How do deal with spooky horse / french blinkers?

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Supanova

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My mare has always been very spooky, however she is now 8 and doesn't seem to be getting any better at all. Its not so much the fences that she looks at but everything else around the arena which makes it very difficult. She seems ok in large, light indoor arenas but if i go somewhere that is smaller and darker she is terrible.

I went to Rodbaston on Sat and she was looking at everything and it makes it so hard to ride because she just won't go forward. I managed to get her round the 1.05m with just a fence down, but in the Star qualifer there was a fence about 3 strides from the wall and because she was spooking so badly at the side of the arena she just didn't focus on the fence and therefore had no choice but to stop. I am not the world's best rider and I am sure a professional with really strong legs would make a better job, but I really need to try and find a way to deal with this?! Sometimes i can manage to kick her round but i am worn out at the end of it and its so messy!!

She has had plenty of exposure to different places and it just doesn't seem to make any difference! Do I just avoid small, dark places?! Would french blinkers help and are they even BS legal?

It is so frustrating as she is so talented and when she's concentrating she could jump anything. I had a lesson at Aintree (which she doesn't seem to mind even though to the human eye its incredibly spooky!) a week or so ago with Susie Gibson and she said that we should be being really competitive, but its impossible with all this spooking!!

Any thoughts on how to deal with this would be much appreciated as its beginning to get me down?
 
My god - have you stolen my mare?? She is exactly like this when competing!

Not much I can add, but mine is turning 9 next year and she has got better, mostly by me spending a lot of time making her braver. I've done this by taking her x country, riding off road and hiring venues as much as possible.

My mare is pretty wimpy all the time so not always an evasion, I tend to give her Oct to Dec off from going anywhere and come Jan she seems to mature and develop a fair bit.

But, yes it can get you down, mine is also so capable but what goes on in her head holds us back. I'm actually planning to go down the dressage route more as we may be better suited to it.

I've also been getting her much fitter so now we can do as much as we need to warm up and settle down and still have plenty of energy to keep going.

I also think sometimes horses like this need more mental stimulation, the amount of times I've had lessons and RI want to spend the whole lesson trying to get her to relax and go nicely in circles - just doesn't work. Throw more at her, occupy her mind and she spooks less.

Will watch this thread with interest though!
 
Very glad to hear that its not just me!! Watching other horses on Saturday I was beginning to think i was. There don't seem to be many that are as bad as ours!

Hopefully someone on here will have some inspirational ideas.
 
i'm inclined to think that there comes a point where you admit defeat, work on what your horse is good at- light open spaces and probably outdoor shows? and then focus on that rather than trying to fix something thats not fixable- i guess for a pro this is easier as you could have a horse for little indoor rings and a different horse for grass etc etc...
 
Thanks diggerbez. As disheartening as it is, I think you are probably right! The other thing I have been wondering if whether it would be worth checking her eye sight? I'm probably grasping at straws but I have read that sometimes spooky horses have eye issues.
 
Might be worth having eyes checked - cant imagine it would cost that much if done when vet coming out for something routine!
 
You are not allone :o i feel your pain to, my 7yr old mare is exactly the same, people stood by fences, advertising banners, timinq equipment, you name it she will spook at it :(
She allways jumps providing u can get her to the fence lol, Its ok at the moment as we are jumping BN/ DISCO, but i am hoping she grows up soon as i would like to move up to newcomers, but i think i would have to change my pants if she did her usual spook break into trot back off then lob herself over a 1m 10 course of fences :o
Iv had her since she was 4, im not a fantastic rider but have been verry carefull not to overface her and she has had a lot of competition experiance been to pony club camp :) and all that jazz
you never no she may just snap out of it :rolleyes:
 
I own a very spooky horse who is scared of his own shadow some days.

Since you know when and where you will need help with your mare I'd try a syringe of strong calmer on those particular show days. After all £10/£20 to try it once it's worth a shot?

You can work on getting her more brave the rest of the time and if she manages to be calm on the supplement in spooky places she might just get better there too?
 
Thanks all. Its comforting to know that I am now alone!

Alibear - do you think a calmer would work for spooking? I have thought about it but the trouble is that she is actually quite laid back in other ways apart from the spooking, so sometimes i feel that i need to give her a shot of energy never mind a calmer!! Perhaps its the spooking thats making her feel backwards though?! Like you say it might be worth a shot!
 
Supanova said:
Thanks all. Its comforting to know that I am now alone!

Alibear - do you think a calmer would work for spooking? I have thought about it but the trouble is that she is actually quite laid back in other ways apart from the spooking, so sometimes i feel that i need to give her a shot of energy never mind a calmer!! Perhaps its the spooking thats making her feel backwards though?! Like you say it might be worth a shot!
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I tried several calmers, naf magic, nupafeed etc and they did help with the spooking but made her so lazy and unresponsive I decided it was easier to deal with the spooking than use the calmers, but they all affect horses differently so prob worth a go
 
I think the problem is she isn't infront of your leg, and therefore is thinking backwards and is more spooky. Blinkers won;t help if that is the case!

You have to be super strict with her, and teach her she has to go forwards off your leg regardless of what else is happening! At home, one touch with your leg, if she doesn't repond, she needs a smack behind that leg straight away to send her forwards. Inside leg for walk and trot, and outside leg for canter. Do lots of sending on and bringing back, send on with your leg, bring back with your shoulders and half halts. Literally every time, one touch and go, if she doesn't she gets walloped.

When you're in the ring, you then need to prepare for the area's you think she may spook at, and ride with a stonger inside leg in these areas so you are sending her round the corner straight. Keep inside bend too so she can't lose that shoulder to bulge out and spook. She should be reactive off your inside leg so she is moving forward, even if it is shooting forwards a bit, she will soon learn she doesn't get away with having a break at scary things ;)
 
I know exactly how you feel. I have a 17yr old mare.
I admitted defeat with her after 4 years of going out and winning a 1.20 one week and being eliminated at 1m the next. Along with cantering sideways into fences while spooking at banners, napping and planting herself.
But when she was on form she was amazing.
We qualified for so many finals but i didnt go to any because i knew there was no way i'd get her to the first fence.
I now just do BD with her and she's still a spooky madamme in new places.

The only things that works for her is a 7 day work schedule, which includes galloping, hacking for 1.5 + hours, schooling, and a day off every two weeks.
Also we tried to get her out every weekend when jumping and this is when she jumped best and she was fab at stay away shows as she got familarised with her surroundings and settled by the last day.
We used the carl hester calmers in the syringe for her and she was like a different horse, a lot less spooky and easy to ride.
We tried little sheepskin blinkers and it mad no difference at all to her, she was often worse.
The best way i found was to have a very positive,strong canter and keep this the whole way round. If she was spooking i would ignore it and just look at my next fence and ride at it.
 
KatB said:
I think the problem is she isn't infront of your leg, and therefore is thinking backwards and is more spooky. Blinkers won;t help if that is the case!

You have to be super strict with her, and teach her she has to go forwards off your leg regardless of what else is happening! At home, one touch with your leg, if she doesn't repond, she needs a smack behind that leg straight away to send her forwards. Inside leg for walk and trot, and outside leg for canter. Do lots of sending on and bringing back, send on with your leg, bring back with your shoulders and half halts. Literally every time, one touch and go, if she doesn't she gets walloped.

When you're in the ring, you then need to prepare for the area's you think she may spook at, and ride with a stonger inside leg in these areas so you are sending her round the corner straight. Keep inside bend too so she can't lose that shoulder to bulge out and spook. She should be reactive off your inside leg so she is moving forward, even if it is shooting forwards a bit, she will soon learn she doesn't get away with having a break at scary things ;)
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I don't disagree with any of this, but it would be very easy on some occasions to spend the whole time giving her a good hiding. If they are generally spooked then they won't listen to your leg or whip and it can make them more worked up about what they are spooking at, I wierdly have found that she responds to my voice more than anything else and depending on the situation will give encouragment or reprimand.

If I make too big a deal of making her go forwards then she is just worst at that spooky point next time, it varies each time I ride but sometimes it's best to ignore the spook, sometimes stroke her neck, and sometimes give good kick and smack with whip. I know that isn't consistent, but then she isn't consistent either - I just try to have as many tools and methods in the bag as possible!

Agree with earlier post about busy routine though, more mine does the better she is, lots of fast work round fields had made a huge difference as she really enjoys this - until she spooks and we grind to a halt in seconds! lol
 
Yep I know what you are saying as my mare is the same exactly. Thats why I have to do the homework to make sure her first reaction is forwards. I can never smack her when she is spooking, but she still needs to be going forward., hence the being super strict in a "safe" environment so she is still thinking about going forward in a spooky environment :) it's all about changing their mentality to forwards :)
 
KatB - thank you really good advice as always. You are totally right that she drops behind my leg. I know this probably sounds untrue but at home (or in a place which she likes) she is actually pretty well trained - so one touch of the leg and she goes etc. However, when the spooking kicks in its just not there as her brain seems to freeze. I will definitely keep trying to discipline her in this way though as it can only help.

HBBambee - interesting to hear that the calmer worked for you. Its certainly not something i had previously considered until Alibear suggested it.

JVB - you are right. If I smack her she does tend to get very worked up and often rears. She seems to respond best to firm reassurance.
 
My mare is like this in indoor schools, and worse in darker ones. However if we are jumping she soon seems to forget about it and is fine, I think because she loves jumping and focuses on that.
Dressage is a nightmare (btw my mare is 15!) I found an instant calmer to work, and after a few times on it she doesnt need it as much anymore . I think it broke the cycle of her being an idiot, and her knowing I couldnt do much about it in a dressage test! She is much better now. I thought about her eyes too, but thought if shes fine when jumping then she cant have much wrong.
 
Nobody seems to have mentioned diet, and I do think its important. If you are feeding a lot of sugared feed, ( and its amazing if you read the label how much sugar there is in all sorts of feeds) this can cause endless shying and silliness. I had an IDxTB years ago, who went out on a hack and must have shied a 100 times, drove me mad. I had a good hard look at his diet, and took him off the mix and mollassed chaff that he was fed with, and he soon became a sensible horse again.
 
I've been reading the forum for ages but this post has encouraged me to join in!!! My little mare (13 years old) is the Queen of spookers but only at home!!! When I take her out to compete she will have a 'look' but as soon as she goes into competitive mode no more spooks!! That sounds great I know but preparation at home is very limited - I was on very nice livery yard but it was impossible to ride her sensibly and it was such hard work - my back has paid the penalty lol!!! but happily we have moved yards and she seems much better at the mo..... She is a very hypa mare and calmers don't seem to help and i'm very iffy about using them when we event - I would love her to be calm for the dressage but I worry they will take the edge off for the sj/xc sections so keep the answers coming and I will be watchin & learning.....
 
TART said:
I've been reading the forum for ages but this post has encouraged me to join in!!! My little mare (13 years old) is the Queen of spookers but only at home!!! When I take her out to compete she will have a 'look' but as soon as she goes into competitive mode no more spooks!! That sounds great I know but preparation at home is very limited - I was on very nice livery yard but it was impossible to ride her sensibly and it was such hard work - my back has paid the penalty lol!!! but happily we have moved yards and she seems much better at the mo..... She is a very hypa mare and calmers don't seem to help and i'm very iffy about using them when we event - I would love her to be calm for the dressage but I worry they will take the edge off for the sj/xc sections so keep the answers coming and I will be watchin & learning.....
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tart- just thought i'd weigh in (sorry OP slight hijack ;) )- my 5 year old sounds very similar to your mare. he's a ratbag at home with his spooking but is as good as gold at competitions! its getting better, slowly but surely...i think its because at home he feels safe and possibly bored so turns himself inside out/drops me on the floor in order to amuse himself- at comps he 'needs' me more- so he is kind enough to let me stay on him :rolleyes::D
 
Horses spook for all sorts of reasons, which means it might take a multi-pronged approach to make the situation more manageable. You can't really change a horse's basic temperament but you can train and manage it in ways that hopefully lessen the impact on performance not to mention your potential to impact the ground. ;)

While I agree with Kat that spooking can be exacerbated by being behind the leg, I don't think that's a hard and fast rule. Some horses - particularly dressage-bred ones, in my experience - can be extremely forward thinking and sensitive/reactive but also incredibly spooky. (There are a surprising number of very good competition horses that aren't, by most people's standards, safe conveyances.) They go forward, the problem is they also go in eight other directions as well! And when they're really wound up it's not so much a question of not knowing what the leg means, it's more like a hysterical person not being able to see sense. Which is not to say the same horse might not spook other times because its fresh or sore or tired. Spooking is a "thing", like bucking or any other behaviour, the horse uses to relieve tension. So backing up the leg on a horse that's not attending can be very helpful, using the same response to a horse on the knife edge can make the situation worse.

That said, being able to ride a horse over the back and into your hand is a BIG part of controlling the tendency, not only for "ridability" reasons but because it sets up a beneficial physical/psychological response. It isn't necessarily about "shape" but a horse that's soft and comfortable will be generally easier to ride.

It's also worth getting the usual checks done if you haven't already. If spooking is a horse's "thing" it's likely to get worse if there's any discomfort.

I'd second the comment about feeding. I've known MANY horses now that get much spookier on cereals and/or higher sugar feeds. Perhaps for some it's an actual intolerance, for others it's likely just too much energy and that's the way it comes out. Try going to a fibre based feed with an oil supplement or similar if you need more calories. If it doesn't make a difference, nothing lost but you might be surprised.

Also, if you're not showing dressage, it's worth trying an ear cover or perhaps even stuffing her ears if she'll let you. Again, seems a little thing but you'd be surprised how many horses are calmer with their ears covered.

Obviously schooling and experience are a big part of the equation but you want to be starting with as calm a horse as possible, which usually comes down to tinkering with management, in order to get her out and about safely and having positive experiences. I find it helps horses like that to go to shows and "hang out", maybe being ridden a couple of times, until the whole thing stops being so exciting. I know people don't like "wasting" a few shows but it pays off in the long run if you can take the horse out without pressure a bit, not least so you can do your schooling without feeling rushed and under pressure yourself.
 
TART - welcome to the forum! I see you are from my neck of the woods too!!

Cundlegreen / TarrSteps- I have been worried about whether my mare was sensitive to feeds in the past so about 18 months ago I changed her to winergy medium energy equilibrium which is a fibre based feed. That is all she has apart from a stomach supplement which is supposed to be good for any gastric problems. She is on daily turnout and ad lib haylage. Do you think that sounds ok?

TarrSteps - thanks for taking the time to write a lengthy reply! Your analogy of a hysterical person unable to see sense is exactly how i feel she gets. Its like she freezes up and is unable to listen, or use herself at all. She can warm up really nicely in the collecting ring and be working softly and nicely over her back, but then as soon as we go in the ring its like she can barely go forward and there is no concentration on me at all! I have actually used an ear cover before, but haven't put it on recently (seem to have forgotten all about it for some reason!). I will try that this weekend.

Right this is great I have loads of things to try. Apart from the first one, I will do it one at a time though!
- getting her more in front of leg and over back
- ear cover
- calmer
- sheepskin blinkers
- eyes checked next time vet is out

I am off to Myerscough this weekend and i think she will be a bit better there as I believe its large and light. I think I'll start with just the ear covers!!
 
Sounds a good idea re. ear covers. My instructor has to ride her mare in them all the time as she is so spooky. Doesn't stop her winning some very big classes though! Good luck :)
 
Sounds good. :)

On the Winergy front, do you know what the ingredients are? I ask because I've had a few that were noticeably better without ANY cereal at all, even as a relatively minor component. When I moved here and was wading my way through the huge number of hard feed options, I was recommended a "cooling" feed that still wound the horse in question up, so switched back to a "homemade" version of what the horse had been eating before, by mixing fibre nuts and an oil supplement. It's not a cure all for him but makes a huge difference.

(I don't feeding is a cure for all that ails, but ever since I had a horse in that stopped weaving - as well as just generally being a loon - with a feed change I always think it's worth investigating. Literally, I could change her feed, even to something pretty benign, and watch her start weaving again within a day. Even her jumping form improved on the new feed.)

Has your instructor watched you show? Perhaps there's something you can tinker with in your approach that would also help? I really don't think it's a matter of sheer physical strength (unless she's shaking you loose when she spooks), more of knowing what to do and when and setting up for success.
 
Thanks TarrSteps!! I think Winergy does still have some cereal in it but I will check the bag later. I do find feed so confusing, there are so many options!!! Thats why i like Winergy because its just one feed that is supposed to be good for horses stomachs. My mare started to look really well after i put her on it, but maybe its still not quite right for her. Do you have any suggestions of what I could try?

Susie Gibson has offered to come and help me at a competition and I will definitely take her up on it. I don't think she really believes what I say given that my mare jumps so well in lessons. The only problem is that I think Susie will be at the venues where my mare isn't too bad as shed oesn't tend to go to the other places (perhaps i should learn something from that!! ) I am positive that i could ride her better as there are occasions where she has spooked terribly but i have still got her round clear, but it is so tiring that I can't seem to do it all the time! She doesn't shake me loose but i don't think my leg is always as strong as it could be and perhaps i'm just not quick enough with it.
 
cundlegreen said:
Nobody seems to have mentioned diet, and I do think its important. If you are feeding a lot of sugared feed, ( and its amazing if you read the label how much sugar there is in all sorts of feeds) this can cause endless shying and silliness. I had an IDxTB years ago, who went out on a hack and must have shied a 100 times, drove me mad. I had a good hard look at his diet, and took him off the mix and mollassed chaff that he was fed with, and he soon became a sensible horse again.
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Mine is the same no matter what feed she gets, even living out on just grass all year or with hard feed makes no difference, but might affect other horses so worth looking at.
 
TART and Supernova - I am in Cheshire too... is there something in the air here affecting our horses!

Ear covers I've tried - also no difference.

Any other ideas anyone?

Echo Diggerbex - I think more challenging work helps, if I school like a dressage test, movement after movement she is much better.

Schooling at home she will always improve after 20-30 mins of riding. Does anyone else find this, or do yours spook throughout schooling session?
 
Supanova said:
Thanks TarrSteps!! I think Winergy does still have some cereal in it but I will check the bag later. I do find feed so confusing, there are so many options!!! Thats why i like Winergy because its just one feed that is supposed to be good for horses stomachs. My mare started to look really well after i put her on it, but maybe its still not quite right for her. Do you have any suggestions of what I could try?
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As an experiment, you could try a fibre-only cube of some sort, add a balancer/supplement if it's not a complete feed (for the horse I mentioned above he can eat a size suitable amount of something like this, which he couldn't with a cereal feed so it's not necessary), and a fat only supplement like EqiJewel or similar if she needs more calories. I know that's a bit fiddly but at least you have control of all the ingredients and amounts. You'd have to give it a couple of weeks to be sure, although some are different right away.

Also, does she have an issues with allergies? Skin reactions or breathing difficulties? I find super sensitive horses can be awful to ride when they're reacting to something, even if they don't seem seriously compromised.


Susie Gibson has offered to come and help me at a competition and I will definitely take her up on it. I don't think she really believes what I say given that my mare jumps so well in lessons. The only problem is that I think Susie will be at the venues where my mare isn't too bad as shed oesn't tend to go to the other places (perhaps i should learn something from that!! ) I am positive that i could ride her better as there are occasions where she has spooked terribly but i have still got her round clear, but it is so tiring that I can't seem to do it all the time! She doesn't shake me loose but i don't think my leg is always as strong as it could be and perhaps i'm just not quick enough with it
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Interesting about her not going to those places. ;) Why is that, then? Some horses are just less tolerant about less than great circumstances. It doesn't mean they shouldn't learn to cope, just that you have to accept it will take more time and work to get the same results. (Also, I doubt it applies to you, but as a note, footing can be a real issue for some horses and I tend not to press this point too much if possible because it often comes from actual discomfort. I know older horses, for instance, that are much harder to ride on very deep/hard footing and I'm sure it's because they're not as sound as they used to be, even though they aren't technically unsound and can still do the job under better conditions.)

It's really hard to give someone advice about something you haven't seen because you might get it really wrong and/or it might not be for the most common reasons. Someone watching you might be able to identify something quite simple, like a change in pace or body position that might help a lot on the day.
 
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