Perfume that mask 'smell of fear' experiances?!

ElleSkywalker

ElleSkywalker

As excited as Kitty about to be a bridesmaid
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Hi guys,

I have a very beautiful but erm, sharp, 14hh NF pony, for one reason or another she hasn't been ridden properly for over a year. She now has to come into work, (had nasty bout of concussion lami :( ) and to be honest riding her has never been my strong point!

She is much better with anyone but me on her back, although still not perfect. I don't have anyone else who can rider her so its up to me which is fine as would really love to be able to ride her well she is a lovely pony, and has lots of potential that she has never got to reach :)

Now don't get me wrong, am not a total wuss, my other horse is far spookier, sharper than this one, I also happily ride anyone elses nutty horses, but for some reason, me & this pony just don't gel :(

I long reined her today, (can't do this perminantly, she gets very bored easily, can't even do the same hack more than once every 2 weeks as she kicks off!!) and she was perfect;

What Poppy DIDN'T spook at;

Gale force winds
Flapping electric fence
Sheep running away from her
Sheep running towards her
Her 'mum' horse neighing to her
Waving hedges & branches
Big white mineral lick in field
Tractor parked behind hedge

What Poppy did spook at;

Dog barking behind hedge

Think I can forgive her for that one! :D

So this I think proves what I have always known, it is ME that makes her misbehave, and walking along behind rather than on her is close enough to reassure her but not so close that my racing heart, sweaty palms and smell of pooping my pants affects her.

So options now are;

Adopt a teenager to ride her
Braek her to harness (annoyingly I have a full set of harness & trap but Shetland sized! :mad:)
Coat self in Lavender oil to calm me & Pony
Try one of theses fear masking sprays in back of H&H
Suck it up, stop being a wuss and ride the damned pony :rolleyes:

So guys anyone used any of these sprays? Is it just a placebo effect? Any actual scientific evidence behind them??

Jaffa Cakes and a nice brew to all who get this far, would have been some nice Galaxy bites but OH ate the ALL :mad:
 
Get on her, smile, sing along to yourself and everything she so much as thinks of spooking give her leg. Make sure shes not looking over hedges, ears to the side etc, make her listen to you 100% and use your fear as attack, ride , ride , ride her on .... failing that try plan B, then C lol XX
 
I tried Pax when we clipped Hugo's hairy chin! He was really afraid of the clippers and I just put some on my hands and stroked his face (it is supposed to calm horse and/or rider). He did seem to calm and let us clip him - so I guess that was a success! Ask me again after we have attempted a full clip later this year :eek::eek:
 
Thanks Mrshutt & Horserider, I can't find the add for the Pax calmer stuff that is usually in H&H, do you know if I can buy it in a wee bottle like essential oils? Is it an essential oil??!! :confused:

DD - you are right, I need to 'ride' her more positively, I tend to sit quietly on her but with my other horse I do really ride her forward amoungst the spooks, skips & bounches, she never worries me, this might be coz I feel more in control as am actually riding her not just sitting there hoping she won't spook?!! :o
 
ElleSkywalker said:
Thanks Mrshutt & Horserider, I can't find the add for the Pax calmer stuff that is usually in H&H, do you know if I can buy it in a wee bottle like essential oils? Is it an essential oil??!! :confused:

DD - you are right, I need to 'ride' her more positively, I tend to sit quietly on her but with my other horse I do really ride her forward amoungst the spooks, skips & bounches, she never worries me, this might be coz I feel more in control as am actually riding her not just sitting there hoping she won't spook?!! :o
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Yeah lol, the min u just sit there, they start being dicks and walking with the handbrake on.. looking for trouble, i hate spooky horses, but always ride through it, a horse doing a really punchy walk is less likely to spook! .... not sure the smell thing alone would work as they pick up on you gripping with your arse lol XX
 
Thanks MH & HR, will get some, I think, can't hurt can it?! Have some nice lavender oil so will try that tomorrow as a comparison as I know lavender works on me, hummmm sleepy even thinking about it :D

Also MH let us know how the full clip goes, can't beleive we are nearly at that time of year already!!

DD, chuckle, good point but most of my ass is fat so not sure she can feel too much gripping ;) more a wibbly jelly quivering on her saddle perhaps!

Here's the little dear, not great picture, note the innocent expression :o damn my feebleness

picture.php
 
Definitely the rider IME. Suggest Rescue Remedy for you anyway.

Not scientifically proven, but seemed to work for us. We have a strongly opinionated NF, and until recently I know my daughter was very apprehensive about what he would do (usually involving running off), so much so we were giving him NAF Magic for shows, and prior to pony club camp we put him on D&H Placid - which smells lovely its a herbal calmer with magnesium to go in the feed. Also we put daughter on Rescue Remedy (hidden in orange juice for breakfast prior to a show) as she got herself into such a state! Now having got a bit more trust in each other, he is calm because she is calm. She even smiles in the warm up! We've dropped the Magic, the rescue remedy and, as the Placid has run out I'm not buying a new tub and will see if he goes back to his old ways.

I have to say if I ever ride him he behaves, which I don't often as I am not a very good rider having barely ridden for 30 years and I don't really like going faster than a trot. However if I am riding, I ignore everything he might spook at so he really doesn't spook often if at all, and even if he does spook I laugh at him and tell him not to be a prat - and he gives me a very sheepish eye and instantly slows back down to the pace I've told him (but that might be because I weigh about 3st more than daughter AND bounce about a bit more, so spooking is not as comfortable with me!). I was always told horses are pack animals and need a leader to follow, so, I assume the role of leader and confidently tell him what I expect, even if I am not that proficient at the telling bit he is clear from my manner that there is nothing to be scared of because I am ignoring it therefore it is safe, and thus he doesn't (need to) leap off sideways. If I see a hazard such as a plastic bag in the hedge I don't look at it once I've spotted it - horses sense your adjustment to swivel the head and look therefore they will also look at what you are looking at = cue to spook. I know it's there but don't look at it again, I look ahead and assume there will be no reaction because it is 'only' a plastic bag and thus no different to being a blackberry bush in a hedge, bit of a different colour but there are plenty about = NORMAL. Thus we are able to proceed past this and other oddities such as dumped sheets of plasterboard or tyres completely without incident. Daughter tends to go 'oh no there's xyz ahead' and then spend time faffing about saying he won't like it and then he DOES spook when we get to it I'm sure because he is looking at it because she is. He defintely is far less spooky with me.

Would singing to your pony, which should at least control your breathing and make you seem less worried, and making a point of only looking ahead help?
 
Thanks Dubsie, have tried singing (pony has her own little song I made up for her) which helps a bit by distracting me & variations on not looking at spooky things & exaggerated looking at spooky things, neither of which seems to make any difference to behavior! I think this is coz it is backed up by my feeble 'quiet' riding rather than strong forward riding!

You are right it is def me, I need to man up & ride her more like my other mare who I ride strongly & growl 'get in with it' if she hesitates at all, which works a treat! I honestly just don't trust the pony so in turn doesn't trust me as am not providing her with leadership!

Interesting that u gave daughter rescue remedy in her juice, I take it she didn't know it was in there, thus meaning any calming reaction was genuine not the placebo effect? Great idea!

Thanks for ur help, have ordered the pax spray as can't hurt to try everything! :D

Also think my Mum has some rescue remedy squirreled away somewhere........
 
You can get Betablockers on prescription. They mask all the adrenalin symptoms - shaking hands, dry mouth, pounding heart. Musicians use them often to deal with stage fright. Probably a last resort but if it really is your horse picking up your fear that's causing the problem, then it could do the trick. personally, I couldn't take them - singing, as someone said earlier, is a good idea, or just carrying on a one sided conversation in a sing-sing voice (if anyone heard what I told my horse, they'd think I was nuts!!):)
 
ElleSkywalker said:
Thanks MH & HR, will get some, I think, can't hurt can it?! Have some nice lavender oil so will try that tomorrow as a comparison as I know lavender works on me, hummmm sleepy even thinking about it :D

Also MH let us know how the full clip goes, can't beleive we are nearly at that time of year already!!

DD, chuckle, good point but most of my ass is fat so not sure she can feel too much gripping ;) more a wibbly jelly quivering on her saddle perhaps!

Here's the little dear, not great picture, note the innocent expression :o damn my feebleness

picture.php
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Sorry to say this, but I don't believe a word you say, how on earth can that angelic little pony cause anyone any worry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
a nip of gin (you) some lavender oil (both) and the final option while singing twinkle twinkle little star, if any one hears you blame the gin!!
 
ElleSkywalker said:
Interesting that u gave daughter rescue remedy in her juice, I take it she didn't know it was in there, thus meaning any calming reaction was genuine not the placebo effect? Great idea!

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Click to expand...

We originally offered her the Rescue Remedy - she took it once and declared it was horrid and refused to take it again. We thought it HAD worked, so thereafter she had a glass of the posh orange juice with bits with RR in for breakfast on show day, but she definitely didn't know it was in there. However we've often forgotten lately, although there is a tin of blackcurrant RR pastilles in the car she sometimes has one. She's competed lots this summer for PC so really is nowhere near as nervous as she used to be.
 
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