Some h&h words of wisdom

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goldenmint

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Ok, I could do with some h&h words of wisdom please :)

When schooling or hacking my hoss is REALLY spooky. Always has been which is not a huge problem as that's just him, but schooling is becoming a bit of a pain tbh. We will be going along in our merry way he then puts in a big spook and can't concentrate for the rest of the session and just gets sillier and sillier. He seems to be quite worried in our school or maybe he is just not wanting to work and trying to get out of it?
Our school is surrounded by trees and any birds that fly up or any wind through the trees really sets him off.

He is fed 1 scoop of happy hoof morning and night, handful of hi fi nuts and half a scoop of speedibeet also has two scoops of global herbs supacalm.

He is a generally silly horse, but theschooling thing is getting annoying now and I don't feel we are progressing much.

Any advice you could offer would be fab. Or even just a kick up the bum to just get on with it :)
 
I personally would try a different calmer. They don't all work for every horse, but I have used and know it is recommended by many - First Horse - 'RelaxMe' - you can get a 2kg tub which will last for a couple of months for £46.60 via ebay.

My mare can be a little spooky and I have had to condition myself (I have a rather hot seat) to be very quiet when I ride her on a windy day and she is now much better. I have a young WB who was extremely nervous and spooky for other reasons and RelaxMe really helped in the early months with him. The turning point for him was when a Bowen therapist came out and told me to get him off all cereals and sugar as he was intolerant in her opinion. I have to say since I have had him on a sugar and cereal free diet he has really changed and is no longer on any calmer - he is a quiet and loving horse now. I must add he did also have pain issues, which were improved so that will have of course also helped him.
So maybe see if you could test for intolerances? Or simply switch diets to just forage and cereal free fibre. I give my WB maximum 3 carrots a day and no apples or licks either except for Redmond rock. My vet advocates micronized linseed and chaff as a good complete feed with adlib hay. :)
 
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Well you know your horse and I don't, but I'll share my experience.

My boy loves hacking and is a lot less keen on schooling. He generally warms up nicely, but then when you ask him to work hard or do something he finds more difficult the Vampire Leaves from Hell or Invisible Horse-Eating Gnomes start to attack and he forced to abandon the hard work and spook instead.

For me praising any good efforts and ignoring and just riding through the bad behaviour works, but I can get mine to concentrate again after a while - I take off some of the pressure, do something easier for a while (praising the good, riding through the bad) then start to practise whatever caused the silliness again. My other rule is always to end on a good note. However, that can mean I stay in the saddle rather longer than I intended.

If that sounds familiar, maybe he's just trying to avoid tough work and has discovered that daft behaviour can be effective at doing that.

Good luck.
 
Thanks yasandcrystal I have tried loads of different calmers with him but have never tried the relax me so will be interesting to have go with it as the various others haven't seemed to make any difference tbh. :)

Thanks magnetic sparrow, I think your right a lot of it is prob not wanting to work and being a bit of a prat. Maybe I just need a big kick up the bum to just get on with it and stop over analysing.

Both your advice is really good thanks :)
 
goldenmint said:
Yasandcrystal what type of feeding programme would you recommend for mine? He is a very good doer :)
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If he's that bad I'd cut out feed altogether and work him off grass or hay if he's in. Get his eyes checked out just in case there is a problem but if not then it should be down to work.
Does he do anything else bar school, do you go straight into the school or for a walk first, do you lunge him in there, does he gets lots of fun by hacking as well? Does he get any turnout and can you turn him out into the school for an hour or two as well so that he gets used to all the spooky things in there in his own time as that way, if he does spook again in there when ridden, I'd give him a crack up the backside TBH as he's in there to work and sounds like he's just trying it on. Lots will disagree with me I know but I can't abide a bad mannered horse because that's all it is, bad manners; spooks on hacks are different but no excuse for them in the school, especially a school he is used to..
 
Measfan, he is turned out 24/7 in summer and in at night in winter. I need to feed him something really as the other horses get fed that are in with him. I could bring him in while the others eat but if I can possibly get away with it I would rather not.
I lunge, longrein, jump, do poles in school. We don't hack much tbh as he is very hard to hack and our hacking is on main roads but we will have a stroll about a bit, we also ride in and around field. I have to agree that I hate messing about in school normally but bless him he is a bit 'special' :)
The problem with giving him a smack when he spooks is that he gets wound up without being smacked and it escalates into fizziness I can imagine I will be doing wall of death round the school if I smack him.
I can't turn him out in schools as there are no sides to it, if I could I reckon it would help a lot tbh.
I think I will get his eyes checked and a general mot just to makes sure there is no problems. I did wonder if he could have a bit of a problem with his teeth as the vet did them last time don't know if that would cause spooking?
 
Do you have lessons? A good trainer could help you with a structured program of schooling that provides more interest for him (and you). I get the impression that YOU don't like schooling much, and this may well be communicated to him, with the result that he creates his own entertainment.
 
goldenmint said:
Yasandcrystal what type of feeding programme would you recommend for mine? He is a very good doer :)
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goldenmint - I am no nutritional expert, it was just the advice of thie Bowen therapist. Many vet and horse workers now recommend to feed as little cereal as possible and also to cut out molasses used to bind so may types of feed and pellet and make them palatable. Molasses are dreadful for hoof and gut health. My daughter's pony is a 'good doer' and she is fed 2 small feeds a day of a couple of carrots and half a scoop of Allen & Page Hi Fibre (which you just soak for 3 mins) and a handful of happy hoof and a hoof supplement and garlic. She get haylage also overnight (stabled).

I agree very much with Magnetic Sparrow's post about ignoring the spooking and rewarding the good.
How about doing some long lining work on the ground in the school. It is more interesting than lunging for the horse and simulates ridden work so well.
I also agree with Maesfen re getting the eyes checked just incase. There was a horse at a local yard who was always spooky and funny on one side. An animal communicator told the owner that it had sight problems - the owner called out the vet who couldn't find a probolem (hard to diagnose sight problems) and the owner then threatened to sue communicator. She moved yards - horse had been at the old yard for 5 years and anyway the horse started really misbehaving ridden. She sent it away for schooling and it got worse and lost the plot and was colicking so badly and panicking. Sad ending as she had it pts and now acknowledges that there was very likely an undiagnosed sight problem and horse knew first yard so well it could muddle through :(
Of course I am not for a moment suggesting this is the problem with your horse - just an interesting story.
 
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Agree with all the good advice above, another consideration is how much confidence/respect he has for you? What's he like with other riders? My horse can be a bit spooky sometimes but she doesn't look at anything when my instructor gets on! says something doesn't it............as my confidence and understanding how to get the best from her has improved over the year, she is much more relaxed and looks to me to lead her rather than fending for herself. Hence she's not continually looking for monsters in the school or thinking she has a chance to take the mickey..........
 
Thank you everyone for your comments :)

I think I will phone spillers/D&H and see what kind of feeding programme they recommend (I should have done this before now tbh)

Yasandcrystal that is an interesting story and I think for my piece of mind I am going to get his eyes checked.

Wandamere, he is less inclined to spook with other people, but he does this thing where he goes faster and faster and they can't stop him he then starts bucking which he has never done with me as we try to keep things quiet and chilled. He seems to panic with new people if he hasn't made a bond on the ground with them. He seems a lot more relaxed when I ride him and doesn't seem to cope well with other riders but the spooking is less with other people?!? strange hoss! He is a respectful horse at other times and only needs a slight raised voice to tell him off. I agree with the long lining as I don't long line him myself because I am rubbish at it, so I get a friend on the yard he knows to do it once a week or so (shame they don't ride or I would see how he coped with them on board)

Pat10 I don't actually have lessons with him at the moment as I was abit concerned he would be silly and then I wouldn't be able to do much with him the rest of the session and the trainer would think it pointless, but actually I can see how with another persons input on the ground prob would help.
 
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