spooking to the extreme/no concentration. any suggestions?

charlie76

charlie76

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I have a very nice, very capable warmblood gelding who is competing at medium and schooling advanced medium.
He is a lovely horse but his spooking and his short attention span is driving me nuts.
He is much worse at home then out, although at a show he is never really focused, he calls non stop and becomes introverted in the test.
At home he is always looking for a reason to spook, 99% of the time there is nothing there, he gets tense in the neck, feels like you have no connection and you total loose the pace or the exercise you are doing.
His spooks are not a little jump, he will drop his shoulder and spin mid canter without warning!
He can go past the same thing 100 times and then spook on the 101 time!
its so frustrating as its stopping our progress.
I have tried showing him things, ignoring him, reassuring him. It doesn't work.
On the lunge, even in side reins, he is still trying to look out of the arena at things.
I hack him two or three times a week.
Today when I rode him, he spooked the first time round the school so I gave him a bit of a kick and tapped him up with the stick as he drops off the leg before spooking. He then was brilliant, went really well. I stopped to chat to a friend who had been stood watching and some one else came over to take a stick from. The whip holder. She was also there for some time, he stood quietly then for no reason from halt, span, dropped his shoulder and ******ed off across the school, I have no idea how I stayed on. I took him back, he did it again. This time smacking me in the face in the process.
I wasnt going to let him stop on that so I trotted him round the school and he continued to spook and totally drop behind the leg. In desperation I picked up a short stick and on the forth time of him dropping me I gave him a well timed hard smack. He shot off but never spooked again! This tells me he is trying it on and using it as an evasion. I did five more minute and got off.
However. I felt terrible for smacking him!
Any suggestions!
He goes out daily, he is on quite a high energy diet as he is a lazy toad!
He is fed a magnesium based calmer.
I ride him six days a week.
He is worse in the snaffle than the double
 
Sounds like mine used to be!! Try Equifeast Cool Calm Collect mag free. Only thing that actually helped. He still can be a little spooky but so much easier to cope with. Also try riding a little inside bend, helps with mine. And think forward all the time, don't let him drop off the contact, and try and ignore the spook, easier said than done but the more you make an issue, the more they do it.
 
Second Ellie_e with trying Equifeast - I have heard great things about it! Also, don't feel bad for smacking him - he was being a right git by the sounds of it, and that sort of behaviour is not acceptable. It sounds like he is using his spooking as an evasion, and I would be inclined to tackle it head on, ensuring he is always 100% infront of the leg, the second he even considers dropping you squeeze nicely with your legs, if he ignores this straightaway give him a kick, and if he ignores that straight away give him a smack behind your leg and allow his to travel forward - doesnt matter is he canters/bogs off with you as long as he goes forwards. Then ask him to slow back down and then gentle squeeze and so on until he is right there waiting to be told what to you, instead of making up his own entertainment!!

You have to be really disciplined, no sloping along thinking *ooo this is quite nice* he has to be trying all the time, just like you!!

Good luck, hopefully, when everything is black and white with him he will knuckle down and start improving!!
 
hi sounds like my horse ,except you cannot tell him off as will have total, nervous melt down was on magic which did help but not with attitude have been on cool calm and collected for 5 days and have a totally different horse .totally amazing:)
 
I'm another who would suggest giving equifeast a call-i have found the mag free one a huge help.
 
My new one is like this - I was hoping he would get better once he settled down, not so far - think I'll be ordering the Equifeast tomorrow - thanks for asking OP - sorry I can't offer any help
 
Have also heard good things about CCC. It seems, if it's going to work, you'll know quite quickly.

I'm also a Protexin fan now. It's supposed to be a digestive aid but I've had a few horses chill right out on it. I also have one that's a different horse on an immune supplement, specifically the GH one.

Schooling-wise, hard to say from the internet. You're an experienced rider with access to good back up so I'd guess you've tried all the obvious options.
 
Have you played around with what you feed him? Mine was a nutter on haylage, and oil makes him more spooky.
 
Is he turned out? I used to rode a little horse and when he was stabled 24/7 as that's what the owner wanted he sounds very similar to your chap. He could spook and spin for England. When he was turned out 24/7 he was an absolute pleasure to ride.

He was another one if I gave him a smack before I felt him spook he was a lot better and didn't try it on as much.
 
I assume his eyes are ok? Just a thought from someone who's old pony was blind in one eye, it took us ages to realise that though!
 
My WB can be exactly like that, he is also prone to trying up and muscle cramps so I have to keep him on a high oil, very low starch diet. This helps, but the main thing that helps is always getting on and riding him positively and on a good to strong contact. It feels a bit odd at first as he can be very lazy but it really helps him go forward (almost like he needs the safety belt to make him confident!). That and remembering the saying 'Ride it like you stole it' really applies. If I ride like this he is amazing but it's hard work sometimes and I feel a bit of a bully but it really suits him.

I also always hack out in a western saddle now, allow me to relax and if/when he does a drop shoulder spook I only end up with a bruised thigh and not on the floor! :)

He got a lot better when he reached 8 years old but does still have the odd moment!
 
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There is probably not enough Magnesium in your calmer. The easiest/cheapest option would be to buy some MgO and feed a 20ml scoop per day.

Or it could be ulcers/digestive discomfort.
 
My boys the same :( Spent 9 yrs on the same yard and still spooked at the same things and places. I had a lesson off a respected instructor who was quite suprised at how silly he was, especially the violent spooks at her! People are his main object of spookiness. She reckonned there wasnt enough going on, that the place was too quiet and he was very intelligent and bored. He too was ridden 5/6 times a week with hacking and schooling. I moved yards (not just because of this) and he was a different horse, so sensible BUT the spooking has started again :(. Flapping bags dont bother him, its stupid 'normal' things.
Fast forward and I had a lesson of a different instructor who also said, he was very trainable and intelligent and instead of pushing him forwards, with him backing off, head in air gawping and spinning...... but for now, to collect him and be in total control and it works!! I seem to be able to stop the spins and keep going past the object. I was always taught to get him forwards and I was sceptical but if it works, for now I will try anything.

Forgot to say, I was convinced it was his eyes, so had them checked and was told, they are too good!
 
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My Tb has become very spooky over the past couple of months and has the attention span of a gnat so have just put him on straight magnesium oxide after reading around a bit and its generally cheaper than most branded magnesium supplements. As someone said before they may not be enough magnesium in the supplement as they tend to bulk them out with all sorts and charge alot more. With MgO at least you know how much you are giving. Time will tell!
 
Lol, not by DiMaggio by any chance is he?! Sounds all to familiar.

Mine had ulcers & is a different horse on Gastrogard. My bank balance sadly, is also unrecognisable! :o
 
It is really hard to say without seeing the horse – and I know you are very experienced.

Maggie, my sisters horse, is 14 and competing at Medium and is an absolute pain at times, similar behaviour to yours, working really well, then you can just see her looking for an excuse to do a jump & spin/leap. She does it more when she is really fresh and much less during the warmer months, and sometimes it is just a bit of cheek/happy - but she quickly works out that it works wonders as an evasion technique as well, so if she doesn't fancy something - say halfpass to the right which is the weaker one, suddenly a leaf rustling in the branches on the opposite side of the school is enough reason to leap/spin round/buck.

She needs a smack when she is like this - then she quickly packs it in and concentrates on her work. She is half TB and has a mind that needs occupying at all times, and she needs a LOT of hard work. Much better and much happier when she is tired.

I'm NOT saying this is the case with yours, and that all horses should have a smack when they behave like this – and it can be quite hard to separate out what is genuine spook, what is playful and what is evasive. Just wanted to add to the scenarios. Good luck.
 
My suggestion would be to feed salt - - 2 tablespoons a day as well as offering a mineral lick.

This has worked for a friend's severly (I mean was on the point of pts - after 18 months of veterinary investigations) itchy horse.

This website talks of the effects of certain deficiencies and how salt can combat those. I would say what have you to lose? Cheap and easy trial from which you should see results within 2 weeks.

http://www.calmhealthyhorses.com/behave/spook.html

http://www.calmhealthyhorses.com/success/nibbler.html
 
I was riding a mare all winter who was just like this. She was actually the 'quietest' spooky horse in the world ever. She wouldn't buck or rear (just bounce) and was quiet as a amb to handle otherwise.
I could go into the arena, and if the jumps had moved since the last time she spooked at them all. Then after a couple of goes past in walk she would give up spooking. Sometimes she only did it once.
Then when you went into trot you had to go through the whole thing again
Then in canter the whole thing again, but with added sparkle, leg changes, practically cantering on the spot and snorting at something she had trotted past 2 mins before.
I found it really annoying to be honest & it spoiled a nice horse for me. She was still spooky on the lunge with side reins, when she was tired, out on hacks, on the way to and from the field, everything. I also used inside flexion and lots of leg, but just couldn't forget about it for a second, and it would spoil our loveliest work sometimes.
Worst thing was she belonged to a para rider (thats who i rode her for) and she did it with him and had him off a couple of times too.
Don't ask me who sold the spookiest idiot horse I have ever ridden to a para rider cause it still annoys me!
 
are his eyes ok?
my mare used to be very spooky. once she spooked at the cat on the fence so badly we actually went down and she had me off by stopping dead, reverse spinning a few times (she does this from all paces)
ive found having her very in front of the leg to the point of too forwards helps lots.
also i did ground work with her and lots of hacking and this improved things no end- so lots of unusual experiences to get her to accept things more easily.
 
Def ccc! i had my 7yo warmblood on various magnesium calmers for best part of 2yrs and now since using the mag free ccc i am sure magnesium used to make him worse! - which apparently it does on 30% of horses! Honestly it is fab and they are really helpful :) good luck
 
Sounds to me like you have answered your own post, when you get after him and really ride him he stops spooking, this to me suggests, you maybe aren't riding fwds enough. You have to own forwards, really have him on the aids, I think he's just testing you. Sure try a different calmer but until you have him truly in front of the leg he will continue to take the p**s.
 
another one who would suggest Equifeast don't just buy it talk to Malcolm first he can make very good suggestions and will tailor the products for individual horses
 
Oscar said:
Sounds to me like you have answered your own post, when you get after him and really ride him he stops spooking, this to me suggests, you maybe aren't riding fwds enough. You have to own forwards, really have him on the aids, I think he's just testing you. Sure try a different calmer but until you have him truly in front of the leg he will continue to take the p**s.
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He is forwards and really in front of my leg, he will do it mid canter if I allow him to. Have all my horses sensitive to the leg as I hate kicking and pushing.
In my OP you will see that I was standing still when he did it, so I can't have him forward and on the aids standing still!

Yesterday I rode him and although he had a couple of small spooks but was actually not too bad. I found that as I went past the bits where he was particularly silly usually , if I was quite ' active' with the bit just past those points he didn't spook. It was almost like a comfort blanket for him. Thank you for all your suggestions, I will def try the feed.

His eyes are fine btw, I had them checked as he cut his eye quite badly and they checked them then to see if he had rubbed it for some reason.
 
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