Spatial awareness

[rachk89]

Is it possible to teach a horse spatial awareness or am i just going to have to accept my horse is a bit stupid?

He has always been like this he smacks his head off things a lot, he has walked into horses before, he trips over jumps at times when not trying to lift his legs. He has started tripping more in trot or when we transition from trot to walk (think this is due to the arena surface he isn't the only one to do this and he is fine elsewhere). He has just never seemed to be aware of how big he is which hasn't improved with getting slightly older or gaining muscle.

I have done ground work with him and he is pretty much fine around people. When he gets anxious or excited he forgets and can walk into you but it's not malicious it's usually about food he can see but can't eat.

Getting hurt doesnt seem to bother him he just keeps doing it. He has tangled himself up in electric fencing before after trying to get to more grass (he is in a 20 acre field with good grass already so why he needed to leave is beyond me). Any suggestions? The electric fencing is switched on now and he knows but that doesn't stop him looking for weaknesses. Just would like to see him stop hitting himself off of objects worried he is going to really damage himself soon.

 

[FfionWinnie]

There is absolutely no good reason for a horse to start tripping more than it did previously. I would be getting the vet and looking at the feet as a starting point.

Electic fencing is an extreme hazard when not electrified. To any animal.

 

[DD265]

That's not normal - he needs to be checked by a vet.

 

[rachk89]

There is absolutely no good reason for a horse to start tripping more than it did previously. I would be getting the vet and looking at the feet as a starting point.

Electic fencing is an extreme hazard when not electrified. To any animal.

See i would have suspected some health issue but he is only doing it in that arena. I have seen other horses do what he does and no instructor has said it's an issue. His hooves are fine and he trots around fine in the field or on hacks. It's kind of a carpet kind of material for the arena on top but i have no idea what the whole set up is. Have heard people say the horses trip when the lining starts showing and the surface does seem quite thin guess maybe it's lacking in areas.

Electric fencing is on now although he still tries to find weaknesses. The main fencing is switched on too now just because of him.

 

[WandaMare]

One of the horses I had was really bad in traffic but only on narrow lanes when you had to squeeze past. Spent ages trying to improve this by schooling, practising etc. then one day when the physio was checking his back she asked me if I realised that he had really bad spatial awareness. I hadn't, and she gave me a load of exercises to do with him, which I don't remember unfortunately except that one of them was brushing over him from top to bottom with a wand thing to improve his awareness of his body outline. At the time I was a bit sceptical about the whole thing but did the exercises for bit anyway and he really did improve. He became much easier to work around in the stable and the difference on the roads was amazing. I think he had been scared of things coming towards him because he didn't know if he could fit past.

It might be worth googling and see if you can find any similar exercises, I would definitely recommend for your horse too.

 

[Red-1]

Some surfaces do make horses trip more, we have an arena near us that I specifically hire for a trip fest so my horse can learn to pick his feet up.

My home surface is light sand, with rubber on top. My horse knows he can swoosh through the top of the surface, so he does. The "trippy" surface is like Plasticine. If he drags his toes even a little bit, they catch.

A few trips to the hire arena and he is all good, remembers he has to work, and is fine.

Before competing I do take horses to various different types of artificial surfaces, as they do all ride very differently, especially when they are not well maintained. Just like I practice jumping on firm ground, undulating ground, soft ground, wet ground, deep ground, sloping ground for XC in eventing. They need to learn to balance and make best use of the ground.

If something keeps getting worse, or did not improve, though I would, of course, have the vet. I would also have the vet if my horse was constantly banging itself, in case there was an eyesight problem.

 

[rachk89]

Thanks Wanda I will have a look for those. If you remember any let me know.

Yeah red I am pretty sure it's just the arena as he doesn't do it anywhere else. He is also lazy and drags his feet if he can get away with it. He can move really well but doesn't show it all the time.

The banging isnt always constant its just now and again and his eyes are fine he just doesn't care about hitting himself off things.

 

[Equi]

This sounds like a younger version of my horse....god help you

 

[AdorableAlice]

Sounds like he is an uneducated and unbalanced type.

I would take him out of the arena and school him on grass in the middle of a field. Nothing to hold him up like walls or fences in an arena. He needs to learn to think for himself or pay the consequences. He sounds big and weak with no sense of self preservation, is he a warmblood ?

 

[Leo Walker]

Mine is fine to ride but his default setting is thug and I honestly dont think he feels pain like a normal horse. We've done lots and lots of ground work and 99% of the time he is fab but I have to keep on top of him. He had to be dragged out of a ditch yesterday. He had broken through the fencing and decided the grass in the ditch looked tasty so he just barged straight in. The YO nearly had heart failure, knew he would come out on his own as soon as I arrived and he thought food was coming. He lives to eat, its all he really cares about.

Hes 6 and does seem to be improving with age, but hes a typical cob, always hungry and has a typical clever, busy little pony brain. If hes not entertained he will make his own amusement!

 

[rachk89]

Equi: that doesn't sound good... You have scared me :s lol

adorablealice: he is half warmblood, oldenburg. He is also part connemara which i thought would give him intelligence. Sadly it did in some ways and not in others. He is uneducated to an extent but his balance is better than it was. No longer disunites himself but yeah education is needed.

frankiecob: he sounds like my horse lol my YO just calls my horse 'special'. He is also focused on food all the time think he still gets scared that maybe the food will stop like with his old owner so he eats as much as he can all of the time.

 

[AdorableAlice]

All you can do is educate, good flat work lessons, poles etc. Hack over all terrain and don't help him other than half halt if he is rushing. Lots of hills up and down (invest in knee boots). Some of these foreign horses are known as dumb bloods for a reason sadly. They don't have the sense and responsibility of the Irish horses. Good luck, at least you are aware of his problems and willing to sort them out.

 

[rachk89]

All you can do is educate, good flat work lessons, poles etc. Hack over all terrain and don't help him other than half halt if he is rushing. Lots of hills up and down (invest in knee boots). Some of these foreign horses are known as dumb bloods for a reason sadly. They don't have the sense and responsibility of the Irish horses. Good luck, at least you are aware of his problems and willing to sort them out.

Ok will do that with him. Cheers just want him to stop tripping and hurting himself. Yeah he can be intelligent but that does tend to vary on the situation. Swear he is getting more stupid though the older he gets.

 

[Zipzop]

How old is he and what breed ?

 

[Leo Walker]

frankiecob: he sounds like my horse lol my YO just calls my horse 'special'. He is also focused on food all the time think he still gets scared that maybe the food will stop like with his old owner so he eats as much as he can all of the time.

I'm probably going to get a kicking for admitting this! But I have been known on occasion to whallop mine really hard on the arse to demonstrate the fact he couldnt give a fig about stuff like that. On some occasions I've done it twice as people cant believe that he doesnt blink or twitch.

Minor things like his forelock not flat under his bridle etc cause a bit of drama, but honestly you could punch him square on the nose, and he wouldnt bat an eyelid. It doesnt even register with him. Hes a funny little thing, but seriously awesome in every single way other than the food obsession and his lack of response to gentle requests. Saying all of that, I've been clicker training him, and after the first session where I thought he was actually going to eat ME hes been brilliant! Has almost nailed Spanish walking, well the cob version :lol: and will back up, do turn on the forehand and haunches etc from a finger point. We still have to reiterate the fact that violence wont result in treats every single flaming time though before we can move on :lol:

 

[rachk89]

How old is he and what breed ?

7 and oldenburg X connemara.

 

[rachk89]

I'm probably going to get a kicking for admitting this! But I have been known on occasion to whallop mine really hard on the arse to demonstrate the fact he couldnt give a fig about stuff like that. On some occasions I've done it twice as people cant believe that he doesnt blink or twitch.

Minor things like his forelock not flat under his bridle etc cause a bit of drama, but honestly you could punch him square on the nose, and he wouldnt bat an eyelid. It doesnt even register with him. Hes a funny little thing, but seriously awesome in every single way other than the food obsession and his lack of response to gentle requests. Saying all of that, I've been clicker training him, and after the first session where I thought he was actually going to eat ME hes been brilliant! Has almost nailed Spanish walking, well the cob version :lol: and will back up, do turn on the forehand and haunches etc from a finger point. We still have to reiterate the fact that violence wont result in treats every single flaming time though before we can move on :lol:

Yeah mine responds more if you say no loudly at him. That frightens him and he knows you mean it.

I am tempted to try clicker training with him but imagine I would get it wrong. Plus he already reacts to people clicking with their mouth and goes faster even when I haven't asked him to. Dunno what his previous training was but it wasn't great. Poor lad can get agitated very easily and over very little.

That is cool that you have trained your cob to do Spanish walk you should video him doing that. Mine does a weird version of spanish walk generally with only one leg. He only does it when irritated during schooling. It's like he is just stamping his feet in a dramatic toddler fashion.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Yeah mine responds more if you say no loudly at him. That frightens him and he knows you mean it.

I am tempted to try clicker training with him but imagine I would get it wrong. Plus he already reacts to people clicking with their mouth and goes faster even when I haven't asked him to. Dunno what his previous training was but it wasn't great. Poor lad can get agitated very easily and over very little.

That is cool that you have trained your cob to do Spanish walk you should video him doing that. Mine does a weird version of spanish walk generally with only one leg. He only does it when irritated during schooling. It's like he is just stamping his feet in a dramatic toddler fashion.

There is a simple four letter word that will cure all the problems discussed in this thread. That word is WORK. Proper, consistent work and when the horse is compliant and listening do some more work. Repeat the dose.