Weird horse or an actual issue

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EmmaMcCahon

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My horse is now 6 years old he is great to hack alone or in company can take him anywhere he just gets a bit nervous in the first 10/15 minutes: but I was wondering if anyone has had this issue he is a Connie Irish draft cross I have had him since he was 2 full vet checks done recently as well as teeth back at physio and saddle. My issues are with poles and jumping it’s like he doesn’t either see them or read them right he will spook drop his head down and look refuse and run away or go over it fine the first time and then have a meltdown the next .. anyone else have these issues and if so how did they get it better ? I have had his eyes checked I’m really loosing my nerve trying to get him to be confident over a pole on the ground or even a raised pole
 
Eyesight with horses is a tricky thing - a vet told me with my Appy that although physically he couldn't see anything, from her reactions he did expect a problem in her right eye.

I would also get off and walk over lots and lots of poles. I would then progress to lunging and if all that starts to go OK then raise the poles / little jumps etc. If your horse manages all of that without a rider then I'd pop someone experienced on top first.
 
I had a horse who had evented and then became a very successful show horse but he would not walk over a pole on the ground. He was also suspicious of different coloured tarmac or wet bits of concrete for example. I didn’t ever get his eyes looked at and just thought it was a primeval instinct. It didn’t get in the way of our lives. Not that much help for you but just to add an experience.
 
Lunging he can be funny again one time he will be fine and the next it will be like he has never seen them before but he hates anything behind him so you can get him over it eventually but it’s not pretty.. leading him he has a lot of trust in me so he will follow me anywhere lol 😂 but he can be very jumpy even in the stable if something catches he eye then once he realises it’s ok he is fine again same with shadows it’s all very strange because he is so chill in every other way and even his reactions to the poles or shadows are not extreme but I’m aware when I’m on him if I keep pushing he is telling me to fk off 😂
 
Lunging he can be funny again one time he will be fine and the next it will be like he has never seen them before but he hates anything behind him so you can get him over it eventually but it’s not pretty.. leading him he has a lot of trust in me so he will follow me anywhere lol 😂 but he can be very jumpy even in the stable if something catches he eye then once he realises it’s ok he is fine again same with shadows it’s all very strange because he is so chill in every other way and even his reactions to the poles or shadows are not extreme but I’m aware when I’m on him if I keep pushing he is telling me to fk off 😂
 
A friend of mine had a horse that was scared of poles. Connies from Ireland can be harshly punished when training to jump and this horse was bought to hack, not to jump.
 
What is he like stepping over logs when you hack out? Is he different if you lead him or lunge him over a pole?

Had a showjumper that used to over jump. He always used to put a short one in if there were fillers in the jump and needed help in combinations getting the striding right. When he started being worried about white lines painted on the road or worried about shadows we realised his eye sight was not brilliant.

Vet couldn’t find anything but also agreed that with what we were describing his depth perception was not quite right and to cease jumping him. Went on to be a cracker of a dressage horse instead. Lived to 28 years happy in his retirement and his vision didn’t seem to deteriorate further but he lived his with us so may have been able to compensate as his surroundings and living arrangements never changed.
 
What is he like stepping over logs when you hack out? Is he different if you lead him or lunge him over a pole?

Had a showjumper that used to over jump. He always used to put a short one in if there were fillers in the jump and needed help in combinations getting the striding right. When he started being worried about white lines painted on the road or worried about shadows we realised his eye sight was not brilliant.

Vet couldn’t find anything but also agreed that with what we were describing his depth perception was not quite right and to cease jumping him. Went on to be a cracker of a dressage horse instead. Lived to 28 years happy in his retirement and his vision didn’t seem to deteriorate further but he lived his with us so may have been able to compensate as his surroundings and living arrangements never changed.
 
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Bonnie Allie said:
What is he like stepping over logs when you hack out? Is he different if you lead him or lunge him over a pole?

Had a showjumper that used to over jump. He always used to put a short one in if there were fillers in the jump and needed help in combinations getting the striding right. When he started being worried about white lines painted on the road or worried about shadows we realised his eye sight was not brilliant.

Vet couldn’t find anything but also agreed that with what we were describing his depth perception was not quite right and to cease jumping him. Went on to be a cracker of a dressage horse instead. Lived to 28 years happy in his retirement and his vision didn’t seem to deteriorate further but he lived his with us so may have been able to compensate as his surroundings and living arrangements never changed.
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No issues hacking with logs or little ditches and banks does them really nicely no hesitation.

When I do get him to go over a pole or tiny jump he never over jumps or does anything dramatic the issues always come trying to get him to go over in the first instance and if anything changes like the height or position your right back to square one again
 
Cragrat said:
How does he deal with poles on the ground - being led at walk NOT lunged?
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Lunging he can be funny again one time he will be fine and the next it will be like he has never seen them before but he hates anything behind him so you can get him over it eventually but it’s not pretty.. leading him he has a lot of trust in me so he will follow me anywhere lol 😂 but he can be very jumpy even in the stable if something catches he eye then once he realises it’s ok he is fine again same with shadows it’s all very strange because he is so chill in every other way and even his reactions to the poles or shadows are not extreme but I’m aware when I’m on him if I keep pushing he is telling me to fk off
 
Skib said:
A friend of mine had a horse that was scared of poles. Connies from Ireland can be harshly punished when training to jump and this horse was bought to hack, not to jump.
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I got him as an in touched 2 year old and was there for the whole breaking process and the guy that did it was brilliant so I’m pretty confident it wouldn’t be that
 
Have you popped another rider on board? Please don't take that as an insult - I'm well aware some riders are a lot better than me into a jump! Just might give you an idea as to whether its a physical issue.
 
He sounds a bit like my pony. He likes to pop a jump occasionally but will equally either refuse to go near it or plough right through it. Also, if I put one jump up then leave the second as a bar on the floor, we pass a few times, then I put up the second, 100% of the time he will not even take off for the second because he doesn't expect it to be there. He has bad eyesight in one eye, but he also generally has difficulty in knowing where his body is in space. He has got better over time but he could never jump a course for example because he has to know what is coming next. I have no useful advice though except to check his vision and do a lot of work where he has to use his body in space, judge distances etc. There are loads of groundwork exercises you can find with poles and other things to pass over and through.
 
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