Spooky corner

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silkster007

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My Hanovarian mare continually spooks in the same corner of the outdoor ménage, a bird flew from the large bush/tree months back and she will shy away and canter away from the corner everytime. I have lunged her there let her find food there and walked her past so many times but she still spooks while I ride in that corner.
Anyone have any ideas?
 
silkster007 said:
I have tried that and i can get her walking past that corner with no reaction when i get back on to ride she displays the same behaviour at the same corner.
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Do the second one then.

Ride lots of ten metre circles going off the outside track and back onto it. Vary the tempo and collection. Really get her listening to you. Weave in and out on and off the outside and inside tracks. Halt. Reinback. Turn on quarters. Shoulder -in. Whatever gets her listening to you and not thinking about what might go on in that corner.

It might take a few goes, but it does work :cool:
 
I would ignore it. Dont ride in the corner (just cut your circles smaller) and dont make it an issue for now, then as your riding in a few sessions you will be able to yield into it; do spiral circles all around the school then eventually she will be listening to you and you'll just move into it.

As it is, it sounds like your forcing the issue, and almost making her think there IS a problem.
 
If she's fine in-hand in that corner & only spooking when ridden then I would suggest it's coming from you 'expecting' her to spook.
Mrs M speaks a lot of sense also keeping busy should stop you thinking about the corner too much.
In fact I would probably do the opposite of what loopylozz suggests & I would aim to work predominantly in that corner but keep both of you so active & buzy (lots of transitions, flexion, leg yielding) that neither of you have got time to worry about where you are in the school ;)
 
My horse does this up one end of the school where the jump wings and poles are stored. He is not scared of them he is just being stupid as he will walk past it fine on one rein but not the other. The only thing I have found to work is to either over-exaggerate the inside bend and be really forceful with with my inside leg whilst keeping a steady trot for a few times past it until he begins to listen to me. Another thing that sometimes works is riding plenty of 10m circles in the spooky corner, serpentines and 20m circles until he goes past it without racing off at about 100 miles an hour.
 
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