, then took him back to the stable.

Any advice please.

I'm sure he wanted to kill me!
 
Do you normally lunge in full tack (ie saddle and bridle) and do you use side reind or anything?

I would say lunge tomorrow as normal and see if he goes 'back to normal' and if he does not you may need someone to come in and give you a hand.

How if he with normal in hand stuff such as leading to and from field. Is is surprising how small liberties taken in these scenarios can manifest into large bahaviour problems/liberties later on or in different situations

Also how did you react, even one step back the first time he turned into you can be a huge signal to them that they are in control/winning/scaring you. Always try to step towards them. I am sure he did not wan to kill you, just saw an opportunity to be a bit of a git!
 
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I normally lunge in full tack.

This is the first time he has been lunged in a head collar and in the dark (floodlit school)

He is very good to lead - on the ground etc.

I didn't step forward as he was charging towards me - when I flicked the whip in front of me it seemed to wind him up more
 
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All I can think is that the firework really unsettled him, if he had been working well before it went off?
I can't see that having being lunged in a headcollar as opposed to a bridle could make much, if any, difference. Unless he's normally lunged in a bridle with roller and side reins on?

Errm... Bump?
 
Have lunged him in a pessoa and he was fine.

I'm quite scared about lunging him again - he has never scared me before, but when he charged at me, more than once, I shat myself
 
Poor you! Set out tomorrow as if nothing has happened ( I know it's easier said than done) and lunge him just as you have before with full tack and side reins and make yourself really 'big' and assertive before he suggests any naughty business. Horses that are sharp and naughty on the ground are scary, don't think there's anything a lot more scary than one than turns and charges on the lunge. Do you have an instructor? It's easier to feel more confident with someone else beside you or taking over if necessary and just getting this nipped in the bud.
 
Sounds more like you put him outside his comfort zone and that the firework going off, finished him off. So go back to your normal work, and did I read it right that you were working him in the dark.:confused:
 
Echo Bravo said:
Sounds more like you put him outside his comfort zone and that the firework going off, finished him off. So go back to your normal work, and did I read it right that you were working him in the dark.:confused:
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In a floodlit school - I have only ever ridden, worked him during the day before
 
gable said:
Just started a new job, so riding during the day during the week is out of the question.
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Maybe ( & I understand 'cos I only see my horses in the dark, except at the weekend, in winter) but look at this from the horse's pov.
For the first time ever, when he was expecting to be able to settle down for the night with his tea and hay, he was taken into the school, full of bright lights and shadows, different from last time he was there-, he was being lunged in just a headcollar - different from last time he was lunged- and then some-one let off one of those VERY scary bangy firework things that have been going off randomly all weekend and making him jump.
He doesn't understand that you need your job in order to be able to keep him in the manner to which he has become accustomed, he just knows that everything has changed and it's scary. He wasn't really trying to kill you, just to get out of there and you were in the way. Which is just as frightening and just as dangerous, admittedly.
Try to only change one thing at a time with horses, they can cope better with gradual change, as, in fact, do people.
 
I know what your're saying about him scaring the holy s**t out of you , but by looking at it from his point of view , i think the boot maybe on the other foot ( hoof) , for a start lunging under floodlight can be hugely scarey for a horse , you get 4-way shaddows made by the lights and even though the lights may be fine for you to see clearly , his night vision under artificial light may not be exactly how you see it. I lunged paddy once with just a headcollar on - never again he just took the p**s big time , go back a few steps and tack him up then lead him out under the lights and just do some in-hand stuff , right around the school , even if the corners are dark , figure of eights and walk / trot over poles so that he gets used to the different shaddows and angles of light . i think your boy was just scared silly and when you backed off from him he probably took that as a queue to confirm that he was going for the fight not flight button , take him in hand and prove to him that everything is the same in the flood light as it is in the day - he's looking to you for leadership especially in these early days.
 
Gable - one of my mares did this, she was basically just seeing how far she could get with
misbehaving! Long reined until she understood what was asked and she wasn't able to turn in as I could control the steering! Soon got bored and her halo returned as did my confidence ;) x
 
paddy irish said:
I know what your're saying about him scaring the holy s**t out of you , but by looking at it from his point of view , i think the boot maybe on the other foot ( hoof) , for a start lunging under floodlight can be hugely scarey for a horse , you get 4-way shaddows made by the lights and even though the lights may be fine for you to see clearly , his night vision under artificial light may not be exactly how you see it. I lunged paddy once with just a headcollar on - never again he just took the p**s big time , go back a few steps and tack him up then lead him out under the lights and just do some in-hand stuff , right around the school , even if the corners are dark , figure of eights and walk / trot over poles so that he gets used to the different shaddows and angles of light . i think your boy was just scared silly and when you backed off from him he probably took that as a queue to confirm that he was going for the fight not flight button , take him in hand and prove to him that everything is the same in the flood light as it is in the day - he's looking to you for leadership especially in these early days.
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Thanks - I will do this tomorrow. Tack up, take him in in hand and have some fun over poles - he like poles.

I won't ride in the floodlit school until I know he is happy in there - that might be asking for trouble

Thanks again.
 
It's alright making excuses for this horse, such as 'he should have been having his tea, not working', or he couldn't see very well, but the fact remains that he managed to evade to the point where he nearly ran over you and gave you a good fright. That's precisely what he needs now...a good fright.

You need to prepare for your next longe lesson, and take a spare coiled up rope with you. Send him off on the circle, and watch him very closely. You will see him flick his ears around and look at you out of the corner of his eye. That is the point at which you need to get after him and send him on. If he manages to turn in toward you, there is a chance he will come at you again, so be ready and, if he comes, charge at him as if you mean to kill him, and lash the spare rope about in front of his face, making contact if you have to.

He should, if you catch him right, throw his head up and take evasive action, stopping his attack, and you have to get after him then and send him on. It doesn't matter you can't send him on, as long as he gets the message that you are too dangerous for him to charge. After that, set him up and longe him as if he'd never tried you. I doubt you'll have to do it twice.

When you are longeing him, take care that you are watching his demeanour, but also that you are not putting so much pressure on his quarters that you cause him to turn in. Teach him in-hand, if you haven't already done so, to yield his shoulder to your walking in toward it, so that, when he is out on the longe, you can use that to dissuade him from turning toward you.
 
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Thanks - A little update

I took him in hand, tacked up, but with a lunge line on him, down to the school - his eyes were on stalks, but I kept walking like I meant it and we got to the school safely.

I walked him round a few times, into the corners, figures of 8 etc but he really was not happy at all...he then turned on me again so I flicked the line at him, yelled, made myself big and he stood still. I walked him round a 20m circle and took him out.

He then had a right one on him in the stable once I untacked him, turned his back on me. When I walked towards his head, he turned around.

We were getting on really well so I'm not sure why he no longer seems to trust me other than I have been doing things with him in the dark now - could that be it?
 
AengusOg said:
It's alright making excuses for this horse, such as 'he should have been having his tea, not working', or he couldn't see very well, but the fact remains that he managed to evade to the point where he nearly ran over you and gave you a good fright. That's precisely what he needs now...a good fright.

You need to prepare for your next longe lesson, and take a spare coiled up rope with you. Send him off on the circle, and watch him very closely. You will see him flick his ears around and look at you out of the corner of his eye. That is the point at which you need to get after him and send him on. If he manages to turn in toward you, there is a chance he will come at you again, so be ready and, if he comes, charge at him as if you mean to kill him, and lash the spare rope about in front of his face, making contact if you have to.

He should, if you catch him right, throw his head up and take evasive action, stopping his attack, and you have to get after him then and send him on. It doesn't matter you can't send him on, as long as he gets the message that you are too dangerous for him to charge. After that, set him up and longe him as if he'd never tried you. I doubt you'll have to do it twice.

When you are longeing him, take care that you are watching his demeanour, but also that you are not putting so much pressure on his quarters that you cause him to turn in. Teach him in-hand, if you haven't already done so, to yield his shoulder to your walking in toward it, so that, when he is out on the longe, you can use that to dissuade him from turning toward you.
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I like the idea of this but how do i KNOW he will stop, and not keep coming at me - mowing me down?

I have my trainer next Thursday, but need something to do with him until then.
 
Apart from the fact that you are unable to exercise in daylight in the week has anything else changed in his routine, is he getting plenty of time in the field.
If he is getting out each day I would leave trying to lunge him, ride as usual at the weekends for a few weeks, if you feel you can without doing anything during the week. Possibly just let him loose in the school for a while, not schooling him just leave him to mooch around on his own.
After you have ridden him do a few minutes on the lunge to cool him down, horses often get bored with lungeing and he may be pushing the boundaries because of it.
 
Nothing else has changed - he gets 4 hours TO a day as we have little grass. That is good for this area, many yards have no winter TO.

TBH he tends to stand at the gate waiting to come in after an hour or so.
 
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