How do you deal with a horse who panics?

NeverSayNever

NeverSayNever

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My Sec D mare is usually a saint, however she is a bit of a stressy type.

People have seen me schooling and made comments about stronger bits however for her, its not about whats in her mouth, its all about her mental attitude. I have to work through the first 40 mins with her, keeping relaxed, doing lots of walk, transitions, circles, serpentines. If I put to much pressure on her or fight her we get nowhere, however if I wait until she is mentally ready to work with me, then pow - she goes beautifully and softly too.

Out hacking we are in the same bit, a frenchlink full cheek snaffle and she is usually fine. However, if she gets buzzed by something - Im finding it increasingly difficult to get her focus back. Ive had her 18 months and for the first year, yes she would have a spook, a typical welsh prance and snort but sitting deep, still and ignoring her and she came round pretty quickly. However since about Christmas time, she has been 'on red alert' out hacking more often than not. Not excitable, but stressed and worried. Looking for something to spook at, ready to flee. Its genuine stress and fear, like there is something she can see that I cant. Today for example, she was fine then she saw someone with a trailer driving in a field and started the whole snorting and prancing thing. However, long after this I still couldnt get her back. I just sat deep, relaxed, long rein - if I try to take a contact it makes her worse. If I put my leg on it gives her the excuse she wants to shoot forward. The thing is, she isnt strong when this happens but I feel I have little control as she tucks her head in, everything is elevated, her back is up and I feel as if I have nothing in the hand, so no bit is going to help.

Im looking into a possible magnesium deficiency as was suggested on another thread after I posted about her coat being terrible, she is also not keeping condition well. Its also been mentioned that it may be worth asking my vet about ulcers.

In the meantime, can anyone give me any suggestions as to how best to ride and deal with these episodes as usually we end up just going home for damage limitation:o
 
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My mare got spooky like that with ulcers, so its worth investigating that route. There was nothing I could do to make it any better, so I stopped hacking as it was getting dangerous. She's now been treated for ulcers and am introducing hacking back slowly as she really lost her confidence :(

But lack of Mg can also make them tense/spooky/not concentrate so I'd probably rule that out first? Get some MagOx and you'll know in a week.
 
Erin said:
My mare got spooky like that with ulcers, so its worth investigating that route. There was nothing I could do to make it any better, so I stopped hacking as it was getting dangerous. She's now been treated for ulcers and am introducing hacking back slowly as she really lost her confidence :(

But lack of Mg can also make them tense/spooky/not concentrate so I'd probably rule that out first? Get some MagOx and you'll know in a week.
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thank you - thats interesting to know. The thing is I rode her right up to just before I had my baby last year and she never put a foot wrong and we hacked for hours! Yes she is fitter now but that said, she was fairly fit then as all I did was ride lol, there really is a change in her in the few months. She had had pinworm I found in about Oct time as well so I wondered if that had left her lacking in something.

Where do you get magox from please?
 
NeverSayNever said:
thank you - thats interesting to know. The thing is I rode her right up to just before I had my baby last year and she never put a foot wrong and we hacked for hours! Yes she is fitter now but that said, she was fairly fit then as all I did was ride lol, there really is a change in her in the few months. She had had pinworm I found in about Oct time as well so I wondered if that had left her lacking in something.

Where do you get magox from please?
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http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Progressive-Earth

Did she have time off when you had your baby? Any change in routine? Change of yard? It seems like pretty much anything can set off ulcers - or it could be she's always had low grade ones that didn't cause her much bother which have gradually got worse.
 
Erin said:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Progressive-Earth

Did she have time off when you had your baby? Any change in routine? Change of yard? It seems like pretty much anything can set off ulcers - or it could be she's always had low grade ones that didn't cause her much bother which have gradually got worse.
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thank you! She had about 7-8 weeks off in total but came back into work so sweetly in July - she's been in work since then and going great until this started at Christmas. Nothing had changed at all. Infact I thought perhaps her behaviour was stress because of the state of my field, it was so wet and boggy and i dont have a school so had to hack straight out on the road. Because of that I actually moved her to a yard in January, hoping the better field/grazing would help. Ive been able to use the school of course too which has been fab. I thought perhaps it was improving and we have had the odd hack since we have been there thats been lovely but more often than not she has one of these stressy episodes, the same as at home. She has a companion at home and horses around her obviously at the yard although she has never coped with being brought in on her own or anything butI just avoid that when i can.
 
Hmm, well I have had one of these for 19 years!! He is welsh x - I think it's a welsh "we need to be ready to run" mentality!

Definitely look in to deficiencies if she doesn't look well in herself. mine has always looked too well and we thought he may be a rig due to some of his behaviour but had him tested and that was not the case.

Mine would just need one thing to set him off on a hack though and that was it, for the rest of the hack he would be on his toes, snorting, tense and would lope instead of trotting! Any shortening of my reins he'd think we were going to canter and he was/is very very sensitive to any tense-ness in a rider. I have learnt to just ride 'with my mind' I guess with him over the years. If I felt he was anticipating anything, instead of singing/hummingI will just look at something way off in the distance (works well if you have good views!) and really look at that, study it and that tends to take your mind off what the horse is doing. I think sometimes, even singing the horse can sense you are still tense. Find something to look at in the distance - even a bird, plane, whatever. Something that takes your whole thought away from the horse.

This is what I found helped me anyway!
 
Are you feeding grain on a high starch diet? Excess starch can lead to behavioural changes and more energy. If the diet contains more than 10% starch then consider changing it.
 
For all your problems, the answer is probably in the diet. Intolerances can creep up very slowly almost unnoticed until the behaviour becomes VERY noticeable. I would stop ll feed/treats/supplements and just feed hay for three weeks to see if that makes a difference. I had a WelshDx who couldn't tolertel any cereal /sugar, she was dreadfully spooky.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
For all your problems, the answer is probably in the diet. Intolerances can creep up very slowly almost unnoticed until the behaviour becomes VERY noticeable. I would stop ll feed/treats/supplements and just feed hay for three weeks to see if that makes a difference. I had a WelshDx who couldn't tolertel any cereal /sugar, she was dreadfully spooky.
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thanks PS - I did try this around Christmas time, she was just on hay for a couple of weeks but it made no difference:( She gets very little in the way of feed anyway (see above) and no treats , carrots or anything.
 
If it is found there is nothing physically, or chemically wrong with her then, what I found worked as well was to treat them as if they are a riding school pony (ie, expect them to just behave) and it does sort of work. It is really hard to change your mind set - took me a while as I have a horse who needs gee-ing up and then ponio who needed calming down! I had never ever come across a pony so sensitive in my life and it does take some getting used to!

Mine had additional issue - wouldn't go in a stable without any bedding in, would run out of a stable door, throw himself off the ramp of a lorry, wouldn't go through narrow gates etc etc. You do learn to become very calm I can tell you as these sensitive types pick up on everything! Lord knows how mine made it to the ripe old age of 27 and is till going! :)
 
ladyt25 said:
If it is found there is nothing physically, or chemically wrong with her then, what I found worked as well was to treat them as if they are a riding school pony (ie, expect them to just behave) and it does sort of work. It is really hard to change your mind set - took me a while as I have a horse who needs gee-ing up and then ponio who needed calming down! I had never ever come across a pony so sensitive in my life and it does take some getting used to!

Mine had additional issue - wouldn't go in a stable without any bedding in, would run out of a stable door, throw himself off the ramp of a lorry, wouldn't go through narrow gates etc etc. You do learn to become very calm I can tell you as these sensitive types pick up on everything! Lord knows how mine made it to the ripe old age of 27 and is till going! :)
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thanks LT. I hope I can get to the bottom of it as she was fine for the first year I had her, this is a distinct change.
 
I totally sympathise. I have a section D gelding, who also panics....both in the stable and when being ridden. Any slight changes to his routine will set him off. He became very spooky to hack back in Dec/Jan. I now have him on a magnesium supplement which as definitely helped. I will follow this thread as I too am interested in any advice / tips.
 
I see a theme here - Welsh! hehe

I think they can be sensitive and have a high flight response hence they can be stressy and neurotic! NSN - yours does seem to be linked with her yard change as well though. Could she also be coming in to season or is this too early?

I am just one of these people who tries to just deal with it by keeping calm and riding them how I expect them to behave and most of the time I find it works.
 
I would get her eye sight checked, and are you riding differently since you had a baby? You maybe subconsciously thinking of what would happen if you had an accident without realizing it
 
ladyt25 said:
I see a theme here - Welsh! hehe

I think they can be sensitive and have a high flight response hence they can be stressy and neurotic! NSN - yours does seem to be linked with her yard change as well though. Could she also be coming in to season or is this too early?
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this change started in Dec, just before Christmas - it was why i went to a yard, as I wondered if the state of my grazing at home was causing it. So no, its not linked to the move.

zigzag said:
I would get her eye sight checked, and are you riding differently since you had a baby? You maybe subconsciously thinking of what would happen if you had an accident without realizing it
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Nope - she was absolutely fine for a full 6 months after I had my baby. He was born in May, I started riding again about 3-4 weeks after I had him and was back riding regularly too. This started just before Christmas. I dont think Im riding any differently tbh. If anything I was more cautious riding her when I was hugely pregnant lol.

I hadnt theought about eyesight though.

thanks all - welsh theme for sure haha
 
I have this with my mare - but it gets worse - she's not just welsh D - she's crossed with arab! Double stress-head lol.

By chance more than anything I tried her on coligone, to settle her gut, and I've noticed a real difference in her. Now she's getting fitter she's more full of herself, but doesn't panic about it quite so much.

My mare is queen of the melodrama, and her latest thing to jump at and look scared of, is if I stand beside her in the stable and shrug my shoulders.... Nut job lol
 
Abbeygale said:
I have this with my mare - but it gets worse - she's not just welsh D - she's crossed with arab! Double stress-head lol.

By chance more than anything I tried her on coligone, to settle her gut, and I've noticed a real difference in her. Now she's getting fitter she's more full of herself, but doesn't panic about it quite so much.

My mare is queen of the melodrama, and her latest thing to jump at and look scared of, is if I stand beside her in the stable and shrug my shoulders.... Nut job lol
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is coligone for treating ulcers? do you think she had them?
 
I tried mag ox when vet suggested it as horse was super stressful handle, horrid to lead, could not stand still tied up, etc. Within 10 days at 30g a day I had a different horse. He is still a pain sometimes but will lead so easily even with his feed bucket in my other hand without being no shy and stands no problem. he has also managed to calm down e ough to stop box walking and field pacing and gain loads of weight

It's worth giving it a try to see if it helps, it can't harm!
 
Coligone can help with ulcers, but it aims to soothe the gut in general. I'd originally got it for another horse who had gut problems, but ended up trying it for my mare.

Ulcers is something that's always been in the back of my mind with her, but not to the point of having gone any further with investigating it. I do however always keep her on a fibre based diet, with as few sugars as possible - as a "just in case" :)
 
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