Spooky in the wind ...

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I have a 4 yr old who has been an absolute dream so far (only had him a few weeks) - but he seems to be very spooky in the wind. Rode the other day on a short hack and he was very nappy / unsettled - and was also a bit funny yesterday to catch / lead.

I know its very early days so am just not going to ride in the wind again until he knows me better etc - just wondered how many other people have spooky horses in the wind.

Until it gets brighter again - I'll just spend the next few days grooming / handling and perhaps have a 10 min ride in the school if he feels relaxed.
 
I think the wind mixes up a lot of sound so that they can't identify sounds that would usually be familiar to them, which unsettles them a lot. I wouldn't worry, like you say it is early days and it doesn't hurt to do ground work and getting to know you stuff until you get a calmer day to get back on him. Bizarrely, my 4yo, who is often very sharp and is very flighty in the field now its windy, has just been a complete gem, had the best ride on him yet, and it's blowing a gale!
 
Yes, unfortunately i to have a very spooky mare anyway, let alone in the wind. Infact, if it's horribly windy I just will not ride, as there is no point. I simply wont be able to control her. Hopefully we will get there, but I sometimes think, I don't think we ever will -

Though I try and lunge her, so at least she is worked in those conditions. The key is the you have to be relaxed, as if you don't relax and sort yourself out you will make an issue out of it, then you have to go through the 'whole' sorting this issue out.

xx
 
I would second the lunging idea - at least then he won't think he can get out of being worked just because it's windy and he won't get fizzier for when you do ride him!
 
My boy was like this when I first got him, he's only 2 (big cob though) and it completely threw me off because I couldn't, at first, work out why he was so spooky and on edge. Must admit though, he's much better now, uber windy day yesterday and didn't seem to affect him at all! Think it's just a matter of them getting use to you and their surroundings. Once they trust you and where that are, hopefully he/she will calm down :)
 
I had a terrible ride in the wind last night, Bentley jogged and neighed the whole way round, worst ride in the 4 months I've had him! He was better trotting than walking. I should have read the signs and not bothered, he was a pickle to tack up too. I think its quite common for them to be more spooky in the wind and where we are the sound of the wind in the trees sounds like a car coming up fast behind you so its kind of understandable.
 
Thanks for the replies - thats really reassuring.

I'll lead in hand etc until the wind calms down! He's normally very sensible so im sure he'll be fine again once the weather improves.
 
Rather as KatP says. I was told years ago that horses can become unsettled in the wind because they cannot locate the source of sound. In the wild they depend on knowing where the danger is/coming from.

As you boy is only four years old I wouldn't do anything with him - apart from turn him out/bring him in - if the wind is bad. It won't hurt him to have a day off.
 
My mare is 9 and never got any better. I have no where to lunge and would rather ride than not ride! i put cotton wool in her ears and maybe a fly fringe with ears to muffle the noise. She is 10 times better then
 
My TB mare's the same. Usually she's absolutely bombproof- nothing fazes her at all. Yesterday's wind really unsettled her though. As others have said, i think it's all the sounds mixed up with the noise of the wind that throws them off. I hadn't thought of cotton wool in ears for windy days before, i'll definitley be trying that next time! I'm sure he'll get better once he gets to know you more and feels more settled in his new home :)
 
Some are definitely more spooked by the wind than others. My WB is very spooky to ride in the wind & a pain to turn out/bring in when it's windy. My connie X was fine out with a (sensible!) friend in the wind the other day but spooky today and was really naughty to bring in. I always check the wind on the weather forecast now as I know how much it affects them!
 
I have a really quiet horse, but the one thing that does upset him is the wind, so I never go for a ride if there is a strong wind, and I generally get him in out of the field too. The only real trouble I have had with him, including getting injured in the field, is when a strong wind was blowing.
 
make sure you use the cotton wool pleats the rectangle bits so they pull out easy. Also watch when you pull them out as it may spook your horse as everything seems a bit nosier once you have pulled it out. It makes a huge difference i think
 
Most horses get used to cotton plugs but for fussy ones it's worth trying the specially made foam ones or using those foam cat toy balls - they work very well, don't pull apart and the colours make them easy to find if the horse shakes them out.

An ear hat over the plugs also solves the problem but for some horses, the ear cover is enough on its own.

Apart from the sound issue, I think some horses don't like the sensation, particularly when the wind is cold. I know I certainly don't like it and one friend of mine can't be out in the sort of weather we had today with something over her ears or she literally can't concentrate.

It's definitely worth a try. It's quite common to stuff competition horses' ears in classes where it's allowed, and you'd be amazed at the difference it makes in some horses.
 
Oddly my TB is more spooky when there isn't any wind. I can't work it out...he is pretty spooky on a calm day but I think it has to do with boredom and when it's windy he has too much to concentrate on so spooking isn't important.
 
I just HATE the wind anyway, but riding in it is awful. My last horse was a real plod and he hated it too, it unsettled him, and the one I've got can deal with OK'ish but the problem is you can't hear traffic in the wind then find you've got some prat up your **s and you don't know they're there.

I personally don't ride in the wind unless absolutely desperate, there's just no point. I don't think any horse is gonna go well for you in the wind and if that's the case then why do it.
 
Wind makes loads of horses (no matter how old) spooky. Its only natural as flight animals. I just tailor my riding to the weather - if its particularily windy then I simply lunge instead!
 
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