I went splat today! Sitting big spooks?!?

[npage123]

Glad you're okay and putting a positive spin on your horse's spook. Hope he's forgiven and hope he forgets what happened at the pond. Well done for taking him back to that area, fingers crossed he won't be jumpy next time you go there! My horse once had a huge spook at a mahoosive turkey fluffing up his tail feathers at us. He (my horse not the turkey) spooked and spun round so quickly that he completely lost his balance and fell flat onto his side on the road! :-(

 

[madmav]

Spinning is scary. Well done for getting back on and sorting the situation.
One thing I have noticed with spooky horse is that I must be reading a lot of what he's about to do via seat.
Borrowed someone's seat saver once (have a bony bum! And wanted to see if it would make long hack more comfy). He almost had me off in a spook while cantering as I'd failed to pick up the signs via my seat of what he was about to do due to the deep cushioning of seat saver.
Sticky bum jods I hear are good, though.

 

[Orangehorse]

It is very hard to sit on that sort of spin. Even the best riders can get ejected when that happens.

 

[thinkitwasjune]

I have a complete wuss who spooks at his own shadow and I honestly feel that what has helped me to stay on is all the practise I've had over the years! As others have said, I watch his ears but usually I can feel it coming anyway. Again, sit deep, weight in your heels and don't daydream! My Acavello gel out seat saver has helped too

 

[Annagain]

I too ride my horse on a longish rein out hacking, he is far more chilled for it. He usually gives me 28 days notice in writing that he's going to spook though. It starts with a look and then backing off the leg, followed maybe by a sideways shimmy and finally a bit of a pirouette. If I hold the reins with any sort of contact he thinks there must be something exciting / terrifying coming up and gets his pants in a tangle.

 

[Caol Ila]

Had a doozey of one today. I was working without stirrups and had the horse on a longish rein doing a beautiful, elastic stretchy trot. She was reaching into the contact, her stride lengthening, becoming supple and elastic, then she was shooting across the arena like a rocket. No warning. The sudden and unpredictable launch is her specialty (Auslander, is this a Shire-TBX thing). As she galloped across the arena, I was gathering up the reins, saying in a calm, yet sarcastic voice, "For f ** k's sake, Gypsum." She stopped and we resumed trotting. Half the arena in a shorter frame to settle her without any further launches, then I did the stretchy trot, take two.

She doesn't make a habit of this; maybe once or twice per month, or less. But I have always thought she had the potential to do so regularly if she had a rider who freaked out when she did it and didn't just laugh at her and carry on with whatever they were doing. It's how you ride 'em. I'm not worried about hitting the deck since I can usually stick when she does it, unless I'm riding bareback, in which case I am screwed. But as a friend who rode one of these spooks on her said, "She takes you with her." Even when you get the spin, or the 'beam me up Scotty' zap sideways, she doesn't drop the shoulder, so you sort of feel carried along. Or I do.

 

[Doublethyme]

Another vote for Acavallo gel out seat saver.......blooming brilliant. Saved me a fair few times on my spooky sharp Hanoverian and bought after she warp speeded left from under me few years back dumping me at speed into the arena fence and landed me on my first ever A&E trip.

It has been that good that even when I was hanging out one side opening a gate when a cyclist came speeding out of some bushes other side of gate causing horse to launch, spin and try to bolt in a nano second, I spent half a fast circle looking like a Kossack stunt rider but then managed to oik myself back as the seat saver stopped my sideways jetison and believe me I am not the most athletic of riders!! The poor cyclist however did fall off into a bush in shock.

 

[Boulty]

My old synthetic saddle had a suede seat. I didn't realise how sticky bum this was until i swapped for a leather version and came off twice in a few weeks shortly afterwards! Heard good things about the gel seatsavers as well. Unfortunatley there is always going to be the odd time that you get caught out with things like that. Mine likes to telerport sideways and relieve me of my stirrups... if he ever decides to follow up on this I'll be on the floor