Spooky horses out hacking alone....

Perfect_Pirouette

Perfect_Pirouette

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My new TB is fine in company (although isn't a robot so will obviously spook if the others do at something) however on his own he's a bit of a nightmare. He's not dangerous or anything but he IS very spooky.

I've only had him 8 weeks but I already don't enjoy hacking as much as I used to (and to be honest that wasnt a lot, I'm more of a schooling/flatwork person but did used to love going for a good gallop etc on G (old horse) ) but with M he just spooks at everything and I feel like I can never fully relax or switch off and let my mind wander. I also haven't cantered him out on his own yet as I'm scared he'll spook and I'll come out of the side door :(

I hack him twice a week and this is mostly on his own as when I get down after work there's noone really about to hack with. I think with his (soon to be) old owner he was hacked quite a lot in company so I'm hoping that the more he's hacked on his own the better he'll get?

Has anyone else had a spooky/unconfident horse on his own become better with time?
 
How old is he?

One of mine can be a nightmare, very sharp, very spooky, but he's young and inexperienced hacking alone, and improves massively the more he does it. It wouldn't stop me doing it though, and while he is a lot more stressful to hack than my older boy, I do enjoy hacking him (even when I fear for my life ;) )

Good luck.
 
Yes. :) I had to hack alone most of the time due to there being no-one avalable to go with. I used to tell myself to sit up, put my leg on and go! :p I will dismount and lead past scary things rather than have a fight in a dangerous situation, but I ended up having a horse that will now escort (and give confidence to) youngsters or bad-to-hack horses. :D
 
SummerxStarsx said:
I feel like I can never fully relax or switch off and let my mind wander [.......] I'm scared he'll spook and I'll come out of the side door :(
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Without meaning offence, I think the problem may lie less with your horse's mindset and more with your own lack of confidence in dealing with him. Horses that are spooky/nervous hacking alone tend to take their cue from their rider - if the rider is relaxed and confident, it helps them relax and instills confidence in them, whereas if the rider's nervous and tense that negativity transmits itself to the horse. If you are not confident hacking your horse alone, he may benefit from doing it with a more confident rider who is going to stay relaxed and unphased by his behaviour :)
 
Yes my tb mare was dreadful when she arrived, twigs, stones, everything. But she settled pretty quickly and I'm sure the more you ride him out the better he will become. I did a lot of long reining first to build her confidence without me coming off! Also 24/7 turnout helps. If possible try and ride him more too, twice a week isnt really enough work for a spooky tb :-)
 
Is he genuinely spooking, or is he taking the P? I have a tb who's an angel in company, but complete toad by himself. It's not that he's frightened, he's just being a pillock! He gets worse the more he goes out. If your horse is just lacking confidence, though, he should get better the more he goes out.
 
joosie said:
Without meaning offence, I think the problem may lie less with your horse's mindset and more with your own lack of confidence in dealing with him. Horses that are spooky/nervous hacking alone tend to take their cue from their rider - if the rider is relaxed and confident, it helps them relax and instills confidence in them, whereas if the rider's nervous and tense that negativity transmits itself to the horse. If you are not confident hacking your horse alone, he may benefit from doing it with a more confident rider who is going to stay relaxed and unphased by his behaviour :)
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No, I'm not scared of him, but I am scared to canter him without company for the reason I stated above. It doesn't bother me as I know he doesn't do anything stupid, is just spooky. I just find it really, really irritating and want to slap him and say 'GET A GRIP!!' .......I don't obviously ;)

I just dont see how anyone can enjoy hacking a horse that's really spooky out.
 
Murphy was a bit spooky today (combination of cooler weather, strimmers and road works!) so I sang him a song;

Now Delaney had a donkey that everyone admired,
Tempo'rily lazy and permanently tired
A leg at ev'ry corner balancing his head,
And a tail to let you know which end he wanted to be fed
Riley slyly said "We've underrated it, why not train it?"
Then he took a rag
They rubbed it, scrubbed it,
They oiled and embrocated it,
Got it to the post
And when the starter dropped his flag
There was Riley pushing it, shoving it, shushing it
Hogan, Logan and ev'ryone in town lined up
Attacking it and shoving it and smacking it
They might as well have tried to push the Town Hall down
The donkey was eyeing them,
Openly defying them
Winking, blinking and twisting out of place
Riley reversing it,
Ev'rybody cursing it
The day Delaney's donkey ran the halfmile race.

The muscles of the mighty never known to flinch,
They couldn't budge the donkey a quarter of an inch
Delaney lay exhausted, hanging round its throat
With a grip just like a Scotchman on a five pound note
Starter, Carter, he lined up with the rest of 'em.
When it saw them, it was willing then
It raced up, braced up, ready for the best of 'em.
They started off to cheer it but it changed its mind again
There was Riley pushing it, shoving it and shushing it
Hogan, Logan and Mary Ann Macgraw,
She started poking it, grabbing it and choking it
It kicked her in the bustle and it laughed "Hee Haw!"
The whigs, the conservatives,
Radical superlatives
Libr'rals and tories,
They hurried to the place
Stood there in unity,
Helping the community
The day Delaney's donkey ran the halfmile race.

The crowd began to cheer it. Then Rafferty, the judge
He came to assist them, but still it wouldn't budge
The jockey who was riding, little John MacGee,
Was so thoroughly disgusted that he went to have his tea
Hagan, Fagan was students of psychology,
Swore they'd shift it with some dynamite
They bought it, brought it, then without apology
The donkey gave a sneeze and blew the darn stuff out of sight
There was Riley pushing it, shoving it and shushing it
Hogan, Logan and all the bally crew,
P'lice, and auxil'ary,
The Garrison Artillery
The Second Enniskillen's and the Life Guards too
They seized it and harried it,
They picked it up and carried it
Cheered it, steered it to the winning place
Then the Bookies drew aside,
They all commited suicide
Well, the day Delaney's donkey won the halfmile race.

Being Welsh, he loved it!!!
 
Nudibranch said:
Yes my tb mare was dreadful when she arrived, twigs, stones, everything. But she settled pretty quickly and I'm sure the more you ride him out the better he will become. I did a lot of long reining first to build her confidence without me coming off! Also 24/7 turnout helps. If possible try and ride him more too, twice a week isnt really enough work for a spooky tb :-)
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He's ridden 5 times a week, schooled 3 times and hacked twice. He is really spooky in the school too, however that's just taking the P and I just ignore him and push him through it til he gets bored. Which is what I'm doing out hacking too but like I said, I'd just like to be able to go off for miles and miles with a relaxed horse, or go for a long canter around the edge of a field without worrying about him spooking and me coming out the side door.
 
Sarah W said:
Murphy was a bit spooky today (combination of cooler weather, strimmers and road works!) so I sang him a song;

Now Delaney had a donkey that everyone admired,
Tempo'rily lazy and permanently tired
A leg at ev'ry corner balancing his head,
And a tail to let you know which end he wanted to be fed
Riley slyly said "We've underrated it, why not train it?"
Then he took a rag
They rubbed it, scrubbed it,
They oiled and embrocated it,
Got it to the post
And when the starter dropped his flag
There was Riley pushing it, shoving it, shushing it
Hogan, Logan and ev'ryone in town lined up
Attacking it and shoving it and smacking it
They might as well have tried to push the Town Hall down
The donkey was eyeing them,
Openly defying them
Winking, blinking and twisting out of place
Riley reversing it,
Ev'rybody cursing it
The day Delaney's donkey ran the halfmile race.

The muscles of the mighty never known to flinch,
They couldn't budge the donkey a quarter of an inch
Delaney lay exhausted, hanging round its throat
With a grip just like a Scotchman on a five pound note
Starter, Carter, he lined up with the rest of 'em.
When it saw them, it was willing then
It raced up, braced up, ready for the best of 'em.
They started off to cheer it but it changed its mind again
There was Riley pushing it, shoving it and shushing it
Hogan, Logan and Mary Ann Macgraw,
She started poking it, grabbing it and choking it
It kicked her in the bustle and it laughed "Hee Haw!"
The whigs, the conservatives,
Radical superlatives
Libr'rals and tories,
They hurried to the place
Stood there in unity,
Helping the community
The day Delaney's donkey ran the halfmile race.

The crowd began to cheer it. Then Rafferty, the judge
He came to assist them, but still it wouldn't budge
The jockey who was riding, little John MacGee,
Was so thoroughly disgusted that he went to have his tea
Hagan, Fagan was students of psychology,
Swore they'd shift it with some dynamite
They bought it, brought it, then without apology
The donkey gave a sneeze and blew the darn stuff out of sight
There was Riley pushing it, shoving it and shushing it
Hogan, Logan and all the bally crew,
P'lice, and auxil'ary,
The Garrison Artillery
The Second Enniskillen's and the Life Guards too
They seized it and harried it,
They picked it up and carried it
Cheered it, steered it to the winning place
Then the Bookies drew aside,
They all commited suicide
Well, the day Delaney's donkey won the halfmile race.

Being Welsh, he loved it!!!
Click to expand...


:D :D
 
My share is appallingly spooky and always shying at butterflies/having a tantrum over pieces of wood in the hedge/flinching when I sniff, but he is quite 'special' and after a troubled childhood (details obscure) he's probably always going to be. He learns from experience incredibly slowly (in any area of his life!), so we just live with him. He's never done anything really frightening but occasionally loses his head slightly and then I do wonder a bit what might come next, but he can be ridden through it as long as you stay calm and be careful about how much pressure you put on him. He's just the same with other horses as on his own, but that is him all over - he doesn't put his trust in people or other horses.

We do wonder what goes on in his head - the world must be quite a stressful place for him, which is quite sad, really. His 3yo stablemate will happily long-rein first time past things that he's never become happy with despite seeing them hundreds of times.

You need to make a conscious effort not to let your own tension affect your boy. If you can allow him (and you) to chill while putting up with the occasional bit of sideways action (a balance strap is always useful if you don't feel you can go with him when he goes unexpectedly) hacks will be nicer for you both. Laugh at the little shies rather than stressing about them, tell him he's a prat, and don't react negatively to them, because it won't improve matters. If you know you've got something spooky coming up, take your time, have him between hand and leg and flex him away from it to make shooting sideways more difficult.
 
SummerxStarsx said:
I just dont see how anyone can enjoy hacking a horse that's really spooky out.
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I don't see why not. The problem surely lies in the fact you don't know him very well and don't trust him / know his boundaries / aren't confident in your ability to handle it. If you were, you would enjoy hacking him, regardless, surely?

I love hacking my spooking beast out, I know that cantering is fine as he's too busy enjoying himself to spook, but he resorts to fire breathing dragon when we stop. Fine, it doesn't bother me. Not peaceful, but it is fun...
 
I love hacking my spooky tb, it just makes it more fun rather than just plodding around. It does sound like you are worried about him, especially after the last hacking thread you wrote. I think you need to be brave enough to canter him on a hack (because you want to obviously not because he wants to) and get over your fear of it :)
 
SummerxStarsx said:
He's ridden 5 times a week, schooled 3 times and hacked twice. He is really spooky in the school too, however that's just taking the P and I just ignore him and push him through it til he gets bored. Which is what I'm doing out hacking too but like I said, I'd just like to be able to go off for miles and miles with a relaxed horse, or go for a long canter around the edge of a field without worrying about him spooking and me coming out the side door.
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Is this the horse you have on loan with view to buy? sounds like your finding more problems with him, maybe he isn't the horse for you?
 
My horse is 20 and still hasn't grown out of the shooting sideways at speed trick whenever he sees a blade of grass in the wrong place. Tonight it was a mushroom growing among some tree roots that looked at him funny :rolleyes:

Luckily, he's 100% on the roads, passes double-decker buses and lots of other "typically" spooky things without a second glance. I've found that one thing that helps when riding round the fields is ensuring that he is always going forwards and off the leg. It may not seem like it, but spooky horses are more often than not behind the leg and a bit backward-thinking. If you keep them thinking about listening to you, there's less chance their attention will be diverted by the hedge monsters :D
 
I just find it irritating. I guess it's because I've been so used to a horse that literally doesn't look at anything and will always go first etc. It's a total change.

I will canter him on his own soon, I want to do it with my mum there first on the bike though just for peace of mind.

Yes this is the horse, and no, I'm not having problems with him. The hacking incident a few weeks ago was just that, an unfortunate incident and I trust him not to do it again for no reason. Other than that this horse has been as good as gold and has actually brought my confidence on no end.

My question on this thread was has anyone ever had a spooky horse become less spooky/wussy the more it's hacked on it's own? Or is he always likely to crap himself at his own shadow?
 
My pony is really spooky out alone too. He does get a bit better if I ride a route a lot of times, but any where new and he is jumping at everything! I also have to be permanently aware he may spook at any time!

I can't canter in many places when hacking - for the same reason you have mentioned (and I have come off side ways on several occasions). There is only one place we can really have a blast which is up a big hill in the middle of a field as there is nothing either side of us to jump out / scare him. I don't even trot on bridleways where there are hedges that are very close as he is very sharp and will spin and try to run the other way if really spooked. He is actually better on the roads and seems spookier off road.

It is definately not relaxing to hack out and I too would love long, relaxing rides in the countryside. I haven't really found anything that works apart from riding the same routes over and over again which is starting to have a bit of an effect. I try to ride with long reins to help him relax and with long stirrups so I have a more secure seat when needed. I don't tense up or get annoyed with him, although occasionally if he is spooking at everything in sight in a funny 5 minutes I growl at him - as he is being silly rather than scared.

We have some great hacking near us including a golf course with lovely long gallop stretches on bridlepaths that I used to have a blast on with my old horse - but its a bit of a no no with my pony unfortunately.

I've also tried calmers etc which don't have an effect.
 
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SummerxStarsx said:
My question on this thread was has anyone ever had a spooky horse become less spooky/wussy the more it's hacked on it's own? Or is he always likely to crap himself at his own shadow?
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Yes, my welsh mare will hack alone if i have a one sided conversation with her!
the first few times she goes out alone after a while of not doing so, she naps heavily on the way out, spooks at everything etc the worst she has done is charge sideways into a corn field.
However, the more I do it the less she protests and spooks at things and we can have enjoyable hacks up to 45 mins or so. she is always a little more spooky alone to be honest, but i think that is understandable and as i said the more she does it the less silly she becomes.


ETA: she's much nicer to hack alone too. in company she loses all feeling in her mouth and won't pull up until she's had a good burst from one end of field to the other and has beaten or drawn level with the horse(s) she is with. when alone she's lovely and steady with a nice attitude!
 
It is a pain isn't it.

If he gets less wussy/more confident then great, if not no biggie. I'm not a happy hacker and do only hack a couple of times a week anyway and like I said, he's an angel in company and I've cantered him loads out with other people and he's been as good as gold (apart from the one time a few weeks ago) I'm moving him when I buy him and should have a couple of regular hacking buddies so I'll try hack him once a week with them and we can have a good blast and then once a week on his own and have a more sedate ride.

To be fair I've only had him 8 week, I say the above now ^^^ but in a year may be cantering/galloping about on our own all the time. Fingers crossed.
 
Tazhazzamoose said:
ETA: she's much nicer to hack alone too. in company she loses all feeling in her mouth and won't pull up until she's had a good burst from one end of field to the other and has beaten or drawn level with the horse(s) she is with. when alone she's lovely and steady with a nice attitude!
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Yes, M is better on his own in some repsects too. If he spooks at something in company then god help me try to get him past it, it takes A LOT. Did a pub ride a few weeks ago with him and on the way back he took a dislike to something and just WOULD NOT go past it because he had other horses to hide behind. Took me about 15 mins but I MADE him go up front and go past it and afterwards he was fine. Whearas if he spooks at something alone, it'll only take me about 2-3 mins to get him past it as he has no choice, there are no other horses to hide behind!
 
SummerxStarsx said:
Yes, M is better on his own in some repsects too. If he spooks at something in company then god help me try to get him past it, it takes A LOT. Did a pub ride a few weeks ago with him and on the way back he took a dislike to something and just WOULD NOT go past it because he had other horses to hide behind. Took me about 15 mins but I MADE him go up front and go past it and afterwards he was fine. Whearas if he spooks at something alone, it'll only take me about 2-3 mins to get him past it as he has no choice, there are no other horses to hide behind!
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Ah sorry should have checked my post. She is better to hack in company, very well behaved. I meant to say she is much nicer to take for a canter when she is alone :) Otherwise i get the issues i mentioned i.e hardmouthed
 
My lad is exactly the same. It used to un-nerve me as well but I got some great advice from a trainer. She said 'if you don't like a horse that goes fast then get rid of him'. and it completely made sense. when he spooked i used to try and pull back and calm him down, now i boot him on and we get past it, trotting slightly faster than we should be its not the end of the world. So don't be afraid of his speed, i used to be nervous cantering mine in a field but now i absolutely love bringing him for a gallop and actually found out he is easier to stop than my own hunter. there's a lot to be said for accepting a horse as he is. of course people and horses gel and improve as they get used to eachother, but he's always going to be on his toes.

i can very rarely switch off on him, but thats just how he is. if i wanted a horse i can switch off on then he's not the one.
 
My boy is very spooky/tense/nervous and it is a pain in the neck! It used to scare me, now it mostly just annoys me. He hasn't really improved all that much tbh, I guess i've just had to learn to deal with it.

It is very annoying though and if I were you I'd be having second thoughts. I've had 4 horses before him and they were all MUCH more relaxing to ride. I'd never knowingly take on these issues again.
 
My tb exracer would only hack in company. Eventually after 2 years I managed to hack him out alone. I just began doing little bits at a time (roadwork) and eventually going a bit further until I could take him out onto grass for a canter/gallop alone! This was a big achievement! I couldn't have done it without a schooling whip though as he's very nappy and at the beginning used to get his knickers in a knot. It was all confidence though, a quick tap and he'd carry on! (although wasn't that easy at the beginning!).
I'v since moved the horses home and have had a baby so they've had a while off work! I won't be hacking him here as it's much busier and I'll be starting again from scratch! It's just not safe enough to be spinning in front of cars, backing up over walls etc!!! Plus I'v got two horses so they get separation anxiety and I won't appreciate his mate screaming at him whilst I'm trying to get him off the drive!! Attempting riding and leading them both would just be idiotic! Hoping to move again in about a year so we'll just have to hack around our fields until then!
 
My 18year old loan is spooky when hacked alone.

He has improved hugely though and I agree that being confident yourself is key to this, his owner told me he was terribly spooky but I've found it has got less and less since Ive had him as I hack out much more than he's dones beofre, she also admitted to being a bit of a nervous rider and I guess this has compounded the issue over the 10 years she's had him.

These days he is mostly fine, I can ride him on the buckle but always have a balance strap just in case as he can go from seaside donkey to silly wound up mess if something scares him. We recently encountered a herd of sleeping deer which took off as we approached, 20 deer all popping up and taking flight around him drove him silly , he spun and galloped in the opposite direction and I had to ride a jelly back home!

He took a week to get over that having trouble passing any hedge and snorting all the way around but is now back to laid back although you can never fully relax on him.

Personally I do enjoy having to be alert and his quirks, no one wants a push button ride if you only ever hack out do they, wouldnt it get boring?
 
My mare has spooking issues, I have tried over the years to get her accustomed to the wheelie bin monsters, hedge pixies and plastic bag demons to no avail.I have just had to accept that she is a spooky horse.
I do have to ride on my own quite alot so I bought a set of the horse and rider safety tags on here

http://unicornleather.co.uk/index.php

They are a great idea as I have alot of allergies and need to make paramedics aware if they are treating me.
Luckily, I have had to use just the horse tag so far when I was dumped out of the side door one wet morning when the ground was very slippery and she spooked at a bush! She was about a mile away and I would never had found her if the tag wasn't on her, it's such a peace of mind for someone who has a spooky horse!
 
Hi

Im not sure anyone can really answer your question, yes most horses over time the more they do it do get better hacking out on their own but some horses dont and a lot of people just dont do it they always make sure they're in company. Having said that 8 weeks is nothing when youre still trying to adjust to a new horse, he's sussing you out seeing how far he can push you, you're sussing him out etc. I think youre being a bit harsh on yourself and him to be honest!

I have a horse that is a little more spooky on his own, but I know him well enough to know that he wont do anything intentional to hurt me so it doesnt bother as much now as it used to. Maybe you think you're relaxed but if you're constantly thinking somethings going to happen then chances are you're not relaxed at all, its amazing how much horses pick up from us as riders.

Take it slow, maybe just do short hacks to start with and once you know he's not going to hurt you you'll be fine. Have some faith in yourself, and him!!! Good Luck! x
 
when i got my big girl i was told that although she will hack alone she prefers company, i had no choice but to hack alone as i ride during the day when everyone else seems to be at work, yes she was spooky but we survived. then i found a friend to hack out with on weekends and it caused me no ends of problems when i then tried to hack out alone!! It seemed to have made her spooking and messing about 10 times worse:rolleyes: so i've gone back to hacking alone and she's better behaved, of course we still get the odd daft moment, but she's a horse no a machine. I would keep perservering with hacking out alone, i find talking to my girl helps and singing lol, :)
 
Mine is really spooky - to jump too. Way I see it they don't get better in the field. Keep going and remember that it is OK to dismount and lead past - actually probably better than making a massive issue out of something.
 
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