Spooky / tense area

[B22]

What are your recommendations / how do you manage a horse who is spooky / tense in a particular part of arena.

I don't want to avoid the area but I want to limit the stress and have productive sessions.

Happy for groundwork or ridden ideas.

Thanks in advance

 

[Sprogladite01]

I shamelessly bribe my little companion pony. He is a rescue from Redwings and is highly anxious/fearful - he didn't get the best start in life. He's not ridden but we've had to work with him a lot to overcome fear of new areas/things. We have done clicker training with him - get him as close to the area/object of concern as we can without him freaking, stand for a while having scratches, click when he relaxes followed by a sweetie. Repeat until he's more concerned about what's in my pocket or hand than the "scary" thing and start getting closer each time we go up to it. Pause or revert as needed upon re-stressing.
He's now much more trusting and will generally let me lead him up to most things now - he tends to boop it with his nose then look for the treat now bless him. A lot of people don't like using the treats but they have been a godsend for my little one.

 

[Cob Life]

No joke the best thing that helped me was Warwick Schiller’a podcast, the first or second episode he talks about herd behaviour and how horses communicate within a herd and how that translates when we are communicating with them.

I also just kind of worked up to it as it was a whole end of the school so each time our circles got a little bigger

 

[Red-1]

We work hard in the other areas of the arena, and go to the scary place to rest.

Amazing how quickly it isn't so scary after all!

 

[ycbm]

We work hard in the other areas of the arena, and go to the scary place to rest.

Amazing how quickly it isn't so scary after all!

Either this or pretend it isn't happening and just carry on without fighting over it.
.

 

[Lady Jane]

Rest in the scary area

 

[Zuzan]

turn it into the place where rewards are given, nice things happen. I also find ground work exercises in the area work well as long as they are tactfully done and the rewards are well timed. Tact is very important. Don't ask for anything difficult / new .. do stuff that the horse can do well / easily and reward as if it was new. Rewards can be scratches and verbal praise, not just treats.

MTA if it's a particular bush / object you can do target training.

 

[Winters100]

Just keep passing it, closer every time.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Don't think of it as the scary area, in fact done react at all , and if the horse gets tense , just ride positively

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

What are your recommendations / how do you manage a horse who is spooky / tense in a particular part of arena.

I don't want to avoid the area but I want to limit the stress and have productive sessions.

Happy for groundwork or ridden ideas.

Thanks in advance

Mine is spooky most spooky horse I had had, she is on a calmer, but particular know when phosphates are low in the grass. you could try a teaspoon of salt in feed might help, it has helped mine. She mainly spooks at the A end of the school, (pigeons, walkers on the footpath behind tree line such like) rarely at C end,(someone coming into view suddenly)