Spooky horse

tashyisaudrey

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My horse is fab in every way, but she has got real issues with her shadow. I know this sounds really stupid but it is becoming a real problem. It starts with her blowing and snorting and bending her ear down towards her shadow and then she becomes really silly and panics. She has bolted out on hacks a few times and sometimes spooks mid jump. She doesn't get me off and I'm patient with her, but it really is becoming annoying. It is particularly bad when I ride in the lit school on evenings. It is worse when we are in canter as she thinks she is being chased by it!!
 

Jericho

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does she spook at her shadow when you are not riding i.e. in the field or yard?? If not she might just be trying it on. If she does it probably is a case of working through it with her i.e. lots of work with shadows and ignoring the spooks.

It might also be her eyesight - have you had them checked recently??
 

tashyisaudrey

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eyes - good point. She does a lot of stoping to look at things. When jumping, she sometimes stops to look to see if the pole has gone up and then cat leaps it! Yes she does it in the field and on the ground as well.
 

Faro

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Can't be of much help here, Audrey, except agree with Graciegrumble to get the eyes checked out. However if it's any consolation, your horse is just like the great Bucephalus (mount of Alexander the Great). Legend has it that Bucephalus, too, was scared of his own shadow, but nobody realised it at first and the horse was deemed unrideable until Alexander came along and spotted what the problem was.
 

YorksG

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My Appy mare can be a bit wierd with her shadow, usually she rides through the problem. She is also off with sunlight glinting off windows and puddles. I think she is just very sensetive to such things, no other eye problems.
 
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