Very Spooky Horse- How to react?

T

thehorsediva

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 October 2009
Messages
176
Visit site
My horse has always been a bit of a spooker but the last few months it seems to have gone to a whole new level. I cant even get round the block (20mins) without about 15 huge spooks. Today I took him back to look at what he'd jumped at and he was beside himself, literally shaking. He has even started fleeing from things which I really don't like. I am not sure how I should be reacting to this behaviour. Any tips? I have been trying him on NAF magic 5 star calmer. Could this be making him worse? Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
what you feeding? I was told to cut out molasses, my mare on dengie hifi lite (blue bag) and allen and page fast fibre or coul have high fibre nuts and a few carrots, she isnt perfact but much better thaan she was.
 
Having had a spooky irrational horse for the last 8 yrs, I feel your pain :(.

My horse spooks violently at lots of 'normal' things including people! I know his history, he has never been ill treated or had a bad experience with people and it drives me mad as he is happily going along chilled, then the next minute he spooks violently and tries to run off in the opposite direction. I have started ignoring it and just turing him round and carrying on as if nothing has happened and I am getting a better reaction from him. I used to get mad, give him a slap with the whip, drive him forwards but in his eyes, by making a big issue out of it I suppose he was more scared. I can often feel his heart beating as his whole body 'throbs'.
My horses main problem or so Im told is that he is half asleep, if I get him off my leg, make him listen to me, I can prevent the spooks. Its hard though. I nearly came off again yesterday when he was happily trotting along in the school, seen YO and then spooked and shot the other way. I was hanging on by this point as I just wasnt expecting it.
Ive tried numerous calmers but am yet to find one that works on him.
 
mon said:
what you feeding? I was told to cut out molasses, my mare on dengie hifi lite (blue bag) and allen and page fast fibre or coul have high fibre nuts and a few carrots, she isnt perfact but much better thaan she was.
Click to expand...

Second this.
My horse cant have sugar beet, speedibeet, certain mixes and at present is on Hifi and HiFibre cubes.
 
What is your horse like working in the arena at home, just out of interest? How much exercise are you giving him and is this the norm? Do you hack in company? If not, can you find a sensible person with a reliable sort to go out with? If you can't, I really wouldn't be hacking out alone, too dangerous for you, your horse and other road users. Are you feeling nervous (probably understandably!) about what might happen?
I think at this time of the year, lots of horses are feeling on their toes, particularly out hacking, because the weather has been so dire that we haven't been able to go out very much. Perhaps you can get yourself some lessons, and get his attention on you and his work and progress from there. But please, don't feel you HAVE to hack. Does sound like an accident waiting to happen with current behaviour.
Ask your instructor for advice, failing that talk to your vet. Look after yourself!
 
How do you react when your horse spooks?

I find that if you tell a horse off for spooking, it makes it 100% worse!

I ignore spooks, and praise them when they walk past something spooky, and they gradually realize that everything is not going to eat them :)
 
My horse has always been spooky but not violently as such, he's just a bit of a twerp and I swear he likes the 'rush'!

However, after a recent lesson I came back with a few tips to help stop him doing this (he was scared of the mirrors at the school I was having the lesson in!). How does your horse walk? Mine marches and I assumed cos he's confident and wants to get out there. However, in this lesson I was told to slow him down so he can balance himself properly. Oddly this did work. Also if he spooked and rushed forward a bit I was told to stop him and ask him to halt and then only move forwards when given the leg aid to move.

The main thing was to concentrate on slowing his walk and trot down though. He is not particularly speedy but he is forward going. Maybe you should try this.

Another tip is to not look at what he is spooking at - sometimes we, without knowing, sort of encourage the spooking. If you know there is something he is likely to spook at, physically look in the opposite direction to said scary object and keep a firm hold on the rein on the side the spooky object is on and keep your opposite leg on.
 
My horse used to be really spooky and I was always coming off due to his mean spins. It was mainly in the school actually, as he wasn't safe to hack out and would also nap :/ He was tense and his heart would race. I lost all my confidence which made him ten times worse.
I have cured the spooks and much of the napping- by increasing turnout (I moved him from a livery yard with limited turnout to a quiet farm where he lives out in the summer and is out all day winter), swapping haylage for hay, cutting out molasses and feeding very little.
I have since discovered that when he in genuinely frightened he either stops dead and stares or runs forward. He does NOT spin. I conclude from my experiment that the original spooking was exacerbated by stress, naughtiness and fizz which led to violent spooking at imaginary foes.
 
Thanks for the replies. He is fed very little- just has a haynet and a scoop of hifi light for dinner. His turnout is good- out about 12 hours a day and in at night. Then he lives out all summer. At the moment I ride about 2 x a week. In the Summer I would ride 3-4 times a week but I am limited due to work and daylight hours! He does tend to march forward in walk and trot so I will try and slow this down. I have also been reacting to his spooking behaviour so I will try ignoring it. We don't have a school where I am but I do try and ride in the field. He has always been better in there but recently he's still been on his toes but nowhere near as spooky as when I hack him out. The vet has checked him out and all fine. The other girls on the yard barely ride so I am limited to riding on my own really. I had arranged to go out with one of them this morning as her pony is such a safe companion. However she has just cancelled and I am feeling pretty fed up as I now really don't want to ride alone so am not going to bother. I am fairly used to all the spooking but now it is making me nervous and i'm not really enjoying it :-(
 
It might be worth trying him on Mag Ox (magnesium oxide). Lots of grazing in the UK is magnesium deficient apparently. It is doesn't make any change ot him then you'll know yours isn't but it's definitely worth trying. Some horses are truly transformed with using it.

Also the spring grass is definitely pushing through, so if there is any deficiency in the grazing it tends to be highlighted when there is a growth spurt.
 
i'd try cutting the sugar beet little by little, also my lad is very spooky but he would jump a little and his saddle would pinch slightly and then that would scare him more as he associated acute pain with seeing something... maybe take a look at saddle, back and bit? also as everyone does if they leap around they can gob themselves so if ur bit is severe same prob? let me know if u find anything! x
 
get your self a strap to put between the D rings at front of saddle to hang on to it is like my comforter and if they jump stops you yanking in mouth, just hacked my 163 ISH nearly 6, to next village and back with friend on her trusty pony after 15mins of getting use to cars sploshing through puddles she was very good even with bus, cattle trailer and raiway bridge, good luck
 
Do you have a neck strap or something similar to hold on to? If not get one.

Ignore any spooks as if they haven't happened and if its a really bad one talk soothingly to him. It doesn't matter what you say as long as it is said in a nice voice.

If you see anything which may cause potential spooking bend him the opposite way to it and ask for a outline so he is concentrating on you. I find doing shoulder in past anything spooky gets my boys attention on me.

Good luck :)
 
Wings is quite spooky and for a 16.2hh can spin very quickly and try and gallop the opposite way. I've found that if I manage to catch him mid spin or just before he picks up speed in the other direction, then he tends to go past that he spooked at with just a stare, a snort and giving it a wide berth. I found that if I tell him off, smack him etc. it makes everything worse, but if I ask him to go past it, he won't! I think you need to be firm but fair, and ride him in a way that he has no choice but to go past the object he spooks at, but without making the situation worse.

I also find that if you anticipate what they'll spook at, you tense up so they will end up spooking, whereas if you stay relaxed, don't clutch the reins etc., they tend to be better. Also, if there is something I know Wings will spook at, I'll pop him into a shoulder in away from the object so he can't see it or spook at it.

Hope this helps :D
 
I do sympathise - it is horrible, I got to the point where I just didn't want to ride, I would shake with fear and cry before I even got on! The problem is your nerves make you feel worse, and make the horse worse too!

I forgot to say I also have a strap that goes across the front of my saddle too. I got it from Derby House and it goes on the D rings. It is SO helpful, it just gives me that extra bit of confidence because I know I can stay on. You should definitely try it. I keep mine on all the time now, even though my horse is no longer spooky I know it is there if he starts getting jumpy.

You really need to work out whether the spooking is genuine fear or if it is just naughtiness. My horse is brilliantly good at trying to scare the pants off me, and so every time he does anything daft he gets a good hard smack. You may need someone more confident to ride your horse for you and see if it spooks with them. If it doesn't, your horse is either very cheeky or doesn't trust your leadership, or possibly both which was the case with me. Either way you will need to address the problem accordingly.

Anyway Here are some things that work for me -

On a hack, getting off and leading past terrifying items.
Leg yielding on opposite direction to the spooky thing.
Making schooling so interesting (transitions, bending, lateral work) that horse doesn't have time to think about scary objects as he is listening to his rider!!
The ignoring tactic! For example - horse sees something, tenses up, ears prick, heart rate goes up. You - breathe out, look firmly in the direction you are going, leg on, relax seat, body and hands, send horse forward, ask for contact, tap with whip and then maybe a circle or some transitions... takes their mind off spook!
For NAUGHTY spooks only and not genuine fear- horse tenses up to spook to something on its' left hand side, rider figures horse will probably spook and/or spin to the right. Slips left thumb under safety/neck strap or grabs mane (for stability), raises right hand to block spook. Pushes weight down into heels to assist balance. Raises whip slightly to remind horse it is there and will be used if necessary. Growls firmly 'get on' and uses leg to send horse past said scary item.

Forgot to add. I use Top Spec Calmer at certain times of year or when horse isn't being ridden much to take the edge off him!
 
mon said:
get your self a strap to put between the D rings at front of saddle to hang on to it is like my comforter and if they jump stops you yanking in mouth, just hacked my 163 ISH nearly 6, to next village and back with friend on her trusty pony after 15mins of getting use to cars sploshing through puddles she was very good even with bus, cattle trailer and raiway bridge, good luck
Click to expand...

A long these lines, I ride mine out in a hunting breastplate,, nothing wrong with the sdaddle fit. It is purely a handle for me. I have at least one fiinger through it all the time. I also have a 'contact' on it if he is being looky. This prevents me yanking him in the mouth if he spins and so far has kept me in the saddle. In fact he has go so used to it as an alternative contact I can actually stop, steer and rein back from it now, with completely loose reins!

I am also lucky enough to have no road work so the spinning isn't dangerous from a point of view of other road users and traffic
 
Thanks for all the advice. I don't ride with a neck strap or anything but I don't really feel unseated by it, it's more the fact that he may tank off with me and the constant jumping doesnt make for a very relaxing ride out. I think I will get one though for reassurange. Have had all saddle, bit, back checked etc and all fine. Plus the calmer i have been using is Mag ox based so I don't think it's that (if only that was the solution!). I shall try all the ideas here and see how we get on. Hopefully I will be able to nip it in the bud before it gets worse as there is only so long we can go on until i'll loose my nerve. I am toying with the idea of moving him to another yard where I can get more support and people to ride with... Fingers crossed some of these ideas will improve things. thank u very much- if anyone thinks of anything else please let me know!
 
Just a small thing, the Mag based calmers haven't actually got enough MagOx in them to make much difference fed at the recommended dosages, to see if it is Magbased spooking (and a lot is especially at this time of yr) then you're best off trying pure MagOx powder, the light one not heavy, loads on Ebay.
 
There's a fabulous book called "Bombproofing Your Horse". Packed full of common sense and ideas for getting your horse to start thinking for himself and developing his own confidence.
 
How old is the horse? Many horses temporarily lose the plot a bit at 5 due to hormones, then settle again at 6.

Otherwise:
Keep on the bit and working the whole way round, insist everything is done your way regardless of any distractions.
Ground-work for trust and to assert authority (your horse should trust you to deal with the scary stuff).
Regular exposure to scary things so they realise it's not going to eat them after all.
If scared of going past, don't pile on the pressure, keep asking quietly until they find the courage to go past themselves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top