Let's Spook At EVERYTHING! Anyone else?

My old lad (the late, great Jasper) was usually fairly bombproof but did like to have a token spook while on hacks. On one occasion he clearly forgot and ignored huge lorries, tractors etc. Obviously remembered when we were nearly home and frantically looked for on excuse........... very scary and dangerous, those bus tickets, lying there in pudles in wait for innocent, defenceless 16.1 IDxTBs!!
 
My chap scared himself when a bit of mud flew from under his hoof into tge hedge - was so funny! Oh and then there's white flowers by the side of the road but one pony I rode scared himself farting!! He let out a huge one and then proceeded to shoot forward as he was scared of the noise behind him!! Lol
 
My first mare had Uveiitis and I used to say we don't go hacking we go spooking.


My boy will find anything , searching as we went to find something.
 
Had a terrible ride this week in the school, he was taking the p*** so much - spooking at everything. And I mean EVERYTHING - just been really naughty. Ignored it for about 10 mins (this usually works and he gets bored so then just behaves) but he just got worse. Sorry to say the whip came out and he got a few hard smacks on his bottom and trotted in very tight circles until he was begging me to walk. Then was like an angel. Honestly, wanted to kill the little sod that day. Rode him the day before on a hack and he was perfect, rode him the day after in the school and he was perfect also, just shows he can be a little monkey when he wants to for no reason. I don't mind if he's genuinely scared but he wasn't.

I punished him further by not giving him the swede I'd bought him. Took it home and cooked it myself instead. ;-)
 
Down a local lane is a large log that normally resides in front of a gate. Today it had been moved to beside the road. Cue one 17.2 going past it on the wrong side of the road, like Michael Flatley warming up for a show.

At the end of the road a farmer had had the complete audacity to half plough a field - cue full brakes applied, lots of eye-balling and snorting - wouldn't mind if the farmer had put multi-coloured stripes in the field and giant ogres, but really - a ploughed field!?!?!

Finally on the way back, the same log came into view and what can I say........... he went past it like said MF in full dance mode.

Thinking of entering him into Strictly for next year.
 
My mare reared up today at being asked to stand next to a dead badger as a car came past!!! Poor driver looked shocked, I just said she wants to be a film star!!!
 
My boy will have a poo on the way out of our hack, and then spook at it on the way back....

He also has to have a good snort and jump to the side at the trailer that has been parked by the side of the school for the past 4 months, along with the jump wings that have laid dormant in the corner for a similar amount of time.
Parked cars are a big one for us. He doesn't seem to trust their motives.
We've also found hacking in the rain doesn't work - the 'whssssh' noise that car tyres make on wet tarmac are enough to send him into meltdown!

To be fair my guy is only 4 so will let him off, for now!
 
You know the paving stones on the pavement that have bobbles on (the ones at crossings for blind/partially sighted people), they will eat your horse. They really will, thus you must spooks to the other side of the road away from them, and then all the way back to the other side of the road when you see the ones on the other side. :D Also, stones at the side of the road to stop people from parking on the verge. Petrifying.

Some days, the drains have trolls in, other they don't. And let's not talk about the monsters disguised as sticks on the verge...
 
And, by the way, whose bright idea was it to put a very large multicoloured dragon made out of recycled rubbish in the bushes at the side of one of our popular bridleways? That was an adventure..............!
 
Haha these have all made me laugh out loud at work. I read some to my non horsey co workers who just stared at me not really understanding the concept of 'spooking' and why I thought it was all so funny. Mine spooks at poo too, usually on the second lap round the school after he's just done it. Mind you, took him out on bin day recently and he was good as gold, then took him in the school last night following the horrible episode where we majorly fell out (posted above) and he didn't put a hoof wrong this time! Cannot predict him at all, sometimes it's like I get to the yard and my angel pony is there, other times I arrive and he's been replaced with some naughty devil horse from Hell!
 
SassieSoz said:
Finally on the way back, the same log came into view and what can I say........... he went past it like said MF in full dance mode.

Thinking of entering him into Strictly for next year.
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Ha! The funny thing about this is about 99.9% people on this whole forum will have experienced this over something like a log, bag, pile or bricks, rather than something actually awful like a tractor! Pea-brains.
 
Well, mine was being a prat out in the field this morning, how dare it be bright and sunny with a cold breeze!! The ramblers crossing the field was the last straw so brought her in to ride, tacked up and led her to the gate and had second thoughts as she was eyes out on stalks and staring into the distance at the top of the hill!! So she went back to the safety of her stable!!
Roll on summer...
 
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Killer cat that he's known for over a year.
Man standing doing nothing (had stopped digging as we went past). We had a plant and dragon snorting.
Log masquerading as an alligator in the ditch.
Friend sat on grooming box in his stable-she'd been there for ten minutes already so god knows why he decided to jump feet up in the air at her suddenly. :rolleyes3:
Empty space where tractor is normally parked. Ridiculous horse!
 
lhotse said:
Well, mine was being a prat out in the field this morning, how dare it be bright and sunny with a cold breeze!! The ramblers crossing the field was the last straw so brought her in to ride, tacked up and led her to the gate and had second thoughts as she was eyes out on stalks and staring into the distance at the top of the hill!! So she went back to the safety of her stable!!
Roll on summer...
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My mare I used to have was like this - sometimes when I tacked her up and took her out to get on, I could tell she was in a stupid, impossible mood. I began to just put her back in her stable and not bother riding - it really really wasn't worth the stress and the battle ahead. She'd be fine the next few weeks and back to normal but every now and again I'd just have to admit defeat before I'd even started! (Chestnut TBX mare BTW...)
 
My chestnut mare was fine, this one is a grey pure bred arab mare with attitude!! Actually quite glad I didn't ride in the end though as the glare from the wet roads in the sun would have made it dangerous at certain points in our ride so maybe the horse had the right idea in putting me off!!
 
Another one with an olymic gold medallist at spooking. She can spook at anything and everything. The best one was when a neighbour asked me to ride out with their young horse who was causing problems. We had a gigantic spook at some drain pipes that were lying at the side of the road waiting to be used. that wouldn't have been too bad except that the young horse was between her and the pipes and didn't bat an eyelid! Have wondered in the past how good her eyesight is but as she can see things to spook at from a long way away I don't think so but it might be something to do with the fact that she is a chestnut mare and half arab to boot.
Also had a lovely pony for my son - absolutely bomb proof and would pass everything without a murmur except brown bracken hanging out the hedge in the Autumn.
 
Optimissteeq said:
My favourite spook (if there is such a thing) is when he shied quite violently at a little squirrel that was sitting on top of a 5 bar gate. The poor quireel also got a fright and fell off the gate, hitting the gate several times on the way down - I could hear his little head bang against the gate but then had to hang on as my boy had fled for dear life down the road....
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*crying*


My lad (PBW and liver chestnut) is still terrified of sheep, the one he was turned out with for over a year is fine but all others are evil! Other things include his shadow, funny coloured leaves, twigs, boulders, stones, drains - especially ones that go all the way across the road, his own farts and anything he chooses on any particular day. I swear he thinks he's a TB :rolleyes3:
 
fattylumpkin said:
Had some real success yesterday with a cap of Magic Calmer in my mare's feed :) did exactly what it says on the label, got my chilled out mare back and we had a lovely long hack together. Thanks again Polly and Cheshire Chestnut!
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Probably a lot cheaper to buy magnesium oxide, it's the main component of most of the calmers :)
 
My girl is super super spooky. She spooks at 'nothing' quite often - she will stand staring and snorting at thin air!

Anything new which appears anywhere sets her off, plus the sound of rattly trailers, and she even tried to charge off with me because a squirrel was sat on a fence once minding it's own business. :(

She is surprisingly good with things blowing about in the wind though - she doesn't tend to worry with plastic bags etc.
 
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