How to unfizzy a fizzy horse?

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helbe

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Opposite to `unfizzy horse` thread,I would love a calm and quiet horse,as my girl is putting me off my `steady` hacking,I would love a calm and sensible horse,very responsive to me but also responsive to the nerves she give me. I want to be able to enjoy the scenery when we go out not have to accuse pigeons of lying in wait to frighten us both to death just as we ride past.?shame you are not nearer to me kallibear as we could have swapped!!
 
Fizzy (as in wants to go go go, in excitement) or spooky? They're not the same thing.

Loads and loads of inhand hacking helps spooky! Last horse was super sharp and spooky (and also silly) and would have been suicidal to take out undersaddle from the start. But he became an excellent hacking horse after lots of walking out inhand. Gets them out to see the world without you feeding nerves to them from onboard.
 
Look at diet before you think about anything else. starch is a major factor. some feeds state low starch but aren't really, 15% or so isn't low. If you feed a mix it is likey to have molasses to make it taste nice. Alfalfa is sometimes another factor, lots of chaffs have it and some horses can be sensitive to it.
 
Def look into diet. I discovered my boy couldn't handle grains so have had to find a feed to suit him. Lots of hard work but he is far more managable now. We have also started desensitization work together, having read Kallibears comment I will now plan in hand hacking too.
 
My horse is still spooky but after 10 months loads and loads better. I have done a lot of hacking alone and been very firm about going past all scary objects. I ride or lunge very regularly - mostly ride on long hacks. I have a neck strap! and since his saddle has been comfortable and back better he has been a lot happier. Might be worth checking. He gets no hard feed and is kept out with haylage.
 
Second the diet - check what you are feeding - I cant give my boy anything with or containing beet pulp. Even things like Fast Fibre send him loopy :(. I also cant give him most feed balancers or even too many carrots.

Then try adding magnesium to his feed - you can buy calmag or mag ox on ebay cheap to try. A lot of horses are deficient in magnesium and this can make them very spooky and fizzy.

Once you've got that sussed, try some basic groundwork. It seems to make a massive difference. :D
 
Also echo the feed issue. I would incluide a fair few 'supplements' to the things to watch. Having had a few horses who are not good at copng with a variety of things I am now super careful about what goes into my horses. Not all feeds which are bad for one are bad for the next. We had a sugar and cereal intolerant mare, who was absolutely fine with alfalfa cobs, the current Appy cannot cope at all and becomes a total nutjob if fed alfalfa. We have stripped the riding horses feeds back to grass based ones, with only brewers yeast added.
 
I have a mare with this problem, I did a lot of ground work with her in an arena to gain her trust, I also set up the arena with a course to desensitise her, I use plastic sheets for her to walk over and rugs on the floor and coats on cones or jump wings, I also practise her going through narrow poles, she def improved although she is spooky and I think its just in her nature. I have had her on nupa feed supplement with some success.

I really think its a case of it being in a horses makeup and unless your horse is a youngster the temperament is unlikely to change.
 
Just be aware that desensetising at home may not translate to the outside world :) The Current Appy will walk over plastic in the yard, but still spooks at it on hacks. The Old Appy was terrified of unberellas, but not if they were at home, or if I was holding them. It seems that the brighter they are the more they can differentiate between 'controlled' objects and 'wild' ones :D
 
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