So cross with myself..feel pathetic

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blackhorse37

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Sorry for the whine...

have had my boy for 2 years and recently he has become jeckyll and hyde. He has always been very laid back and a pleasure to ride but over the last 6 months has been getting worse inthat we can be enjoying a loose reined amble through the lanes and suddenly he will spot something that hes seen a million times before and will spin, bolt and panic. Its so quick! I am then battling with a "terrified" horse who i cant do a thing with, its like im not there, im so cross with myself as at this point i get scared and bail out.

It is getting to the stage where i dread riding him, and i hate myself for being pathetic! I love this horse sooo much but just cant seem to stop this, if i knew what caused it it might help! but after his "tantrum" i get back on and then he is lovely again.

Why am i being such a wimp? Is it because im getting older? (grand old age of 34 and have ridden/owned all my life?)

Any advice please..im fed up with ending up frustrated and in tears every day!
 
When you say 'getting worse' does that mean that this has happened before the last six months but not often?

It sounds like he can get one over on you when he's decided he's had enough and wants to go home.

Catch 22, the more you bail the more he'll do it, but it's already too late to not be scared that he will do it.

Is it only in one place that he does it or can it be anywhere, anytime?
 
any place, any time and for no reason that i can fathom! He seems genuinly scared, everything tenses and he shakes! (i feel he CANT be scared as he has hacked these lanes for 7 months with no prob) He isnt at all nappy before or after the "episode" just forward going and relaxed.

He had done it once up until 6 months ago, now its nearly every ride (i ride 5/6 days a week) should add, back/saddle/teeth and vet checked

I know im making it worse by jumping off but i do try to sit it and sort it for as long as i can and then fear takes over! Help!!
 
MrsM, a friend suggested hes bored but nothing else suggests it, am thinking of taking him to stay at her place for 6weeks to give him a change of scenery though!

I am feeling that i should give up horses but i cant-they are my life and have been since i was tiny. (sorry that sounds dramatic but its a whole ream of problems compounded by this) Am desperate to get him and me sorted and back to the way we were, just dont know how
 
You aren't being pathetic, it's called self preservation and nothing that can't be put right with the right help.

I think first of all you need to work out why your horse is apparently terrified.

A full health check is always a good starting point to make sure that there aren't any underlying issues with eyesight etc. If that wasn't done recently it might be worth doing.

You say that you are riding along on a relaxed horse with a loose rein, and I wonder if this is part of the problem, he doesn't feel as if there is anybody giving clear signals to him and then panics himself at real or imagined spooks. I'd try riding him a little more positively without switching off and keep him forwards into a good contact, asking for a few steps of leg yielding or whatever every so often to keep his brain ticking over.

Riding out in company might benefit him too if he is having a confidence crisis.

I'd also look into possible getting a Monty Roberts RA out to have a look, they might just spot something that you've missed; they can help with groundwork too to get you feeling more confident once you're out and about.

I don't think that this is any reason to give him up, just something that you need to work on, you've obviously managed for 2 years up to now.
 
Agree with those who've suggested you have his eyesight tested. His fear sounds genuine to me, though I do think many horses have a perverted sense of fun. (I used to exercise an endurance horse for someone; we passed a farmyard each day where there were endless dried cowpats on the road. Neddy would trot briskly by them most days, then suddenly shy violently at one (which looked exactly like the others) and try to tank off.

One solution I'm sure is to ride in company when you can, which will give both you and him confidence. Another might be to ride him in some form of blinkers, like racehorses wear. But I would take expert advice before going down that road.

Anyway, you;'re not alone. My horse shies at her reflection in windows!
 
He`s trying you out and winning.Get back on and RIDE him past the spot he chose to act terrified of,be prepared,he is in fact just giving a new version of napping.
 
If he's physicall shaking that suggests to me that he is genuinely worried. I've only ever known 2 to shake, and that's my yougster who does this in new situations where she works herself to a frenzy or my friends horse who also worries himself.

Are you out hacking by yourself or do you have someone who would be able to hack with you? See if having company can help him.

He's been down this lane many times without blinking an eye, but now is worried. Has there been any change down here at all that may have changed his outlook? Again, if even a gate has moved so it's on his side, our horses start spooking at it etc.
 
I wonder if there is something new about and he is smelling it. Sometimes horses react this way to the smell of pigs. The horses on our yard react this way if the gamekeeper is about as he usually smells of blood. Check that there are no new animals being kept nearby that your horse is getting wind of occasionally. Smells often scare horses more than anything else.
 
Wagtail said:
I wonder if there is something new about and he is smelling it. Sometimes horses react this way to the smell of pigs. The horses on our yard react this way if the gamekeeper is about as he usually smells of blood. Check that there are no new animals being kept nearby that your horse is getting wind of occasionally. Smells often scare horses more than anything else.
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^^^
This
 
Don't feel bad, there are lots of things you can do to get your confidence going again. I agree it could be new smells etc. horses are so sensitive to things that change. But it sounds as though you have perhaps lost confidence in each other and maybe you need to go back to basics and start focussing on your partnership again. Even small things like showing strong leadership around the yard, introducing new things to your horse in a safe environment and working on respect and obedience etc. Lots of schooling, if you can, have some lessons, and lots of work, I find all these things help my confidence and strengthen the bond with my horses. Going with another horse would be a great help to your confidence and once that is back you can work on rebuilding his confidence in you. Don't give up though, you will get there...good luck :)
 
Thank you so much everyone...you have made me feel much better!!

The "smells" idea is a good one, hadnt thought of that.

As for our bond, we are very close! He follows me around the field/yard with his nose attached to my back! His manners on the ground are perfect with me but he can take the micky out of others!! If i go out of sight on the yard he shouts for me until i reappear so not sure this is the issue but you are right in saying that he could have lost faith in me as i bail out! (curse my lily-livered nerves!)
 
Last week I went for a ride and as I left my drive a "herd" of boys shot past on bikes making my horse, a bomb proof cob, jump. I continued on to the road and the boys came back again at full speed, one of them skidding his wheel under Ffin's nose. My safe cob spun around and took off, shaking and heart thumping. Since then he is concerned over all bikes and I can feel his heart starting as soon as he spots one, I now lead my cob out of the drive and check for the yobs. It only takes one thing and it can spark all sorts of problems, you are not pathetic any more then I am for not wanting him scared again. My friends children are going to help me next week by riding their bikes past him for me. You have done all the right things , the RA idea is a good one, I go to suzanne Marshall in Kent and she has re built my seat, hence I sayed on! and rebuilt my confidence, we have also done spooky training, my 2 year old is off for spooky training in May!
 
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