Training cob to not get worried/spooky about something behind?

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Plaine1956

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Greetings:

I have a gypsy cob mare that seems to be very uneasy /spooky about something being behind her. What kinds of exercises could I do to help desensitize her and not be so worried about something behind her? She seems to be sound sensitive as well.

She is eight years old and not much of any kind of ground training was done when she was younger, like exposure to being handled by humans, taught proper ground manners as well as exposure to dogs, cows, plastic bags, flags, unbrellas, tarp, etc.


Any ideas would be appreciated!


Thanks very much,
Plaine
 
Two thoughts:

1. Worth getting her eyes checked, just in case.

I find long reining a very useful tool and, once it is going well, you can begin to add some "scary" aspects, for example carrying a rustly plastic bag, letting out a sudden noise etc. Always good to have someone there to help in case she reacts very drastically but a fairly safe way of trying "new thing behind you" while remaining in control.

My horse is also quite reactive to sound and things behind him but has improved massively in the two years I have had him. Long reining was, in itself, very scary at the beginning but now he is a pro. It's strange really, as I suspect he had previously been driven so should be immune to such things but he is a sensitive soul in many ways.
 
Gloi said:
Is there a chance that she has been put in harness in the past and has had a mishap or bolted in a trap?
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Mmm..... yes I was going to say this. My gypsy cob gets "the spooks" sometimes - thinks that something's behind him when it just isn't; he can be a quirky little git but I do know that he was driven earlier on in his life and that very possibly he'd had a mishap whilst driving, so if you can it might be worth investigating the history of your mare OP.

If the horse has worn blinkers in the past, it would have meant that they're only able to see a very restricted view of things; then when they're asked to go out into the Big Wide World without them on, everything is mega scarey.

It might be worth hacking yours out with a Dobbin sort of horse who's totally unfazed, if you know someone in your area........ put yours on the inside and just let her look and see but the other horse is the steadying one, and see how that goes. The key is not to tense up when she does it; as this will unsettle her even more - she needs to know that you the rider are OK and relaxed and she'll hopefully just get out of it and forget about herself.

For practical suggestions on "spook busting" have a look at Michael Peace's website as he gives a lot of good practical suggestions of stuff you can do at home/in the yard BEFORE you venture either outside or into the saddle. Also have a look at Vanessa Bee's Horse Agility website as she's absolutely terrific with this sort of stuff; better still, if you can, get to one or both of their demos if they're doing any; well worth it! But I wonder whether you just might have to backtrack and abandon ridden work, for now, and just concentrate on building your mare's confidence on the ground, gradually exposing her to various things in a secure environment (but slowly, slowly! - don't rush it!!).

If you can find an Intelligent Horsemanship practitioner in your area: they would be able to help you with this sort of issue - highly recommend.
 
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I have had my boy since he was a yearling and backed him myself. He was fine doing some short hacks as a 4yo and he was turned away last winter to mature. Coming back into work as a 5yo it is as if he suddenly realises there is a big wide world out there and whilst he is generally an angel, I guess he is more nervous about what might be behind him than in front. I haven't noticed any problems with his sight, I think that as a 4yo he was immature and ignorant and now he's more aware of things to be scared of. I'm hoping he'll outgrow it!!!
 
My sect d cob is the same he doesn't mind anything coming towards him but gets very anxious if he hears something coming from behind him. He is worse on very quiet lanes and seems to be constantly listening for anything to be afraid off. Don't know the answer to putting it right but good luck and hope your cob improves with time. I have had mine for 7 years, he is 12 now and although he is better he is far from perfect.
 
Is it things a long way behind or close up? My boy was twitchy about anything around his back end. He wouldn't want to kick out, but he'd keep trying to turn round to look at it, almost like a dog chasing its tail! We started with a bit of baling twine tied loosely from his girth around his back legs and as he got used to that added bits of plastic bag, material and then curb chains sothey'd be a bit heavier and make a noise. He's now fab with anything around his back end. Just as well as there's always a dog or a cat who thinks he's a dog or a load of chickens hanging around at our yard walking in and out of his legs. The chickens in particular are really bold.
 
You are fighting a natural instinct I am afraid - in the wild horses are more likely to be attacked from behind, hence being spookier if something startles them from behind.

My cob is also like this, but has got better now turned 6 yrs. If he tenses up and senses something 'coming from behind' I try and turn him around to face whatever it is, so that he can then work things out for himself. The recent winds haven't helped as can't always hear things until the last moment.

Agree with the long reining, and hacking out with a steady companion, but do believe some horses have more of a flight instinct than others, and may just be part of your horses personality.
 
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