Horse Stuffy at shows

[Hairy Horror]

Does anybody else have the same problem as me, at home he schools really well, I took him to a dressage comp today and he was really lazy, I know some of it could be me riding differently due to nerves but he was a rat bag, really behind the leg and just hard work.

 

[milliepops]

One of mine can be like this, with her it seems to stem from anxiety about unfamiliar surroundings. Doing a lot of arena hire etc has really helped her to get used to going and working in new places. Do you think that would help?

 

[scats]

My mare was a bit like this her first few times out because she got herself so anxious travelling and arriving, that when her adrenaline went, she was flat as a pancake.

I just took her out loads- every weekend we went somewhere - either arena hire or farm rides. Eventually she got much better.

 

[Hairy Horror]

Thanks for your reply, I wondered if it was a bit of anxiety it's strange as he is as a steady chap and nothing fazes him at all but he is so different at shows. When he hacks or does pleasure rides he is really really forward. It's when he has to work properly he can back off and become lazy. He is pretty fit so it's not that he can do a full on hour lesson schooling with no problem. Just switches off at shows.

 

[Pinkvboots]

my older gelding used to practically forget how to move at a show I think he was just overwhelmed by it all but at the time he was quite young, he did get better the more I did his 13 now and he does sometimes get a bit lazy at times at some new places but nothing like he used to be, I also found you have to sort of get on and be very positive about your riding any kind of hesitation and it just makes it worse they have to get the confidence from you, in the early days sometimes the quality of the work had to give a bit just so I could work on getting him forward thinking, I used to suffer terribly with nerves which would filter down to him and it just didn't work rescue remedy really helped and I learnt to just focus on my riding and not whatever was going on around me.

 

[DabDab]

It does sound like anxiety - it's relatively common with young/inexperienced horses. It's actually exactly the same as the horse who whizzes around everywhere jumping out of their skin, just a different way of reacting to the same general feeling of unease.
Set up lots of positive experiences of getting out and about if you can, and while getting out see if you can find little exercises and routines that break through that shut down shell they've suddenly formed and relax them. It can be anything - a certain tacking up routine, walking them round in hand for 10 mins, particular schooling exercises that you do regularly at home....
It's a very frustrating feeling, but so rewarding when you get through it and you find that you have a horse that is making competition progress in leaps because you've unlocked the brain and all the work at home in the meantime suddenly comes shining through. Good luck

 

[ponyparty]

Reading responses and following this thread with interest! I had a similar problem yesterday... Only difference, the dressage competition was at home :-/

He went beautifully in the warm up in the outdoor school - like, "I actually might have a chance of winning this" beautifully - then we went into the indoor for our test and he went completely flat. Lost impulsion, went behind the leg, wasn't working from behind, by the end of my test I was exhausted and pouring sweat from pushing him along. Wasn't carrying a whip as I don't usually need one with him, it took me completely by surprise. Do not understand! I know the test inside out so wasn't feeling particularly anxious.