is there such a thing as a horse that doesn't spook?

[swampdonkey]

Hi all, i came off my mare last friday when she spooked in the school and fractured my coccyx. She is sometimes quite spooky but don't think she is truly afraid but seems to do it when she is bored. At 1st i didn't really think about it but the more time goes on and the pain is really getting me down the more i keep thinking about the spooking and i'm worried if i keep thinking with this train of thought I'm going to worry myself into not riding again. I've come off her twice since i've had her, both times from a massive spook altho have sat many more. Not really sure what I'm trying to ask, Is there such a thing as a horse that doesn't ever spook if so I'm getting myself one. Sorry for being so long, really feeling sorry for myself.

 

[touchstone]

I have a native fell mare, who although can be a tricky ride in other ways, is absolutely bombproof, she will lead others through/over.around anything. She might look at things for a while and dance about, but is easily ridden past and she's never truly shied at anything in all her 18 years.

I have loads of fun with her after years of riding buckers/bolters/rearers/horses that spook at their own shadow and you can never really relax on.

Forgot to add, I'm sorry you are so sore! Perhaps trying a magnesium based calmer might help if it's grass related, other than that maybe lungeing before you ride to take the wind out of her sails a bit?
I'm sure once you get going again you'll be fine, but yes, there are quiet horses out there if you decided it was all too much!

 

[ozpoz]

First, I'd just like to say - there is nothing, NOTHING more painful than falling on your coccyx ( all those nerve endings!) so you are perfectly entitled to feel sorry for yourself.
And for your self preservation, I've found the biggest, blockiest knee blocks I can to make me feel secure on my own sharp and naughty spooker.I'm very unwilling to hit the deck if I can avoid it now ,due to age and bits of metal propping up my joints.
x

 

[Oldenburg]

Big hugs for the pain :0)

My old mare a bomb could go off at the side of her and she would not bat and eye lid at anything!! But then i had Thomas he was only a baby when i had him. One day he would walk past a bag one the floor and the next day he would not want to walk past it!! But as he got older he was brilliant. How i miss him :0(

Then i have Larry who is 13yo and really should know better who shys at things when he feels like it!!

How old is she??

 

[swampdonkey]

she will go past most things so not spooky in that sense, its more the bird that flies out of the hedge type of spook, really over reacts to those things, they obviously make her jump which is normal but she spins, runs then realises and slams the brakes on, hence me flying over the top. Not sure if this will improve or if it is just how she is, she stops as soon as she thinks but its already unbalanced me so we part company.
Anybody know how long it will be until i'm not in agony... day 6 and i'm fed up, can't find relief however i sit or lie or stand.. arrgh!

 

[blood_magik]

Anybody know how long it will be until i'm not in agony... day 6 and i'm fed up, can't find relief however i sit or lie or stand.. arrgh!

lots and lots of painkillers and a very plump cushion worked wonders when I broke mine. I had to sit on a cushion for a week if I remember rightly

 

[UnaB]

Hope you're feeling better soon, sounds very painful

I have a 5 yr old that is completely bombproof and has yet to spook at anything (i've had her since a yearling), she is so laid back and nothing phases her. On one of her very first hacks when she was just broken a couple of weeks we had a 2 car pile up directly behind us on the road (car behind me was waiting to pass and some idiot just drove into the back of him!!), all she did was lift her head a bit and flick an ear back - didnt even break her stride Worth her weight in gold if it continues for sure. Fab little horse. She was for sale ( ) but im hopefully keeping her now as things at home seem to be settling down a bit.

BUT, i dont think any horse can be guaranteed never to spook, you just never know what might panic them

I have found that the ones that are more prone to being a bit high strung and spooky tend to be the ones who end up being the best competition horses. I think you need that active mind. Maybe consider doing something that might test her brain a bit more and keep her more occupied? Once you're feeling better of course!

 

[Trish C]

You have my full sympathy - got bucked off mine on Monday and I am still in quite a lot of pain just from bad brusing, so for a broken cocyx I can totally appreciate that you deserve a proper moan and lots of self-pity.

Virtually nothing bothers my boy (quad bike started behind him, angle-griders over a wall etc) except for things like a tree-cutter in a crane with a chainsaw and a dude standing underneath waving branches around - but I forgave him that one since he had to walk between the base of the crane, past scary branch man underneath the crane arm - but if he's in a daft mood he'll have a little look at things. At least your mare stops when she thinks, so sounds like she's sensible underneath her initial reactions - maybe some desensitisation work might help?

Hope you feel better soon - make sure someone goes out and buys you all your favourite chocolate/sweets/booze!

 

[swampdonkey]

I think you might be right, I don't compete, have no desire to really, i just want quietly hack and I really enjoy schooling, i think she probably is bored, she is 9 and had hunted before I had her so probably enjoyed a more exciting life. Do you think she will settle to a quieter life or never be really happy with me.

 

[Serephin]

I was told my boy wasn't spooky, but he is. He can do the spin and run thing, but is easily stopped, so we don't go far. He spooked at a rabbit the other day and my saddle slipped and I fell off! He is bomb proof in company, its as if he figures the other horse will get eaten first! But if I put him in front he can be a baby.

So much for not being spooky! Lol. He is quite clever though, far too much going on in there, so I can forgive him really.

My friend has a horse that spooks for england at times, at a nice fast canter she will chuck in a sideways spook for no reason what so ever, we think she thinks it is funny. Consequently my friend has a seat like glue no matter what is thrown at her.

I am not sure there is a horse that will not spook at all, I haven't met one, I would like one though! I am hoping that once the spring grass abates my boy will go back to the occasional spook as oppose to a regular spook.

Hope you feel better soon and don't lose heart, I would much rather a spooker than a bucker or rearer.

 

[Dovorian]

In a way, I hope that all horses have a spook reaction in them - they are horses after all. I now have an ID who spooks politely, if you see the difference with the switchback ride variety!

 

[Kokopelli]

Hope you feel better soon.
I had a pony and he literally never spooked at anything was absolutely bomb proof. We went past a car back firing once and all he did was a little jump that wouldn't unseat anyone. He was fab in that way but would jog absolutely everywhere out on hacks!

Do you have a neck strap/ balance strap? If not I'd recommend getting one and if you see something she might spook at just hook a finger under it. Has saved my bum a few times as I have a very spooky boy.

 

[Dubsie]

Daughter used to ride a Sec A that had been long reined for miles around the roads, and lives in a field beside a busy road with bends on (lots of screechy tyres) opposite the main Paddington line - completely bombproof, she does look at stuff but doesn't react beyond a flick of the ear, although I once saw her jump the shadow of a street light (unexpectedly from the rider's point of view), but I suspect she thought it was boggy or a hole she might trip in.

 

[Vixen Van Debz]

Ouch - hope you mend quickly!

My RS have a 'bombproof' schoolmaster pony - the 14.2 that's been there, done it all, is as sharp as a tack mentally and is suitable for experienced riders or first timers, from little 10 year olds to more elderly adults. He's never batted an eyelid at the RAF overhead, all the new jumps put up outdoors, the traffic, other horses bolting... but he finally spooked about a fortnight ago, leaving his 40 something, novice rider on the floor. Even the 'bombproof' horses are still herd animals with a survival instinct!

 

[EAST KENT]

A suede seat saver acts like velcro,and no not all horses spook,a very annoying stupid habit IMO

 

[blackhorse37]

Buy a kids rubber ring (you know, the type they bob about on in the sea!) I broke my coccyx years ago and still have occasional trouble with it but the ring really helps sort it out!
As for the spooking, my chap is the same, i feel your pain and hope you feel better soon

 

[Jane_Lou]

My super grey boy who is on loan to a lovely lady who had totally lost her confidence spooked in the school tonight for the first time in as long as I can remember (for that read years!), she stayed on but was shocked to say the least! Mind you he forgot about it as soon as it happened and carried on as if nothing had happened - he really has a goldfish brain, once round the bowl and he has forgotten everything

 

[KittyJay]

neck strap and sheepskin saddle cover. somebody i know swears by stirrups a whole shorter, she says she falls off a lot less now.

i did my coccyx in snowboarding and it hurt like hell at the time then not too much after but it did persist for a year - i couldn't sit directly on my bum without a little electric jolt up my spine. years later i still sit slightly on one bumcheek on a hard chair!! feel for you!

may i suggest a couple of extra pairs of knickers or leggings? sounds ridiculous but i now snowboard only with a little cushion pinned inside my ski trousers!

 

[Damnation]

I used to ride a stallion and he was truly unflappable. He would have a sing and a dance if you rode past mares but a million articulated lorries, a bomb could go off and he would just keep walking. He nannied youngsters out hacking. Absolutely amaizing to ride, dressage schoolmaster. A girl hacked him and told me he spooked at a bonfire.. I said "Ya what?? MAestro?? Spook?? He doesn't know how!!" and the girl then said "I mean spook, I mean a slightly bigger walk step" LOL!
I remember it was a windy day on a main road and a lorry went past about a foot away from me and Maestro.. I nearly had a heart attack, and let out a bit of a yelp I didn't realise it was going past. He just keeeeeept walking, on the buckle end of the reins!
RIP Maestro, he truly was an anazing horse and schoolmaster.

 

[tallyho!]

Aww bless you hun, hope you get better soon. Ouchy ouchy....

Well, I don't know how but after all my my years I've been really lucky and always had really unspooky ponies.

This last one though decide drain covers were predators and leaped and yeleped (yes, like a dog) until one day I tricked him into walking over one.

Moral is don't let them control you... every spook is worth investigating.This means, when they spook, go back and look what the hell it was and offer niceties.

 

[swampdonkey]

thank you for all your reply's. Some of you sound really lucky but I guess they all need that flight reaction to a certain extent. I think just because I am so uncomfortable at the minute the thought of it happening again is terrifying. Hopefully as the pain eases I won't be thinking about it so much.

 

[kirstyhen]

My old lad isn't spooky at all, used to be spooky and nappy, but he soon got the idea of life. My rising 5 year old Mare has the odd spook (she's allowed the occasional one, being as it's her first time seeing most things!) but they are just stops and looks, she's not jumpy and she will go up to anything after a moments pause, pat and encouragement.
She is also bred to show jump, has plenty of jump, is as bright as a button and easy peasy to handle. Not all 'competition' horses have to be sharp and difficult!

 

[SO1]

No I don't think there is, in some cases it is just luck that they have not come across anything they are worried about but there will be something that frightens them, after all they are living animals and won't completely fearless or unsurprised. Even though I am not afraid of birds if something does suddenly fly out of a bush it does make me jump so I would not be surprised if a horse has the same reaction.

My pony as a youngster was not spooky but as he has got older he has got a sharper and spookier but interestingly his results in competitions have also improved as well and he is more forward thinking and reactive in general.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Some horses have a greater tolerance than others for things happening around them but as the trainers of the Metropolitan police horses have always said.....THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BOMB PROOF HORSE!. Even the most steady of horses will occasionally have a spook at something.

 

[Snowysadude]

I have had 2, a bombproof little cob whos idea of a spook (and only if say something actually exploded behind him) was to take two steps foward of trot.... And my dumblood whos idea of a spook is to stop dead and stare (again very rare and never at normal stuff, never spooks in the school etc, its generally if something has changed dramatically), I have to drop my reins and put my leg on, then he decides its ok and attempts to eat said offending item as he walks past! So yes there are horses that never "spook" dangerously, they all have it in them but some are a bit more switched off to the scary things than others

 

[E_Lister]

Ellie is as close to bombproof as I have ever found in a horse.

She walks past anything. She had a train come past about 5m away the other day and didn't even flick her ear at it whilst I jumped almost into the next county.

I have only had one thing that actually made her even adjust her stride. A badger jumping into a gate... it bumped its head, fell back and grunted. She literally stood still until I picked up the contact and asked her to move on.

She does flinch at things, but as I say, she has only ever once broken stride.

She is still a flight animal, and in a way it is more dangerous if she does one day decide to spook, because let me assure you, I won't be ready for it!!

(and she definately isn't perfect, apart from hacking and driving she has done nothing else... schooling her is how I imagine schooling an angry rhino!)

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Our first horse, a gelding, had worked in Blackpool, pulling a landau. He ignored dustbin wagons grinding the rubbish up, fire-engines, ambulances, motor-bikes. He enjoyed snorting at young cattle and watching them run away. He even ignored the lion that used to sit on its owner's garage roof and watch us go past.
He was 'completely bombproof' until the day he shot across the road (fortunately taking me with him) as we passed a steam jet coming out of the wall of a woollen mill (it was a long time ago).
We hacked a Clydesdale mare home when we bought her, she didn't turn a hair at the 30+ whooping and hollering past us, or at the milk tanker which past us on a narrow winding road, in both directions, or the ambulance, complete with flashing lights and siren. The cows in the field at the side of the road turned her to jelly though. As did the 3 colts which followed us along the fence side on a hack almost 10 yrs later.
The piebald cob mare has never taken any notice of traffic but did run backwards up the road when a hydrangea head blew off the bush towards her.
So no, I don't think that any horse can be relied on to be steady in absolutely any situation but of course, some are more reliable than others.

 

[LaurenM]

It's hard not to reflect but as you've mentioned, it'll effect your confidence.

Have you tried her on a calmer? This may eliminate some of your nerves subconsciously making you more confident. Global herbs transformed my nervy nappy horse into a chilled relaxed yet responsive horse. It helped me loads too as I believe it works so feel a lot more confident and positive about riding. I used to dread it but love riding now..or will once Ive recovered from broken L1.

Wishing you a smooth recovery.

 

[PennyJ]

What are you feeding your horse?

I found one of ours got a whole lot better when we removed cereals from his diet. And molasses too, but I don't think they are necessarily relevant here. Yes he'll still spook, but its genuine fright now (like a deer running out in front of him) rather than scary tractors on roads, imaginary things in hedges which used to set him off before, the bogeyman etc. Obvious genuine fear I can cope with, it probably made me jump too. The other thing is we now talk to him a lot and tell him how brave he's being (helps me too), he puffs up with pride at being such a good boy, and bingo, another hazard successfully negotiated... And this method has built up mine and my daughters confidence too (daughter was terrified of meeting tractors on him)

 

[brighteyes]

I had a mare who never spooked at ANYTHING. She was as brave as a lion and I think had been here before...