How to install confidence in a sensitive horse

[Supertrooper]

The horse I share is a bit of a baby, he is 14yrs old and my friend and I have owned him since sept 2010. He gets worried about little things, he's very good in traffic but can be quite looky especially if he spots something in the distance, he'll get progressively more worried about till he works out what it is.

I don't feel there is anything wrong with his eyesight and I am alot more confident with him so I deal with it normally by talking to him, keeping my leg on and giving him strokes and pats.

Is anyone elses horse like this and what do you do when your horse gets worried? I also find with him that if I stop and let him look he is better.

He's a big lad (shire x) so there's alot of horse there xx

 

[noblesteed]

Praise, strokes and encouragement when he does things right really helps mine, and telling him how brave he is! I do let mine have a look because I find when I do this, next time he doesn't need to look.

 

[Cupcakes and Horses]

Both of mine can be big babies although one has finally grown up a bit over the last couple of years but then he is nearly 23! I have always been much the same, legs on, chat, stroke, keep my own eyes open for monsters lucking ready to pounce . However with my new boy I have been trying a different tact as I want him to be bold for XC and while I keep legs on to keep him moving etc I totally ignore monster and him, leg yield him into it then take the pressure off once we're next to it and keep him moving rather than let him stop and look at it then give a little wither stroke once we're past and its working really well he's getting much braver about these things and reactions are getting much less. My theory is if I make a fuss about it it re-enforces that there's something to worry about, he knows me trusts me so if I'm ok he should be. I do still chat though but then I do that constantly anyway...its got so bad I talk to myself going round Tesco people must think I've escaped from somewhere