How would you deal with this?

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Louby

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A horse that spooks at people???

Ive owned him 10 yrs, hes always been quirky and at times difficult. A few years ago I gave up competing as he was irrationally spooky, spinning when riding towards people. Hes always done this, but may be fine for weeks, then not. Its not at any particular time of year.
I know all his history, bar about 3 weeks and he has never had a bad experience with a person. His eye sight is fine, Ive had it checked and he is otherwise healthy.
Ive had lessons and was advised after he was spooking violently at the instructor that the yard I was on was just too quiet for him and not enough going on. We moved, all was well for a bit but he started again.
Today whilst in the school, he decided my friend (who was stood at the side) was a monster. I manage to continue but its awful, he is backing off, trying his best to spin, head in the air and really hard work. Ive tried being firm and Ive given him the benefit of being genuinely scared and tried to give him confidence but nothing works.
How would you deal with it :( Im so fed up, I'd say Im a competent rider but hes been such hard work and I just want to have some fun.
Thanks for reading :)
 
When he spooks is his tail up or clamped down if the tail is up he's probally being naughty if it's down he's scared and needs reassurance .
 
Sam here chestnut gelding 16.2hh ten years old had him since he was four. Hard work the days he's spooky, fine other times just spooks at something that isn't even there!!!!!!!! he can do some lovely work but so unpredictable. Absolutely bombproof with any traffic! Some days would gladly give him away. No help to you I know but just thought it would help to know there's someone else out there with the same problem.
 
Sorry posted sooner than I planned the way I would approach it would vary depending on why I felt the horse was doing it but generally I will leg yield them ( or shoulder in ) past the spooky then work them harder if I feel it was naughty ,if scared I leg yield past then go back to what I was doing.
 
My horse spooks at people who stands at the side of our school particularly violently if they stand on the RDA ramp! He also spooks if my instructor comes over during my lesson to show me something, max won't let him anywhere near me. He has actually got a lot better with people at the side and now just looks a bit but if we don't have anyone stand there for weeks he gets worse again. He does have slightly restricted sight in one eye but he is just as bad on the other side.

The way I deal with it is to really push him on past whatever he was scared of (last time it was my instructors jumper that he put on the ramp half way through the lesson) and just keep going past it over and over again. Today we had two people standing on the ramp during our lesson and he let Ben walk alongside him.

I find making him go really forward helps not only because he is thinking forward all the time so doesn't have time to spook but also when I feel him tense up if I start thinking forward it stops me tensing up at what he might do as if I tense he just gets worse.
 
Does he do it if he's doing something fun / challenging or only when he thinks he knows what's coming next? Could try trying to outwit him so he always has to concentrate on what you're asking - if you feel him wanting to go left at the end of a centre line, make him go right; throw in a random small circle or two in odd places etc etc. Works for one of ours and has the added bonus that he gets so much better connected at the same time :). Good luck!
 
Thanks for replying.
Im not sure about his tail, I will ask someone to watch for me.
Im struggling to keep him forwards tbh when he does it. In walk its easier as I can do shoulder in etc but trot and canter, I get my leg on and push him on as soon as I feel him come back at me, and get inside bend as best as I can as by this point hes lost the plot. Once past, back to lovely soft work again, until we approach the person again. My husband says theres something wrong in his head :confused::rolleyes:. I do sometimes feel I do well to stay on him. If I dont get after him, then we'd violently spin and be off in the other direction :(
Its so annoying as he is so talented and could potentially be very good. Today we were running through my dressage test for next week, friend was reading. God more fool me, this is before we get there lol

Thanks Sam, today is one of those 'give him away days' :eek::rolleyes: Sorry to hear you have a similar problem but glad Im not the only one.
 
You the rider must not look at what he is spooking at, when you see it and think he might spook at it, look away from it and concentrate on something else, he will feel the movement in your body and your tenseness thinking he will spook, try it it does work.
 
He is quite backwards and never truely 'takes me'. He also has a tongue habit that I compare with sucking a dummy and I do think he switches off, then its omg whats that!! I think hes taking the p though tbh as he is fine some days.

Last time he did it, I continued to make him canter past the scary person again and again on the circle and he did get fed up of it and stopped.
 
putasocinit said:
You the rider must not look at what he is spooking at, when you see it and think he might spook at it, look away from it and concentrate on something else, he will feel the movement in your body and your tenseness thinking he will spook, try it it does work.
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Thanks, I will try this, its hard as he goes on hyper alert, head up, cue loss of control. A few years ago I stuck some draw reins on him and just being able to keep his head down gave me the control I needed to keep the bend and he was unable to do it. Maybe I need to use them for a while so he realises we are going past without an issue???
 
Louby he sounds so like my boy mine also has a very active Tongue! I have got my boy moving and thinking more forward generally with help from my brilliant instructor and it has made getting him forward instead of spooking so much easier. I would definitely enlist the help of an instructor would highly recommend mine but it depends obviously where you are :)
 
Is he food motivated? And can your friend to be trained to carry polos?

Seriously.

If it is people in unexpected places that are the problem you can probably change the association from 'scary' (possibly taking the mick, possibly something that happened on a yard in the past when you weren't around, whatever) to 'ohh! good! polos!'

Or clicks/pats/whatever it is you use to reward.

That or totally ignore are the options I'd try first given that you know eyes etc are OK.
 
Tilda said:
Louby he sounds so like my boy mine also has a very active Tongue! I have got my boy moving and thinking more forward generally with help from my brilliant instructor and it has made getting him forward instead of spooking so much easier. I would definitely enlist the help of an instructor would highly recommend mine but it depends obviously where you are :)
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Where abouts are you? :) Im guessing we are miles apart :( I do believe the tongue issue has always hindered him. I hate strapping his mouth shut but he goes so much better if I do. Today it wasnt as I try to avoid it if poss as he opens his mouth so much, the flash ends up rubbing
 
Tickles said:
Is he food motivated? And can your friend to be trained to carry polos?

Seriously.

If it is people in unexpected places that are the problem you can probably change the association from 'scary' (possibly taking the mick, possibly something that happened on a yard in the past when you weren't around, whatever) to 'ohh! good! polos!'

Or clicks/pats/whatever it is you use to reward.

That or totally ignore are the options I'd try first given that you know eyes etc are OK.
Click to expand...

I will try anything. We have a row of stables down one side of the school, his being one of them. My friend was just stood at the side, in full view. I had his eyes checked and was told by a vet who knew him too well lol that his problem is they are too good :):rolleyes: I was convinced he must have had a problem as it was just so daft what he was doing. The silly thing is, flapping bags and things that should bother him dont and normal things do :confused:
I will arm my friend or anyone else with polos :)
 
I am in Northamptonshire but my instructor is based in Hertfordshire (relocated) there but comes back up a couple of times a month as he teaches most of our yard!
 
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