riding a spooky and lively horse...

[TarantuLove]

How do you survive? Without just getting off and walking?

Planning to hack my nutcase out today but his little brain can't cope with all the excitement and he usually ends up jogging and napping like mad...

 

[sallyellis]

well I can only speak for myself and my mare who is a big 16.1hh and continually spooks at nothing/everything/her own shadow!!! I have long stirrups and try to anticipate anything I might see and keep my leg on ride forward other than that I sit it out and try to think forward so if I see an obstacle I try to react ie if its a bus pull her over so it can pass safely - good luck, try to be calm and not react to the spook negatively and hopefully enjoy yourself. ps do you have a calmer horse that can accompany you as a nanny?

 

[canteron]

.... by giving them something else to think about? I am afraid that after years of hacking out a horse and being spooked into everything (which eventually makes it not a lot of fun), I now ride her out in a double reined mullen mouth Pelham, then I can really concentrate her mind and make her work!

I know that not everyone agrees with stronger bits and it doesn't work for all horses, I guess it depends why they are spooking - but in my mind she has a great life, looked after like a queen and for a hour or so a day I expect something back!?

For information, I school, compete, etc in a snaffle .... but just want to hack out occassionally and not end up going sideways into goodness knows what!

 

[Cyberchick]

I am maybe the opposite but I ride in slightly shorter stirrups as I can keep my balance better.
I completly agree that with a horse like that you cant just let them slop along and enjoy the view but you need to work them a bit and get them listening.

 

[Hels_Bels]

The mare i ride Dee is a nutcase really lively and spooky, we were cantering sideways the other day because of bikes coming past us

I sit up, keep legs on, keep hold of contact and try to re assure her when she's spooking

I also prefer Shorter stirrups, i disagree with a stronger bit, she in a loose ring snaffle, though she's lively she wont take off with you

 

[tasel]

[ QUOTE ]
....but in my mind she has a great life, looked after like a queen and for a hour or so a day I expect something back!?

[/ QUOTE ]

That's something I think about ALL my pets, and they don't seem to get it!?! Haha...

 

[ester]

completely depends what mood my boy is in but he can change at a drop of a hat.

I hack him in a gag having had one too many scary incidences in a snaffle which he does most other stuff in but had been quite strongly bitted before he came to me. It just stops him locking on and fixing his neck which is pretty solid so I can then do nada about it!

I also ride a hole longer and he is better and less joggy etc if I keep my leg on.

have to say he is a complete donk most of the time, just occasionally gets a bit bored.

 

[Wigglypigs]

Coming from the girl who has almost given up riding her own horse as i cant cope with the spooking id say having confidence is the biggest tool. Another girl at the yard rides my horse out and because she doesnt tense up and anticipate his spooking he behaves way better for her. I just wish i could bottle her confidence.......

 

[Annagain]

Hae you tried a calmer? I was very sceptical but it's helped so much with my boy. He's not spooky but throws his toys out of the pram if you ask him to do something he doesn't understand in the school and it's made a huge difference to him. Other friends have used it for spooking and say it's really helped. I use Nupafeed as friends who tried them all said it was the best one. There might be a placebo effect in making you more confident but if it works there's no harm in that!

 

[Wigglypigs]

Only recently started mine on a clamer too - he had a full tub of one that made no difference and is now on another.I did ride him on Sunday and enjoyed myself so we will see how he goes.....

 

[blackislegirl]

What works for me and my anxious mare is to keep her on a contact and working, as others have said. I also have trained myself when hacking alone to concentrate on the mare and nothing else. Too many times, when a thought about work or what to have for dinner or something has entered my mind, she has whipped round when a pigeon has fluttered out of a hedge and had me on the floor. I think when my mind wanders my muscles must relax and my leg come off. Also, I had lessons to improve my seat and balance. And I get out of the way of major traffic eg landrovers pulling noisy trailers, lorries etc. I don't fall off nearly so much now but constant vigilance is needed. When we are with others, the mare is much more relaxed as presumably she does not feel in sole charge of looking for horse-eating monsters!

 

[gails]

I really think you have to know yourself and your horse. When I still rode Dexter, loopy TB, I changed his bit to a french link snaffle, he like the occassional change to a pelham, also I found relaxing the contact realy benefited him, also agree with a tad longer stirrup and deffinatly calmer helped.

For you, have you tried breathing techniques, and also bach flower remedy, I really do speak as someone who lost her confidence very badly and still feel very sick before getting on. Is there someone who you can ride out with whos horse is calmer, if not how about someone to bike along side with you, this is what I did when Dexter really had me scared and I fond that as I was concentrating on something other than ' oh my god he will charge off or nap and then we will all die' I was not so tense and before I knew it we got home in one piece without much upset.

Big hugs and stay positive

 

[puddleshark]

I have a Free'n'Easy endurance saddle which is deep enough to keep me in place during minor spooks and unplanned pirouettes, and which really helps with my confidence. My PBA mare tends to be both stuffy and spooky whan fresh - trotting on the spot and holding her breath! - so I have to concentrate on not holding my breath and on sending her forward. If you ride past a deranged woman up on the hill muttering 'Forward, forward, forward' under her breath, that'll be me.