Spooky horse - any tips?

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anniedoherty

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New horse is settling in nicely but he is very spooky. Any ideas for instilling a bit more confidence in him or is it just a question of giving him more time to settle in? He seems fairly chilled when I bring him in from the field and he lunges well without bolting but when I ride him he seems to see a lot of monsters.

I am starting to wonder if I am somehow causing the problem, although I am not sure how I am doing it? He has a sensitive mouth and is forward going. I have learnt already not to apply too much leg or he sets off like a rocket. Could he just be a sensitive soul or is it possible to make him a bit less scared do you think?
 
i put mine on a calmer for a couple of months - then onto brewers yeast and it did the trick - she has more or less stopped spooking and napping - mind you if i remembe from your posts you havent had him long so it may be just a settling in period untill you build up that trust in each other - good luck x x
 
I have only had him since Wednesday so it is very, very early days yet. We need to get to know each other and he needs to get to know his way around the local area etc.

His old owners advised me to throw him in at the deep end and hack out on Thursday, so I did, but he decided to canter (unasked) and then slammed his brakes on and I went hurtling over his shoulder. I normally have good stickability but I went flying off and landed on the road. Since then we've stuck to the school to ensure a softer landing!
 
But he is ID x THOROUGHBRED - isn't he? My mare has the same breeding and is always spooky (not silly but you just have to adapt to the lively bits). Calmers may help, as well as ensuring that he has plenty of work. If you are fortunate you will find that your chap is spooky but uses his brain (as mine does) so will keep you both out of bother. The other point is that he may settle once he gets used to you and the yard etc but I wouldn't guarantee it - the TB cross gives speed, stamina and quick reactions! Good luck.
 
Hornby, he's IDx but not sure what the other bit is. He is quite fine but has huge feet so I don't think he has much, if any, TB in him. There again I don't really know. Do IDs have massive feet - maybe that is where he gets them from?
 
I think that the best thing that you can really do is expose him to as many different sights and sounds as possible and start desensitising (sp?) him to them. You will probably have to except that he will always be abit spooky and just get on with it. It will be easier when he knows you better and he trusts you. A calmer might be a good idea while you are getting used to each other. What is his schooling like?? Sometimes if you work really hard on getting them listening to you and working well then they are concentrating too hard to think about things to spook at. Also before you get to an object that he might spook at, try putting him in shoulder in (facing away from it) so that he is not looking at it and is cooncentrating on the movement. He may be a horse that needs to have a good look though, in which case that wont help as he will just get upset by not being able to see it. Good luck!
 
With my lad I find the more I ride him, i.e in an outline etc. he becomes much less spooky. Also get him concentrating, makehim work, serpentines, circles etc. to keep him occupied
 
Is he spooking or Napping? Sounds like he might be testing you a bit - especially when you took him hacking. Try to be firm with him and be utterly confident in yourself so it passes on to him.

Was he spooky when you tried him out?

When he does spook find something incredibly fascinating to look at in the other direction, he will stop looking at his scary monster and try and find yours instead - which isn't there.
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Thanks everyone. I've never used a calmer before. Any recommendations in case I decide to try it further down the line? I am going to leave it a few more weeks before making any decision mind you because things might improve as we get to know each other better.

TripleSandH yes, he did spook at the start of the schooling session and then again at the end. In between he was fine because he was listening to me and concentrating. My mare used to be the same - she usually spooked when we were mooching around the arena.

Yes, he was a bit spooky when I tried him out both in the indoor school and out hacking so I guess it is probably something that I will have to put up with. He hasn't shown an nappines at all so far. I have a very nappy Warmblood so I am used to that but the new one is genuinely scared of whatever it is that he thinks he can see. Trouble is I bought him to teach OH to ride and I think that a horse who likes to suddenly take all four feet off the ground will only teach him to fall off!
 
I have a IDxTB who is also very spooky. He does improve if he's ridden regularly, but it never goes completely. Also, he can be great one day and not bat an eyelid at anything yet the next he's eyeing up clumps of grass as if they're the biggest monsters going! He also gets much worse at this time of year with the spring grass. I put him on Valerian as a calmer, which takes the edge off. I have to say that when he is calm and not spooky he is really great. I think it's either learn to live with it or sell up, but it is early days yet. My lad also has massive feet and he's mostly TB according to his papers!!
 
Fudge generally lacks confidence which makes him spooky at times, (he doesn't do anything silly, just spooks sideways or tries to trot past things) I find asking him to bend in the opposite direction or work on the bit prevents him spooking 9 times out of 10.
 
My horse was a bit of a spooky nappy sod for the first month or two I had him out hacking on his own. I was very firm with him when he was nappy but fair and sensitive at the same time, full of praise and reassurance.

What made the biggest difference to use was me long reining him round the places on regular hacks he found most frightening. Couldn't believe the difference it made.

Also echo others comments re keeping him occupied.

One other thing- try and make sure you are not tensing up on him- if you are anything like me having had a nasty fall you might subconsciously be sending him nervous vibes! Singing is good for relaxing your muscles, I always sing to my horse when going past scary things lol (but only when I'm on my own as my singing voice is HORRIFIC)
 
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