What do you define as a big spook?

[MDB]

Just out of interest really. Sometimes I wish I could completely relax on my mare when we go hacking and enjoy the world going by. Just as I do on my other horse who is pretty much bombproof. But you can bet your bottom dollar, the minute I let my guard down, a leaf monster will appear out of nowhere and my mare will literally jump out of her skin. Several times per hack she will jump several meters sideways, and shoot forwards, or off into the woods, or up the grass verge, or anywhere away from said imaginary monster. For me, I consider this a reasonably big spook. One of her worst was when she went to swat a fly on her side in summer, but accidently nudged my foot with her head, which in turn bumped, and I mean bumped, very gently, but suddenly intoher side. Que massive lunge forwards, zero to canter in 0.1 seconds. I lost my stirrups, and was flailing around like a sack of spuds on her back, made worse by the fact that she isn't the most balanced horse, her legs dish and go in all directions, and it feels like I am riding a giraffe on speed. Fortunately she stopped, there wasnt enough space on the track to turn her, so i headed her to the edge of the track hoping she wouldn't leap off the edge and thankfully after about 100m, she regained her senses, I regained my stirrups and all was well. That was one of her big spooks. Often she will flinch at something but stop short of running away. We probably have about 10 of those per one hour hack. For me those are mild spooks. She will also flinch at noises, like the zip on my bumbag... even though I do this in the field, and at the start of every hack, to try to get her used to the noise. But after 10 minutes she has forgotten and the next time I do it, it seems to be the scariest noise ever. She isn't the smartest. And when she isn't spooking she is often looky-looky at something. But then, bring out a pack of 5 dogs snarling, growling and barking and chasing at her heels in the lane and she is absolutely fine. I adore her, but sometimes wish she wasn't quite so dim. Lol. So, just wondering, what is your interpretation, or experiences of a big spook, or a mild spook? How often does your horse spook on hacks?

 

[scats]

Miy 16hher is a nightmare! Tonight in the school he spooked at the shadow of another horse and disappeared from underneath me- how I stayed on I don't know. I looked down and there was no horse there! If he hadn't have stopped after about 6 foot, I would have been well off.

I can't let my guard down on him unfortunately, he's not malicious in anyway, but just so sharp.

My mare can have a spook, but they are generally just jumps on the spot, which is fine.

 

[Lissie2]

That violent 180 spin! So much sudden momentum it's like being on fairground ride! NEVER managed to stay seated when that swing happens! X

 

[Lissie2]

...second to that is the milder slide to abrupt halt from canter because of a lead or large stone! Easier to sit to!

 

[Paint it Lucky]

I had to be very careful not to sneeze when riding my old anglo-arab as if I did he would spook so dramatically he would almost fall over.

 

[Cortez]

..one where I fall off.....

 

[Naturalhorse]

Ok, my worst experience on a hack was when the horse ran off with me clinging on as his buddy got ahead. A horse I rode after that spooked regularly. i counted his big spooks as when he went sideways faster than a trot, he jumped then went from 0mph to 100mph, or when he truly went woooaaaaah and stopped in one second, he was a lustiano though, so temperemantal. Though the thouroughbred I ride now couldn't be calmer. A while ago I heard about someone "spook training" there horse. Standing on other side of gate opening and closing an umbrella and treating there horse when they behaved well to these. I think really she just needs someone to hold her hand, that's what it sounds like!

 

[MDB]

Lol. Both these answers made me smile. Scars, look in down and no horse there. Funny, like a cartoon, yes, I can relate. Lissie2, 180 spin, thankfully never had that, sounds horrid. The abrupt slide to halt, yes, totally been there, lol.

 

[poiuytrewq]

New horse did the biggest spook ever out hunting a few weeks ago (my first time)
I swear the spook saved my life! Cantering along a headland I heard a movement in the hedge alongside us and to my horror saw a horse jumping through it. It would absolutely have landed on us as it was too late for me to react but he did the sharpest most violent spook which I fell off at but it was infinitely better than the alternative of being wiped out by said horse and rider jumping blindly into us. Never been so happy a horse spooked 😂

 

[MDB]

..one where I fall off.....

Tee hee what kind of things make you fall off Cortez?

 

[ycbm]

180 degree turn in one stride

Or

10 or more feet sideways

Or

Up then turn


Or


Dead stop from trot or canter in less than one stride




I had an ex racer once whose speciality was to jump in the air and come down again facing back the way we had been going. All in one movement.

 

[MDB]

These are actually quite impressive manoeuvres. Especially the ex racer. Lol. Not so nice when you are onboard though I imagine

 

[ycbm]

And she was tiny and I'm lanky. Any time she was behind other people and wanted to go faster, this is what she did. It made no sense to me because she ended up going backwards!

The other three belong to my spooky coloured, only he can do at least five metres sideways.

 

[Tyssandi]

Just out of interest really. Sometimes I wish I could completely relax on my mare when we go hacking and enjoy the world going by. Just as I do on my other horse who is pretty much bombproof. But you can bet your bottom dollar, the minute I let my guard down, a leaf monster will appear out of nowhere and my mare will literally jump out of her skin. Several times per hack she will jump several meters sideways, and shoot forwards, or off into the woods, or up the grass verge, or anywhere away from said imaginary monster. For me, I consider this a reasonably big spook. One of her worst was when she went to swat a fly on her side in summer, but accidently nudged my foot with her head, which in turn bumped, and I mean bumped, very gently, but suddenly intoher side. Que massive lunge forwards, zero to canter in 0.1 seconds. I lost my stirrups, and was flailing around like a sack of spuds on her back, made worse by the fact that she isn't the most balanced horse, her legs dish and go in all directions, and it feels like I am riding a giraffe on speed. Fortunately she stopped, there wasnt enough space on the track to turn her, so i headed her to the edge of the track hoping she wouldn't leap off the edge and thankfully after about 100m, she regained her senses, I regained my stirrups and all was well. That was one of her big spooks. Often she will flinch at something but stop short of running away. We probably have about 10 of those per one hour hack. For me those are mild spooks. She will also flinch at noises, like the zip on my bumbag... even though I do this in the field, and at the start of every hack, to try to get her used to the noise. But after 10 minutes she has forgotten and the next time I do it, it seems to be the scariest noise ever. She isn't the smartest. And when she isn't spooking she is often looky-looky at something. But then, bring out a pack of 5 dogs snarling, growling and barking and chasing at her heels in the lane and she is absolutely fine. I adore her, but sometimes wish she wasn't quite so dim. Lol. So, just wondering, what is your interpretation, or experiences of a big spook, or a mild spook? How often does your horse spook on hacks?

My first mare we did not go hacking we went spooking, spook to the left spook to the right. My mid drift move independently to my top half

My new mare is very spooky very jumpy
she shoots to her door if she hears any quick sound, and hacking we spook/ skid and head up into the clouds - she is very sharp

Sometimes she shoots sideways with seconds - any noise in the trees a dog in the undergrowth - a livery horse hates squirrels and tries to spin or bolt off

 

[MDB]

My first mare we did not go hacking we went spooking, spook to the left spook to the right. My mid drift move independently to my top half

My new mare is very spooky very jumpy
she shoots to her door if she hears any quick sound, and hacking we spook/ skid and head up into the clouds - she is very sharp

Sometimes she shoots sideways with seconds - any noise in the trees a dog in the undergrowth - a livery horse hates squirrels and tries to spin or bolt off

Mid drift moving independently.. I totally get this!! Lol.

 

[criso]

My now retired tb was an expert in the 180 degree spin - in all paces. One time I had turned round to say something to my hacking companion and he span, so one moment I was facing backwards the next second the horse had joined me and we were both facing backwards. Luckily he span the way I had turned, if he'd gone the other I'd have been off.

He would also do devastating sit down spooks, realise he had overeacted and try to act nonchalant like it hadn't happened.

Bay tb v2.0 isn't too bad at the 180 spin either. He also goes canter to halt in a millisecond quite often. I like cantering through woods, he has a thing about logs, we meet a lot of logs at speed.

 

[piebald potato]

My coloureds mild spook would be looking at something, bending his body away from it and tensing up.
His worse spooks are doing a mini rear and spinning round the way we've come - usually at hares in the field hehe.
His big spooks are when he jumps sideways drops his shoulder and spins round...not often that I manage to stay on those ones!

 

[mytwofriends]

My late horse had the ability to lull you into a false sense of security. He'd wait until you were riding on the buckle, chatting to a friend, admiring the view, planning what to have for dinner etc. He'd then decide the ancient stone monument (for example) that we'd pass on numerous rides - and we're talking absolutely ancient - had been put there that day and he'd about turn in a frenzy of clattering hooves and run in a blind panic. The only way to stop would be to stand in the stirrups and haul. No, not dignified, but it was the only way.

He did it once out walking when in rehab. Not an ideal way to aid in the recovery of a torn tendon, but that moss covered roller in a gateway was clearly new and needed avoiding, so he spun and legged it, sparks flying. His spins were instantaneous, and I'd consider them big spooks.

Little so-and-so. He never got me off doing one of his moves, but he was close on many an occasion!

 

[Dave's Mam]

My not yet backed Exie does some spectacular spooks. He does a good line in sitting down, or indeed nearly lying down, running on the spot, & a fairly impressive teleport.

Hacking is going to be "interesting".

*sigh*

 

[MDB]

Mytwofriends You did well not to come off! I love your descriptions mytwofriends. I can just imagine

 

[Drzoidberg2]

My previous mare had three spectacular moves. The first was your standard slam on the brakes with eyes out on stalks. That was usually ok, I just ended up with a mouth full of mane...

The second was a leap to the side, she covered a few feet when that happened. It was 50/50 whether I'd sit those, if I saw it coming I usually would, when she surprised me, I often went out the side door.

Her third type of spook is the one that still gives me nightmares. It was an up on the back legs and then a 180° spin. That one I was not ok with. It only happened a couple of times but that was still too often in my book.

 

[MDB]

Dave's Mam Thankfully my mare doesn't do the sitting down spook, lol. But she also does a fine job of teleporting! Haha

 

[MDB]

Drzoidberg2 brilliant descriptions. The third spook sounds really scary. That would be way too much for me. You must be very skilled to deal with that, mentally and physically.

 

[blitznbobs]

..one where I fall off.....

This but it tends to be a dive,spin and b*gger off type situation .

 

[Auslander]

Alf has two particularly interesting spooks. One is the Prop'n'Drop, when he goes from 17hh to 13hh without any directional changes.It a-makes me jump, and b-really hurts my back.The other is a prop 'n' drop, with added leap sideways, spin, drop shoulder, then set neck/jaw and flee. This is why I am very careful about who hacks him, and why he hacks in a Waterford.
Mostly, he mooches along on the buckle like a seaside donkey

 

[nicelittle]

I agree with Cortez, a big spook is a falling off one!
My pony leapt from0-canter today spooking at his own fart!

 

[Mongoose11]

I'd class travelling a meter or more in any direction as a decent sized spook. Consider that meter in terms of being on the road - that's a life endangering spook!

'Normal' spooks are sudden movements that don't go anywhere.

 

[Shadowdancing]

Probably the one where I'm sitting on the ground wondering why I can't see a pair of ears anymore...

 

[alainax]

It's the blooming dropped shoulder I hate.

Spin, buck, side ways leaps, tank off all fine... but throw in a mighty drop of the shoulder then any of the above , and it gets more interesting! Had a few falls from one who had mastered that!

I'm lucky that if my current gelding spooks, he does so straight underneath you. Usually drops his bum and scoots along for a few strides lol. But very unusual.

 

[Boulty]

Anything that requires questioning the laws of physics?

Current horse can manage to spook at flowers / wavy bits of grass at gallop. This either involves some kind of bizarre half halt where we freeze in the air for a second +/- leap sideways before either continuing onwards or skidding to a stop. He is also the master of sidways teleportation. Normally this is only a fairly conservative 2 or 3 feet movement but if he feels that he is in mortal peril this can be extended to a couple of metres, the worst being the attack of the coat monster (Kept him at a yard where the indoor had one open side and left my coat hung there one day as was a bit warm. A sudden gust of wind caught it and send it flying into the air at roughly the same time we were passing. It was one of those cartoon moments where the horse literally disappears from underneath you. End up losing a stirrup and hanging out the side door. Had he then decided to continue running away I'd've been off but apparently disappearing about a third of the way up the arena was far enough away to avoid death and so i got to crawl back on!) He has also got form for going from mooching along to flat out in about half a second when something is apparently going to eat him (Like cows or people behind hedges...)

Think my all time fav though may be a friends horse the other week when went from a slightly joggy, excited walk to rearing up, launching itself in the air (still standing on hindlegs at this point) and then sticking the landing and coming back down onto 4 legs. The culprit? A bit of plastic bag at the side of the path (My friend sat this, somehow, by magic I think!)