Spooky horsee

[comet&joe]

so i ride this pony called comet and he is so amazing.. But only problem is that he spooks at everything! he is 6years old and is a connemara. He has been checked, and he is fine. My instructer just tells me that he spooks, its not his fault and he didnt have a bad past. its just in his head. Ive tried everything! I turned his head into the centre of the school when people walk past as he dosnt like audiences. Even one person he spooks. Im not worried about anything or falling off but its really getting me down cos i love him so much.. Any help please?

 

[ThePony]

what do you do when you think he will spook, what does he do when he spooks and how do you respond to that?

 

[comet&joe]

what do you do when you think he will spook, what does he do when he spooks and how do you respond to that?

when i think he will spook i turn his head the oppisite direction of the thing he will spook at.. when he spooks he like, goes to the side . like a jump to the side. Sorry not great at explaining it! and i dont really do anything after that as i dont really know what to do?

 

[ThePony]

He is still a bit young so is likely to be needing a bit of confidence from you, but also I bet he can be a bit of a b***er too! If you think he will spook and you react before he does then you are reinforcing to him that it is a spooky thing. Try not to be on the look out always for things he will spook at. Just try and ride positively forwards - if you ride confidently then he will take alot of confidence from that. If he has a naughty spook (saw it for ages, nothing sudden or scary) then I would give him a quick smack down his shoulder with a crop, while continuring to ride on as if nothing has happened. If it is a 'fair enough' spook - a sudden bang near him or something - then I would just give him a quick quiet pat, and again just carry on. He needs to learn that life isn't scary and that even if there are some scary things that happen, it doesn't get him out of work! Connies tend to be clever souls, sometimes that is a blessing and othertimes a curse!!

 

[AmyMay]

He's only a baby - the more he sees the less he'll do it.

Just totally ignore it. No reaction from you at all, other than to just ride him through it.

 

[Steorra]

Ride calmly forward. Give him lots to think about when you are schooling: changes of rein, transitions, school figures. His focus needs to be on you and what you are asking, not on what is happening outside the school. Likewise you need to focus on your pony and your riding. If you are looking for things he might spook at you will be tense and distracted, and he will spook!

If he feels tense or distracted, reassure him then give him a job to do. Be kind if he is frightened, but very clear that he still needs do as you ask. If he does jump sideways ignore it and carry on with whatever you were doing.

As you get to know and trust each other this will happen less and less. If you feel safe and confident despite his spooking, you could try introducing slightly scary objects to your schooling sessions. Cones are good, so are jump fillers (to circle around or use as markers rather than to jump - though you could do that too ) He needs to learn that he can trust you when you say something is safe, and to learn that he has to concentrate no matter what else is happening around him.