So my ISH can be rather spooky...any advice?

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kittyb

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My boy is rather spooky, especially when out hacking. Traffic in particular sets him off but other demons include pigeons, rabbits, strange people, dogs, deer, strange noises and the wind.

Today he bolted when he saw a horse lorry coming around the corner towards the stables (he was tied up at the time and kept going in gallop until he reached his friend's turnout field). Thankfully (I guess) I wasn't on board at the time and neither he nor anyone else got injured.

We are everything I can think of to get him calmer when out and about and are making some (slow!) progress but does anyone have any tips that may help?

Thanks
 
My IDxTB is genuinely terrified of lots of things, the other day we couldn't go past a car because it had a roof-box on :rolleyes3: I can't hack out on my own as he's too sharp, I had a nasty fall last year, had knee surgery and it's not completely recovered so I can't risk falling again, which I find very frustrating.

I have taken him off carrots completely, which has helped, and I feed him magnesium. Recently I've started him on Alltech Lifeforce, and I think he's quieter on that, but I don't think there's any magic cure. He's definitely better when he's got a good work routine, and he's living out at the moment as well which helps.
 
Thanks. He does currently get a lot of carrots as they are his favorite treat, I'll try see if cutting down on them helps.

Ironically he's Mr laid-back-and-lazy when it comes to his schooling!
 
I could not believe the difference in him when I stopped the carrots! I'd seen others on here say it, but was very sceptical (as was nearly everyone else at my yard) but it definitely made a big difference!
 
I had one ( not an ISH) who was a nervous wreck when I got him....verging on dangerous.
Hay rather than haylage.....No cereals....in fact all he's on is fast fibre and brewer's yeast. No carrots.
Be as confident as you can cos your horse will gain confidence from you...
Sit tight, leg on and ignore whatever happens.....don't reward him when you go past something scary because that reinforces his belief that it is something scary, just carry on as normal :)
Oh....and invest in a neck strap ;)
 
Hippona said:
I had one ( not an ISH) who was a nervous wreck when I got him....verging on dangerous.
Hay rather than haylage.....No cereals....in fact all he's on is fast fibre and brewer's yeast. No carrots.
Be as confident as you can cos your horse will gain confidence from you...
Sit tight, leg on and ignore whatever happens.....don't reward him when you go past something scary because that reinforces his belief that it is something scary, just carry on as normal :)
Oh....and invest in a neck strap ;)
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A neck strap? Never had one of those, what's it for?

He gets professional schooling to get him better on the roads so he's still spooking when ridden confidently...if anything he can be worse for her as he doesn't know her as well! I have only had him for just over a month so hopefully he will get better as he learns to trust me more
 
Hippona said:
Neck strap....also known as a ****-me strap ;)

Basically it's a leather strap that goes around the horses neck and you hook your fingers under it at spooky moments....if it's good enough for WFP it's good enough for me ;)
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I'll definitely have to go looking for one of those!
 
Any old leather strap will do - stirrup leather, part of martingale etc, I've even used a knotted lead rope before.
Definitely no carrots, minimal hard feed, and I've found Equifeast Cool Calm and Collected very useful in the past.
 
JennBags said:
I could not believe the difference in him when I stopped the carrots! I'd seen others on here say it, but was very sceptical (as was nearly everyone else at my yard) but it definitely made a big difference!
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This!!! My ISH was a flipping nightmare on carrots and any type of mix. He is now just on chaff and a lot of hay and Haylage. He is a totally different horse now, so much more chilled out.
 
How long should since coming off the carrots should it be before any effects show?

He's been off them 3 days now and on our hack this morning we had:
3 attempts at napping
18 spooks (including 2 attempted bolts)
1 buck (after the attempted bolts)

Although he calmed right down and was sighing happily within 5 minutes of being back in the indoor school
 
I don't think your horse is "rather spooky"... he's very very spooky and he's putting you in some danger; and I don't believe giving a few carrots as treats explains his behaviour. I suppose you have already checked all the physical things such as his teeth, eyesight, back, saddle and girth fit, etc. Is he better in company with another horse? If he is mainly a problem when out on his own then maybe you should hack out in company and gradually increase the bits that you do on your own. For some reason my horse is much more prone to spooking in the first 3 or 4 minutes after I set off and so I'm ready for her now - you could try and see if there is a pattern to his behaviour and adjust what you do accordingly.
 
zenasman said:
I don't think your horse is "rather spooky"... he's very very spooky and he's putting you in some danger; and I don't believe giving a few carrots as treats explains his behaviour. I suppose you have already checked all the physical things such as his teeth, eyesight, back, saddle and girth fit, etc. Is he better in company with another horse? If he is mainly a problem when out on his own then maybe you should hack out in company and gradually increase the bits that you do on your own. For some reason my horse is much more prone to spooking in the first 3 or 4 minutes after I set off and so I'm ready for her now - you could try and see if there is a pattern to his behaviour and adjust what you do accordingly.
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I have checked all the physical things and the only thing that came up is that he has a couple of small cysts in his eyes. Could these be causing him to lose his confidence?

He is also hacking out in his dressage saddle as its the one I find comfiest. Should I consider using a saddle with a more elastic girth for hacking?

Yesterday was a particularly bad day for him yesterday. Usually he will spook around 4 times on a half an hour hack and nap once (generally in the same place on the corner leaving the yard where he recently had a run in with a lorry) and generally there is a reason for his spook such as a rabbit running out on the track ahead of him or a noisy bird or me getting caught in a tree (I am a bit malco so often misjudge the size trees I can fit under on him).

He is better in company with the spooking (when he is with a quiet horse anyway) but they can egg him on a bit to want to canter everywhere if they are excitable but I think that is pretty standard and he is generally pretty good at being told no. He can still spook, especially when idiots drive past too fast on the road, but he is generally a bit more relaxed in company.

It is only the last few days that he has been extra spooky as I think he has lost his confidence after a run in with a lorry on Sunday
 
I don't know if the cysts are affecting his behaviour, it'd be wise to ask the vet. He's obviously over-reacting to stimuli so that may be an explanation.
Horses are definitely more spooky when it's windy - I suppose they hear things unexpectedly; when it's very windy I don't ride my mare on the open moorland unless we've got company.
The type of saddle (dressage or GP) you use probably doesn't matter but what is absolutely vital is that the saddle fits the horse properly - and you must get a professional, qualified saddle-fitter to confirm this if you haven't already done so (and get her to check again every 6 months). My mare changed shape as she matured and her saddle wasn't fitting her so we think that was why she bucked me off when she was a 4 year old.
People have mentioned a neck strap but the problem with that is it's not practical to hold on to it permanently and when your horse spooks/shies/spins round/bucks it all happens in a split second so there isn't time to grab hold of a strap. The solution I've found is to use a gadget called an R-stor (pronounced 'arrestor') which you can hold in the same hand as a rein just like you do with a crop. It's expensive but I find it really helps to give the rider confidence. Good luck with Star.
 
My boy is completely non spooky normally but any food makes him silly psycho horse.
So no alfalfa, molasses or cereals. He lives out, has hay and chaff with magnesium and vits/mins in it.
 
Did you say you've only had him a month? I can't offer any advice as my girl is very chilled but she was much spookier whem I first got hrr and also when we moved yards and she was in unfamiliar surroundings. His behaviour sounds pretty extreme, but maybe as he settles it will change? (And not saying thats the only cause but may be a contributor)
 
I have had him since June so almost 2 months now.

I have had him checked over by the physio, vet, farrier and saddler and they all agree he has nothing physical causing him to spook.

He threw me off on Friday so I have made the hard decision that he is just too much horse for me. He needs a much stronger rider to bring him under control

He has a lot of potential so I am sure I will be able to find him a good home and then get something rather more bombproof for my nervous nelly self!

Thanks for all the help
 
Carrots can be the route of all evil and i often wonder why folk feed them so much, one as a treat yes but some folk chop handfuls up to add into the feed which in some cases provides more than enough energy especially if they are on good grazing and hay anyway.

Try some mollichop Calmer on its own as a 'feed' and see after a week if it's made any difference.
 
If it was mine i would remove ALL hard feed for now and just feed hay. I would also invest in some ear plugs for him too. And some french blinkers. Lunge him first before you hack. 2 months isnt very long and you may find that once he becomes settled with you things may improve.
 
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