Spooky hacking. Should i try a calmer?

[Eilean21]

I have recently returned to riding and have been getting lessons on my daughters horse.

The horse had been away on loan for 1 year before returning to us in Sept last year. While she was away I think she was only hacked a handful of times as the girl who had her was quite nervous hacking out so just stuck to arena work. Anyway since she has been back she has been really spooky to hack, some days she is ok but a lot of the time she is joggy, snorting at stuff, spooking at any unusual noise. We keep her at home so hacking is all we have, she is fine when we go away from home most of the time and in general is a laid back horse to deal with.

I hacked out on Sunday with another horse away from home and she was amazing, took the lead on tracks she has never been on and made me feel really confident then today i tried to hack her out on her own and she was a nightmare. My son had set up some jumps for his bike in the field so that just set her off as we were leaving and she didn't settle, i ended up turning back after about 10 mins

I really want hacking to be enjoyable and wondered if it would be worthwhile trying her on a calmer? Thing is she is laid back in general so really not sure if this would be a god idea. I know she is not getting ridden a lot at the moment as it is too dark when i get home from work.

Should i just persevere with the hacking and hope she starts to improve with more work or do you think i should try a calmer?

 

[AmyMay]

I certainly wouldn’t be putting her on a calmer due to one spooky ride.

 

[scruffyponies]

The cure for spooking whilst hacking is more hacking.

 

[Eilean21]

I certainly wouldn’t be putting her on a calmer due to one spooky ride.

It is not one ride though it has been since September

 

[ameeyal]

What was she like to hack before she went on loan, how much turnout does she get, is she on any surgery feed, ( ryegrass haylage/ hay, mollases bagged feed)

 

[Eilean21]

What was she like to hack before she went on loan, how much turnout does she get, is she on any surgery feed, ( ryegrass haylage/ hay, mollases bagged feed)

She was really good before she went on loan, she is out 24/7 gets fed hay and some hi-fi molassas free with Speedi-beet

 

[AmyMay]

It is not one ride though it has been since September

Sorry, I missed that bit.

Confidence is the key - your confidence. If you react/tense so will she. Ignore and kick on.

 

[JackFrost]

Is she only spooky hacking on her own? Is she spooky if walked out in hand on her own? Is she the same with you and your daughter? I wouldn't bother with a calmer but would try to narrow down what the problem is.
If she's just come back, that in itself may be unsettling for her.

 

[Eilean21]

Sorry, I missed that bit.

Confidence is the key - your confidence. If you react/tense so will she. Ignore and kick on.

Thanks, yeah that makes sense. Think i will just have to get on with it Just really don't want it to start to effect my confidence and then it is just a viscious circle isn't it.

 

[Littlebear]

Have you tried putting a set of ears on, that used to take the edge right off mine that could be a bit spooky hacking x

 

[Eilean21]

Is she only spooky hacking on her own? Is she spooky if walked out in hand on her own? Is she the same with you and your daughter? I wouldn't bother with a calmer but would try to narrow down what the problem is.
If she's just come back, that in itself may be unsettling for her.

She mainly hacks on her own but sometimes she is fine on her own other times she is a nightmare. Only really walked her out in hand once (since she has been home) and she was ok, a bit spooky. Yeah my daughter was home at Christmas and rode her a few times and she was quite spooky.

 

[Eilean21]

Have you tried putting a set of ears on, that used to take the edge right off mine that could be a bit spooky hacking x

I haven't tried this but do have a set of ears so could try it. She is definately worse when its really windy. Thanks

 

[Pearlsasinger]

It is difficult then it'sdark so early but have you thought of leading her out, tacked up and then getting on quite near home,sothat you haven't far for her to spook and she willmost likely be concenrtrating on getting home? Thenget on abit sooner each time

Can you hack with another horse, until you both get your confidence and learn to trust each other?

Is there someone who will walk/cycle with you until you both get your confidence?

does she have company in the field?

 

[Sprogladite01]

My boy is like this and the things that have helped me are:

• Acoustic ears
• Getting him out hacking regularly - even if not with me. I paid my instructor to take him out and about for a few weeks while I worked on my confidence (he really knocked it for six!)
• Routine - we initially only stuck to a couple of routes so he learnt the way round and it was no longer scary - he knew what was where and that helped a lot. We could then start deviating a bit - going round a new corner and walking past where we'd normally turn for home etc, things like that
• Working on my position - in the school spent several sessions working on my position to ensure i was secure. Once I'd sat through a few spooks out and about it gave my confidence a real boost to know he wasn't going to ditch me on the side of the road if he turned into a dragon!

I'm now much more able to ignore what he's getting up to and that in itself has given him confidence, reducing his silly behaviour.

Good luck, all sounds easy when you list it out but it's so hard when your confidence has been knocked!

 

[PeterNatt]

The solution is to hack her out each and every day and get her back in to a hacking routine. That way she will get used to everything again.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Sounds to me that she has already made you nervous, which is very easy to do, and she will pick up on your lack of confidence.
I think you should consider taking her to a riding school for a weeks lessons, you could mix with your lessons and the instructor riding.
She may need to go back to basics, but most likely thing is someone has let her off with this nonsense. Take that as your starting place, do not bring her back home if she starts spooking, trot on, ride positively, make a plan, ask her to walk trot, stand, when you decide, don't sit there casually, I've seen many people doing that with the wrong horse, they end up in A&E.
You are in charge, let there be no doubt.
Check the feed is suitable, it's not likely she needs a calmer, more likely she needs more work.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

I long reined mine (as a 5 ear old) to give him confidence out hacking alone. He is now a happy hacker...

 

[Birker2020]

The solution is to hack her out each and every day and get her back in to a hacking routine. That way she will get used to everything again.

This is what I had to do with Bailey, she was a total nightmare to hack out on her own, totally fine with others, she would slot in behind them with her nose up their backside, ears flat back, bottom lip drooping. She was like that at shows too, would fall asleep in between classes tied to the back of the trailer but then spook at anything and everything in and around the show jumping or dressage arena.

In the end out hacking she would plant, spin, mini rear and everything in between. She used to take ages coming down from the spooks as well. I loved going out on my own, actually preferred it to company of others, so just went out day after day after day and got her desentisised to everything as I loved hacking and wanted to continue doing it rather than give up on her.

I did also put her on a calmer which was amazing and really helped and she would still spook but much smaller spooks and de-escalate so much quicker. I took her off the calmer twice between April and August 2014 and each time she reverted back to the snorting beastie she was before the calmer and went back to calm again around 7 or 8 days later when back on it again.

She got so bad at the one yard I was at that I cried everytime I rode her I was that scared of her. But it transpired that the YO had been feeding the run off from cooked Barley and the barley water was sending her mad. This was after she'd told me she'd taken her off it, I'd tried another rider riding her (with the same results as me) and got the vet out to check her over as I got slack on this forum as some people reckoned it was because she was in pain - vet could find nothing wrong whatsoever. Then I find out later from a fellow livery that the YO was still giving her barley water. SHe was a different horse when she left that yard and moved back to the present one and away from the barley.

She'd come up in hives from eating fresh barley in a field so she must have been very reactive to it.

 

[Annagain]

You've already had good advice from people. I'd just wanted to say I understand how you feel. I have a new horse and when I first had him, I was fine hacking but not confident in the school. After lots of lessons recently I'm much better in the school but now I'm worse out hacking. This is partly due to a minor incident where we had the misfortune to pass pigs at feeding time when they were very noisy and we were alone but is mainly just me being hormonal and anxious. It's that vicious circle of me being nervous, making him more nervous which in turn makes me nervous. We only hack out properly in company at the moment but I'm working up to going out alone by going down our lane before going in the school and going 10m further each time. I'm also thinking of getting a pro to come and take him out a few times before I give it a try.

If you have company you can hack out with, I'd go with someone for a bit until you're both more confident - if it's company you can then peel away from to head home and then reverse to meet up with as you head out you (collectively) can develop solo confidence heading for home or meet another horse who will help calm you down if you've got a bit anxious. We have a friend who comes past to pick us up at the moment and the route then means I peel away to head home alone but but we're planning on reversing that to meeting her at the end of the lane next time.

 

[wren123]

I had a horse that used to be quite spooky hacking, I used to sing, sounds silly but it takes away the tension! I also used to give her plenty to think about hacking loads of transitions, literally half a dozen strides walk, halt, trot, walk again, leg yielding, anything to get her listening to me not what was happening.

 

[Annagain]

I had a horse that used to be quite spooky hacking, I used to sing, sounds silly but it takes away the tension! I also used to give her plenty to think about hacking loads of transitions, literally half a dozen strides walk, halt, trot, walk again, leg yielding, anything to get her listening to me not what was happening.

Yes singing is fantastic as it helps to regulate your breathing. Unfortunately Charlie reacted as most people do when I sing and made it very clear he didn't want to listen so I now make up silly poems about him and just talk to him instead.