Nervous horse = nervous rider! WWYD?

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Hecken92

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I have a 16 y.o gelding that I've owned for the past 4 years. He was bought unseen (bad choice, I know! But he was going for slaughter) and to start with, was a lovely horse to hack out on and we went miles together.
After a slight accident (no injuries, just fright) 2 and a half years ago, he's been nervous when going anywhere new (even in company) and has bolted with me down a main road! His being nervous has made me nervous (especially as I wasn't hugely confident before) and so we ride the same old hack and nothing more outside of the school.
WWYD in this situation? I don't want to sell him because I don't want to give up on him. Should I get an instructor to do some work with him? Or persevere with taking him new places and just hope nothing scares him?
 
a nervous rider also = a nervous horse;) i'd find a sympathetic instructor who can work on rebuilding your confidence in eachother and teach you how to cope with your nerves and his:)
 
Oh dear, sounds like you're both going through a tough time. I would contact a good instructor in your area ( where ever that may be, I know some good ones in Lancashire) And I would go through all the usual checks, back, teeth, saddle etc. What exactly does your horse do when placed in these new environments? Have you tried hacking him out with someone walking with you on the ground? Can you walk him in hand on these new routes to get him used to it?
Sorry if i'm not much use, just thinking!
 
I have sort of been where you are now, I got George 5 years ago and he was my first horse :) to start with we hacked everywhere and had fun, but then 6mths after getting him I had a scary fall out hacking when something spooked him (no injuries than goodness), but I lost my already not great confidence :( I was nervous and George was nervous and I had a number of falls and got to the point that I was scared to hack and scared to canter :(

The things that really helped me were an instructor who gave me lots of confidence and just pushed me that tiny step further each time I had a lesson i.e. a couple of strides of canter one week, half of the long side the next and so on. I also had a friend at the yard who was willing to ride George once a week and watching her ride him with no problems, really helped.

With regards hacking I put a martingale on so he couldn't fling his head up if he got worrried (something he used to do) and also so I had a neck strap for security. If I wanted to hack somewhere new I would actually walk the route on foot with George inhand (in a bridle) first, I then felt so much more confident when it came to riding. I also used to ride with someone trusted, or get my OH to come along with me on his bike - just talking to someone else helps you to relax and of course your horse senses this. Also if you are on your own, singing out loud (well not too loudly) is great for helping you to relax which again helps your horse.

I really hope this helps a bit, I really was a jibbering wreck at times and the tiniest scary thing would make me cry :( but I am also stubborn and I loved George to bits and didn't want to give up or lose him. Now we enjoy SJ, XC, fun rides, dressage etc. but I am always aware that my confidence is fragile so never over stretch myself.

Good luck :)
 
So, what happened in your accident 2 and a half years ago? This is obviously been the trigger from what you've said if, prior to that he and you were hacking out fine. When you say he bolted down the road - what set him off and how far did he go?
I've had my horse 17 years and he never does anything dangerous but he is spooky. About 2 or 3 years ago my mum was hacking him out and could hear an ambulance coming along the lane. No idea why but the ambulance had it's sirens on even though the road was clear and when they appeared up and over the brow of the hill where my mum was my horse understandably was scared and he turned tail and ran off down the road.

He didn't run that far and my mum actually came off when he steadied to trot as she'd lost her balance. He then proceeded to run home. Mum was attended to by the ambulance that had caused the incident. After this (maybe a week or so) I was riding him out and a tractor came towards me with a silage bale on the spike on the front. He did the same with me and spun and tried to run away BUT after the inital spin and slipping I pulled him up and made him stand still and we waited for the tractor to pass.

He's not done anything similar since and I think the whole ambulance thing just shocked him.

I think it sounds like this is your problem, your horse has had a fright (as have you) and because you are maybe a bit nervous you are not giving him the confidence to get back to 'normal'. I think you may benefit from getting someone more confident to ride him out for you (if possible you ride something else that's sensible with them) and help to rebuild his confidence.

If you did rescue him from slaughter I assume you know little of his past so for all you know the incident you have could have reawakened old fears he has of something that's happened.
 
GG: that gave me a lot of hope as it sounds exactly like me and Monty - I only cantered him for the first time this year!
I think I will try the leading him in hand places thing as he'll follow me to the ends of the earth in hand!
 
LadyT - we were on a hack with a friend when a lorry appeared so she trotted off (out of sight!) and my horse panicked and ditched me. Didn't run away though as I was on the ground therefore he was happy because me on the ground = safety! I did get back on but we were both nervous. And the reason he bolted last time was because of a cyclist in White who refused to stop when our horses got scared
 
You have to find your inner calmness to send it to him :)

Can you stay off the roads for a little while if this is where you are both nervous? Untill you work on both being happy again?

When I ride a really nervous horse,I imagine a pool of still water in my belly. That I have to keep this still water very calm and relaxed. I speak to the horse, saying "slow and calm, slow and calm" repeatedly, almost as you would when making a child go to sleep.

Focus on yoru muscles being relaxed and everything around you being calm and steady. The horse picks up on all of this, and will calm down too.

It sounds silly, but it really really works. Ive had nervous riders try it to, and it really helped them to calm down, which greatly helped the horses :)
 
It was just because his owner died and the YO didn't have time to find him a new home before the yard closed. A friend told me about him (she knew him well) and I just took him
 
I have been in a similar but different situation with my horse.

A good instructor is a must - I also travelled to a 'biomechanics' instructor, who was brilliant and made sure that my seat was as secure as it could be - that was a huge step forward in giving me confidence!! (Becky Chapman at Ashen EC).

It is a minor thing, but for me changed the relationship with my horse 100% was clicker training which I have now taken it under saddle. Clicker training is just a way of being very precise on what behaviour you are looking for and giving the horse a reason to enjoy engaging in the learning process.

One of the things I trained to death was just standing for long times in different places, we started in the stable and moved it to different environments slowly increasing the intensity of activity I expected her to just stand and watch and I now use it under saddle and for hacks. I always know that she will stand patiently and wait for a lorry to go past. That confidence that if anything was getting out of hand I can ask my horse to patiently stand and watch was huge. There are also some very good 'spook busting' techniques available. (Alexander Kurland has written a good book, but the Hannah Dawson training videos will get you there quicker!!).
 
I've been there too. Back to basics, tiny steps, and work on rebuilding confidence. How is your confidence in the school? In regards to roads and hacking, long reining and in hand work are your best friend. Get him back out there and let him see that he's not going to die every time he leaves the yard. Keep building that until he's comfortable, then start short hacks in walk only, preferably with sane horses in front and behind. It's all about small victories :)
 
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