JUMPY and scared!

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Mac1999

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I have had my horse for 6 months and he is an absolute star - a real trier, genuine and just a complete sweety.
When he came he was very jumpy - he came from a dealers yard and I put this down to the fact he had probably hadn't been treated with 100% sweetness & light in the past.
He soon settled down (when he first came he didn't know what carrots and mints were and wouldn't eat them! We soon sorted that too!) and has been fab.
But recently he has started getting jumpy again - not when riding as he is good as gold then, doesn't look at anything.
But on the ground he seems constantly ready to take flight and wary - not being naughty but genuinely scared. When the blacksmith came the other day he jumped a post & rail from a standstill to get away (my Mum was there and as far as she is aware he didn't do anything to him) & yesterday he jumped about a foot in the air (all four legs off ground, back arched) when I opened a can of coke at the other end of the yard. He has also got bad when I am getting on, jumping and rearing unless he is held.
Back and teeth have both been done recently.
Is it just a matter of being slow and gentle til I get his trust again? He's not strong at all when ridden so i think his feed is OK/doesn't need calmers?
Why might he have gone backwards all of a sudden after coming on so well??

Thanks!!!
 
Have you been too quiet around him?

My horses constantly have dad mucking around with machinery and doing nasty jobs (banging, machinery, big tractors etc)

The only thing they object to now is welding.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Have you been too quiet around him?

My horses constantly have dad mucking around with machinery and doing nasty jobs (banging, machinery, big tractors etc)

The only thing they object to now is welding.

[/ QUOTE ]
That's a really good point. We try not to be too quiet around the horses because that's not always beneficial.

But it is odd that he was so upset with the blacksmith.

Was anyone with him at the time??
 
Agree about eye check, but if you conclude that it is purely a behavioural issue not a medical one, would recommend clicker training.
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lots of good books out there, look up clicker training horses, and when he knows what it's all about you can work on rewarding him for being calm and still with relaxed body and head low.
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But underline three times... After he understands how it works, then only give the click when he is doing something you want him to repeat, only give the treat when he is being polite about taking it from you.
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My Mum was around (doing bits in the yard) but not actually stood with him.
I am not super quiet with him, we have the radio on, two dogs running round and another couple of ponies. I am quiet when I handle him though else he just pulls back to the point he breaks the fence.
He's on half a scoop pasture mix, half a scope horse and pony nuts & half a scoop mollichop plus carrots and supplements, twice a day. I ride him five/six days a week, including one lesson and one competition usually. He's out for about 6 hours a day, in with hay at night. He is fine to ride (not to strong, not at all spooky) and will jump anything/not look at anything XC which is why it's so weird he is scared of silly things (opening a can of coke, a pony tied at the other end of the yard being sprayed with fly spray)
And he settled in so well, and now he is worse than when I first got him?!? And it seems to have happened quite suddenly?? Maybe the blacksmith thing has upset him?????
 
I wonder if he's just 'fit and well' then?????

If it's any consolation - my horse would jump at the fizz noise a can of coke makes. And if he is slightly nervy then I would always stand with him whilst he was being shod.

Good luck with him, I'm sure he's fine.
 
Yes, my friend's horse is like this. Fly spray is an absolute no no, and you have to be very careful about any spooky things round him.
To be fair he was only gelded last year after being used to cover mares and had been handled in a very 'business like' way, no fuss etc because he was so 'studdy'.
She's slowly getting him used to being preened and polished and farriers etc know he's a bit jumpy. Her attitude is that she knows he's like that so doesn't take risks but doesn't worry too much because if she's tense it makes him worse.
He's also a lot better when you ride him - he coped with her brother 'finding' a manhole cover while topping around the arena the other day!
Think it will probably improve, but some horses are always more sensitive to handle - my old hunter was a nightmare on the ground but great once you were on board!
 
Sounds like he's fit to me and is being a tad silly! I think many horses have their moments like this. As for the getting on thing, i think that's something you may need to work on as that could end up being rather dangerous. Teeth and back I'd check first before working on getting some manners from him!

he may just be an oversensitive type though.Quite often once a horse has settled in and got over the 'shock' of a new place and new things they then decide to notice anything and everything. Also some seem to be more sounds sensitive than sight sensitive so it could be it's loud/strange noises that upset him. If that's the case let him see thinsg as much as possible beforehand. I think it will more than likely improve. all horses will have their little quirks though at the end of the day. Be firm but fair, I think that's the best way to deal with it and don't make too mcuih of a fuss when he overreacts to something - ignore it as much as you can.
 
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