naughty spooks

[dizzyf]

How do I stop my horse spooking for no reason other than naughtiness?

Ended up in A&E on Wednesday night having almost broken my ankle.

Naughty horse - what he does is, stop dead/almost run backwards just because another horse was being led past the menage into the field. He's done it a few times. Although he has been ridden in the same menage for nearly a year, he seems to look for thigs to spook at. He's more badly behaived in our menage than out at shows.

Because I flew off and was then in pain I wasn't able to tell him off. When he's done it before, he gets a good smack and then behaves himself. He's nearly 9 and I've had him for nearly a year. I joke and say he has ADhD - but I think he really does!!

 

[Toffee44]

Long rein him in the school and do some ground work maybe?

Maybe if you have a friend willing to get on him get her/him to ride and watch him see if she does anything differently or maybe see if you could handle the situation differently. If you watch the scenario externally you might have a brain wave

I only really hack so cant really give any schooling ideas

 

[ladyt25]

My horse has spooked ever since I have owned him (15 years). Parked cars are his worst things really. I try ignore it now to be honest as he's not dangerous and does not react violently or anything like that - he's just a drama queen. I am convinced he likes the adrenalin rush!

If I ever have a lesson he will have picked a corner of a school that is 'terrifying' and this doesn't seem to matter if he's been in the school before or not. He'll be scared of wings or poles that may be stacked in a corner when, in reality I know damn well he's not scared (he is a very cocky, into everything type horse). I think he does it to take my mind of getting him to work. Once I get serious with him he tends to stop though but it can take a good while and I have to normally avoid that corner til he's listening to me!

I did have a good lesson fairly recently though with a very good instructor - she pointed out how he was making ME look at said scary item and getting away with avoiding going near it. She made me physically turn my body to the inside (ie away from said scary stuff) and use my inside leg and outside hand to get him to move towards the object in question. Funnily enough it did work - you have to take your eyes off what the horse is looking at, turn YOUR body away and drive him on.

Some horses will always spook - it's supposed to be a good trait in a careful shojwumper - it's a case of getting the horse to work when you want to though, Mine too is mush worse at home than at comps. It's like he knows at comps he has to be a bit more serious whereas at home I maybe am not riding as seriously as at a show and he knows it.

I think the key is to ride through it and not make a huge issue. Hitting the horse actually does not really get you anywhere. I have done it with mine and I know it hasn't worked and regret ding it but it is so maddening when the piss about. Still, patience and firm riding is the key really.

 

[stencilface]

If he stops dead and runs backwards then I would place someone behind him with a lunge whip, not to hit him, just for him to run into (well hopefully if he has any sense, he'll stop when he sees the whip)

Have you sat these before? I would if you can when he goes backwards, make him go backwards until you want to stop, that can generally stop them if they learn that going backwards does not get them out of anything.

How long will you be off for with a broken ankle? Canm you get someone else to ride him, and you be the whip holder

 

[soulfull]

To be honest that sounds more like nappy than spooky. They can also use spooky behaviour to be nappy and as you say he is worse in your own arena that does suggest a clever pony using it to nap rather than a real spook

I would treat it as you would if he was napping to the gate

 

[chestnut cob]

My horse does the stop dead and run backwards thing occasionally (rarely, thankfully). The only thing that stops him is to, the second he thinks about it, open one rein right out so that his neck is bent right around. He can't go anywhere like that. It looks hideous and I'm sure plenty of people will tell me how cruel I am, but it's better than reversing down a ditch (which he did out hunting

). Then realise and kick him forwards.

As for in the school, I'd just say try to keep him really busy. He shouldn't have time to be concentrating on what other people are doing, otherwise I'd say he isn't listening to you. Again, sounds mean but when he spooks, as him to do something different (ie, canter transistion, change rein, lateral work) and if he ignores you, back the request up with a smack. Shouldn't take him long to realise that he has to listen to you. My Welshy used to randomly spook and ignore me; the instructor I went to at the time told me that the moment he tried to ignore me, ask him to do something different, keep him busy, never do the same circle twice.

 

[Dubsie]

Agree with Chestnut Cob - we have a slightly spook look at everything type of pony, and when he's working properly and is kept busy listening to my daughter he doesn't notice the things that make his eyes go out on stalks like the dogs running in the park next door or the lady longreining her pony back up the road.

 

[dizzyf]

Thank you, all useful tips. Some I have tried before, just need to stay on him!

 

[Puzzles]

I would be careful not to assume it's naughtiness: to you, his napping (I agree that it sounds more like napping than spooking) is irrational and without reason, but it is not within the nature of any horse to deliberately be difficult or try to piss you off. You need to be the confident, assertive and understanding leader that your horse is trying to provoke you into being. If he doesn't respect or trust you then he will not feel comfortable enough to listen to your judgement and follow your lead. Making the right thing easy and the undesired behaviour difficult (i.e. by consistently asking him to move forward by tickling his sides or bum with your whip or a light branch, flipping your reins, clicking your tonguie and using your seat, then relaxing the rein contact and stopping all these behaviours once he takes so much as a step forward) consistently, should help him to get the right idea. Be careful not to get angry with him as this will only reinforce that he cannot trust or follow you.
If smacking him with a whip- worked and communicated the right message to your hrose, then you would never need t use it again. The thing is, whips are more often used to express the rider's frustration and/or anger than anything else. They don't show the horse how you want him to behave or encourage him to think. And to be honest, a napping, frightened or otherwise highly energised/reactive horse is not encouraged to settle and listen to his rider by a short, sharp sting if the whip. Using this method also encourages him to fight you - napping has never, and will never, be completely solved by physical force. You can never use your physicality for power with your horse, so use your brain instead.
I can appreciate that you're feeling pretty frustrated and annoyed at this point, but have you tried seeing another rider ride your horse, or having some lessons specifically to work on this problem?

Good luck!

 

[dizzyf]

my sisters and I have regular lessons on the same horse, and he behaves the same for each of us (3 of us very different) As long as he is concentrating he is ok, so we have to constantly keep his attention on us by working him hard. He seems to have a very low concentration span, so we stop when he gets tired, and we praise him a lot when he does well.