Schooling advice - spooking

kyanya

kyanya

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 December 2003
Messages
236
Location
Farnborough
Visit site
I'm riding a horse a couple of nights a week since she's moved to a new yard, and she's been at her new yard now for around 2 weeks. I'm riding her in the sand school - firstly in the daylight, and then the floodlights go on as it gets darker. I rode her in the school for the first time this evening, but her owner's ridden and lunged her in there both in the daylight and under the floodlights since she's been at the yard.

Her owner said that when she'd been lunging the mare in the school yesterday (in the daylight), she'd taken off in gallop when at one end of the school, and it had taken her a while to settle afterwards, as something had obviously unsettled her.

With this in mind, I spent a lot of time in walk when I went in the school with her this evening, and I stuck down at the other end. I was asking her to listen to me, but I was just giving her time to settle in there, even though she seemed her normal self (she's normally foot perfect in the school). I then introduced trot and she was going really nicely, listening and not looking around, so I then walked around the whole track, past the end of the school where she'd spooked yesterday. She was great, didn't bat an eyelid and seemed relaxed, so I continued to work at the scary end of the school in walk and trot and she was good. I then went back off down the school but then I walked back round the school to scary end and she bolted off to the gate. I wasn't expecting it and didn't have my wits about me to stop her, so I just let her run to the gate, where she stopped when she got there (gate is at the end of the school nearest the yard, scary end of the school is the other end to the gate, and furthest from the yard) and then I turned her round and walked her back up the school, and carried on working in the middle, so not by the gate but not at scary end either.

She was looking around much more after that and putting in the odd spook - by this time the light had faded and the floodlights were on. I kept working her until she'd settled more, just in walk and trot, and when she tensed at the scary end and at the other end (where she'd got a fright when someone moved something and made a noise in a shed, but in the dark) I halted her, gave her a bit of reassurance and let her have a look before asking her on.

Just wanting to know if anyone has any ideas about why she might have suddenly taken offence to scary end, and how to overcome this fear in the future. I'm wondering if it might be to do with the fading light and floodlights - she's been at a yard before with a floodlit school but not for some time now.

Muffins for anyone who got this far!
 
It is early days! Are you competent at lungeing? If so, I would put her on the lunge and make her concentrate really hard on what you are asking. She needs to know that what you are asking is more important that finding things to spook at! Will also give you some confidence to work the horse from the ground. Mine is finding the darker nights and shadows from floodlights make for a far more exciting ride! Good luck x
PSPut a neck strap on if you haven't got one already
 
I have had a spooky horse and these for what they are worth are my thoughts .... I wont say I am perfect, but this is what I aim for !!

1. Have in your mind that you expect 100% concentration from your horse when you are riding and anything else is rude. Look at the ears and ask for absolute concentration from her - that means you have to give 100 % concentration yourself.

2. This is controversial, but I would use a gadget when riding in this situation, either double reins with a gag/pelham, market harborough or whatever. I think you need something that will grab her 100% attention if you want to and also inspire her that you are in control. Obviously take advice on how to use such thing properly if you are not sure. When you start to work at spooky end just make sure you have her really working and her full attention!

3. Be very positive in your riding. She needs to know you are her leader. If necessary work out a plan beforehand so you - or hopefully she - are concentrating on where you are going make sure it always includes lots of circles, turns, twists, etc. Therefore if she spooks you are already prepared on where you are going to turn her.

4. Work away from the spooky end. As you get near do lots of small figures of 8 - and progressively move nearer. But also, don't make too much of an issue of it!

5. Get someone to stand in spooky corner and slowly move away.

6. Practice riding without stirrups - it sure comes in handy!!

Good luck.
 
in my experience there's always a spooky end, or a least favourite end. But i do the opposite and school near the spooky bit until it becomes utterly boring and they've seen it a million times and start to relax. I try not to let it get in the way of my schooling too much, but make a contious effort to do as many movements there as possible. I also up the work and make sure that we are doing plenty to keep the mind focussed on me. It they are working properly and listening to the rider then they should be much less distractable. There's a side of the school Osc hates because it's raised above a fairly well used lane. I find if he is being particularly silly about it and won't concentrate, then shoulder in is a massive help. Don't worry if you're not very good at it, it's the asking which seems to work best. We're top at it now, i get lots of practice ;) It's also a useful thing to be able to do when out hacking and meeting spooky objects.

If you keep her busy with transitions and working forwards into a contact, then she shouldn't have chance to spook. And if she does you will be more ready for it.
 
It really does depend on your horse. So mine will be an idiot sometimes but with him, not making a big deal but working away from the spooky area calms him down and then he will go back later in the session with no problem. My mare would get more and more worried, so would have to work quietly near there but would put a lot more "complicated" stuff in the session so she would have to focus. My previous gelding would get stuck in draw reins as it was just an excuse. Once he stopped spooking, reins came off!
 
Thanks for the advice - it's particularly interesting to hear that different tactics work with different horses. As she just generally became more spooky after she'd bolted, with a corner at both end becoming scary and the gate being the safe place, I think I'll try to forget about spooky places and just focus on keeping her thinking about her work, wherever she is in the school. If she gets more spooky and unsettled from this I'll re-think my strategy, but it's worth a go.

Also, regarding gadgets, she's not mine so I won't be going round that route, but I think carrying a schooling whip might help - she responds to them well and I think getting her going forward more with a bit more impulsion will bring her mind back on what she's doing int he school, rather than what's going on around the school.

I'm not great at lunging, and certainly more competent at riding than lungin - I feel more in control on top to get her to carry on working rather than on the lunge. Plus her bolt wasn't scary, and now I'll have it in my mind she might do it I'll hopefully be able to keep her working when she does, maybe even by asking her on in the canter, making her work in her chosen pace! If she bolted on the lunge, I'd be in a flap I think!

Don't think I'll be practicing riding without stirrups on her at the moment though - as soft as the school is, I'd prefer not to have a faceful of it! :D
 
kyanya said:
Thanks for the advice - it's particularly interesting to hear that different tactics work with different horses. As she just generally became more spooky after she'd bolted, with a corner at both end becoming scary and the gate being the safe place, I think I'll try to forget about spooky places and just focus on keeping her thinking about her work, wherever she is in the school. If she gets more spooky and unsettled from this I'll re-think my strategy, but it's worth a go.

Also, regarding gadgets, she's not mine so I won't be going round that route, but I think carrying a schooling whip might help - she responds to them well and I think getting her going forward more with a bit more impulsion will bring her mind back on what she's doing int he school, rather than what's going on around the school.

I'm not great at lunging, and certainly more competent at riding than lungin - I feel more in control on top to get her to carry on working rather than on the lunge. Plus her bolt wasn't scary, and now I'll have it in my mind she might do it I'll hopefully be able to keep her working when she does, maybe even by asking her on in the canter, making her work in her chosen pace! If she bolted on the lunge, I'd be in a flap I think!

Don't think I'll be practicing riding without stirrups on her at the moment though - as soft as the school is, I'd prefer not to have a faceful of it! :D
Click to expand...

it does sound like your mare is geniunely scared so I think you are wise to try to divert her rather than reprimand her - obviously you do need to take my comments with a little bit of salt as I have not met you/seen your horse!. Try to find exercises that require her to really think and work up nearer the scarey end but not having a massive confrontation to make her go in it. At the moment our school is being dug up but current boy was struggling a bit to make the change from daylight to spooky - our lights mean you can't really see out of the school so someone just walking over the yard would freak him out (and me) cos we can't see them, just hear them! He was doing excercises such as spiralling in and out, lateral work and some flatwork for showjumping exercises we are getting through. Repitition and work should really help calm her down..
 
Do lots and lots of work on getting her infront of the leg and thinking forwards. Once they are truly off the leg, they are "hanging off your every word" so to speak, so they are less likely to spook. Once you have that, using transitions within the pace as you go around the school, as well as leg yielding, shoulder in etc to get her off your inside hand into your outside rein will help control the shoulders and the spooking. You will get there :D
 
My horse was like this when I first got him. You have to keep them busy with lots of transitions and talking to them a lot sometimes helps.

Is there a quiet, laid back horse that could be ridden in the school with you a couple of times to help her settle? Mine grew in confidence in the school with others in it and then was better on his own.

Good luck!
 
I was doing lots of talking to her actually - no idea if it was really helping, but worth a shot I guess!

Transitions within the pace are something we need to work on over all, so thinking about that will give us something to think about other than where the next spook might happen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top