What do you define as a big spook?

[Pippity]

My share horse's usual thing is just a 'jump and stare' with added, 'We're going home now at a very determined walk'. He can usually be turned round and persuaded past whatever caused the look, although we may go past sideways at high speed. It does get wearing because there's usually a look every ten metres or so when hacking.

He's never done anything worse with me on board than canter a few strides, pop sideways a metre or two, or spin for ten seconds or so. On most horses, I'd class these as small-to-mild, but B always gives the feeling that he's only *just* holding himself back from something more violent, which makes them more off-putting. Especially as he's managed to get his owner off on occasion and she's a FAR better rider than me. (Although she's also more likely than me to push his boundaries of what he considers safe.)

Having seen his spooks in-hand and on the lunge, I'm very appreciative that he holds himself back but also very aware of what he can do - full height rears when a rug rustled; all four legs off the ground when he saw a mouse; flying leap at having to step over a mostly-buried pipe that he goes over twice a day.

Basically, he's hot, quirky, and extremely nervous, but tries very, very hard to look after his rider.

 

[SusannaF]

Unscheduled airs above ground.

 

[Britestar]

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

This. Anything else is just a regular spook.

 

[MDB]

loving reading through these. Some of them makes me think my mate isn't so bad after all! lol.

 

[Sukistokes2]

I would say a big spook would be one where you have to go back and retrieve your heart!

Luckily both my lads only mildly spook and not to much of that. Kev does a stop and drop , like all his knees have failed , it's not unseating but it dies make you jump. Sheep and birds cause this reaction.

My pony on the other hand could teleport sidewards, forwards and upwards, his spin was so fast you literally wondered why you were facing the wrong way. He did all of this with a grin on his face, he was rarely scared and always took his rider with him. I'm sure it was a game. The only rider he dump was the b&£@? Who starved him on loan. He is now on loan with a child and has so far not even looked at a leaf.

 

[Llewellyn]

Mum has a pony who has been ridden by children for 14 years, pony club, shows, even a stint loaned to a riding school and he still spooks at the stupidest things mainly on the ground, getting a tissue out of your pocket, pushchairs, chickens, dressage boards...you would have thought he'd be over it by now but his worst is rugs. 18 years we've been rugging him (had since foal) and still he shoots off everytime you take it off or put it on!!! It is the most persistent spook I've known. And all other ponies we've had we've pretty much desensitised to everything but there is no hope for him. Hes reached retirement as sharp as when we started (but never spooked hunting). I think some horses are just destined to be spooky. I put his down to not being stretched enough mentally so he creates his own excitement I fully expect it to get worse in retirement. He's too clever for his own good.

 

[Pinkvboots]

One of my horses can spin run and be facing the other direction in a second, he often looks shocked at his own antics and I am sure he thinks how on earth did I get here.

 

[Cortez]

The "one that I fell off" is a specialised Spanish horse manuever called "throwing my arse around my head" - useful if facing a charging bull; perhaps not fully required in the face of a threatening leaf.

 

[scats]

A friends daughter, quite competent, was riding mine for me for a while. Then he started spooking her off every session. He got her off twice in one session once, that's when I realised that she really didn't have the right seat to ride him and I had to stop her.

Another I hate is the sideways scrabble, when they just keep going and going and going and you just can't seem to keep up, despite seemingly being attached to them via a saddle. Then they start spooking at you because you aren't where you should be.

 

[huskydamage]

I consider most of what my horse does as 'flinching at stuff' rather than spooking. Proper 'spooking' for us usually involves crashing into something, eg running backwards into a road sign with an almighty clang or falling sideways into a ditch!

 

[Mince Pie]

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

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

Those are both of my old cob's favourite manoeuvres, always span to the left and generally both at the same time, or concurrently!

 

[turnbuckle]

One which involves me wishing very much that I was anywhere other than on that horses back - assuming I am actually still on its back....

PS There seems to be an element of "I'm braver than you I can sit more than you" about this thread

PPS Instant spin and set off at gallop, pulled up in three strides. Am I brave?

PPPS Walk up to to very very bad big bale in field. All OK. Pat bale. Go sideways 10 ft in one bound. Stay on. Does that make me brave?

PPPPS I'm not brave. Seriously not at all. But compliments are welcome.

 

[GirlFriday]

Big Spook = I'm insecure/don't really know & like the horse

Little Spook = It's a pretty Arabian/my friend

?

 

[Izzwall]

My welsh cob was the queen of spooking!! Her favourite was the 180+ degrees spin that used to catapult me a few metres and then she'd leg it back to the moorland gate about a mile away. She used to do it so often it was one of the reasons I changed her bridle to a rope halter so when she catapulted me I could still hold onto her so I didn't have to do the walk of shame back to the gate without my horse lol though it never dented my confidence. We would be having a lovely canter across the moors then the next thing I knew I was on the floor, have a bit of a giggle at myself falling off then get back on and continue our canter. Being spooked off to chase and status blind faith was definitely a highlight of one my falls lol strangely my headphones never fell out when flying through the air! She's retired now but after recently moving back onto the moors again I am tempted to bring her back into work. Will most likely have to have a stiff drink before riding her now though!!

 

[rachk89]

I consider it bad from my horse where I get the 180 degree spin or a sudden shooting sideways. I have somehow never come off yet from these always manage to cling on (ungracefully of course).

He has only done the full 180 degree spins and bolts twice. Once when on a hack and a pheasant was stuck in a fence and went nuts as we got alongside it. He did try to be brave but didn't manage it. Second time was when a farm cat was dragging a rabbit through the field next to the arena. Again he tried to be brave and stopped and looked but then lost it and had to run away.

Like someone else said he is sharp but it's not malicious. He does try to be brave and he thinks about it but sometimes the bravery disappears and he reacts by spinning away.

He wouldn't go past a sign on the road yesterday because you know road signs are scary. Had to go onto the other side of the lane before he would go past snorting and prancing. That was a minor spook.

 

[rachk89]

Unscheduled airs above ground.

Mine does that when he doesn't like the rider. That or he was practising to be a lipizzaner stallion one day when my instructor got on. Thankfully he likes me.

 

[ShadowHunter]

My lads worst is when he lifts both front feet off the floor, spins 180 and charges off in the opposite direction. Easily pulled up though. The other times its just a sideways drift away from said monster. My mares worst is a 180 spin, walking or trotting away in the opposite direction. Doesn't sound so bad but she's a b*gger to stop.

 

[skint1]

My big guy enjoys a recreational spook. He mostly does the "jump to the side" or the "Scooby Doo" scoot forward a few strides. I don't mind it if we are walking, at a canter it's a bit more of a challenge. I worry more about if I can't get him past something he's genuinely worried about, we recently encountered some red balloons and had to be led past by my friend's pony. He plants and tries to turn for home and gets a bit light in front and won't listen to me unless I get tough with him, if I were alone I'd probably have dismounted, led him past and got back on.

I recently fell and knacked my ankle when he did a 180 after he and his mate decided they'd met the pheasant of doom!! I hadn't done my girth up properly and so the saddle slipped and ended up kind of sliding off. I'd hoped to land gracefully on my feet, instead I landed on side of ankle and hit the ground like a sack of poo I can't say that I wouldn't have fallen off anyway even if my saddle hadn't slipped.

Overall, his spooks don't particluarly bother me, in some ways it's endearing and amusing, but when he's genuinely worried about something I wish we'd have more faith in each other.

 

[sasquatch]

B's worst spook has been due to a terrifying cow. It was absolutely horrific and if a film was made about the cow it would be banned from cinemas for being too shocking and causing fainting and heart attacks.

We were walking along the arena, minding our own business, when suddenly a cow put it's head through the hedge at the top corner of the arena (there's a small lane with a few XC jumps at the side of the arena, next to the field the cows were in. The arena is fenced, and you have to go through a gate to get to the lane)

As the gate had been taken off to be fixed, the cow's head was in full view. There was no visible body, just a floating cows head. Horror upon horror.

B didn't even give warning by way of snorting or prancing. He leapt about 5 feet into the air, spun about 270 degrees, landed in a gallop and ran towards the gate at the bottom corner of the arena. I managed to pull him up, and thought 'right, he's had a big scare, so he needs to walk past that corner'

We went back into the corner, all going well, only for floating cow head to appear suddenly AGAIN. B at this point was going 'oh no, I am out of here' and ran towards gate after leaping in air. Again, I pulled him up. Floating cow head had now moved on to terrify other horses elsewhere, but he would not take a step near that side of the arena with me on him, it was FAR too scary. I ended up having to lead him over on the ground, make him stand and realise floating cow head wasn't out to get him, and walk him past it in hand on both reins before getting on and getting him to walk past.

Dropping the shoulder and canter to stop-spin-drop shoulder are all pretty standard for us when B isn't spooking, and when he spooks he just seems to jump in the air on all 4 legs at once and then get very snorty and looky for a bit.

 

[atropa]

My older mare doesn't really ever do big spooks, she has a look at things she finds scary and bends her body away from them as we go past, but she doesn't spook. She does, however, nap when she's in the mood which can be horrendous, she reverses, plants and spins, bunny hops, throws her head in the air and screams for her fieldmates, would tank home if you let her and does not stand still hacking. I've made her sound horrendous but she's actually very fun most of the time.
My younger mare's big spooks are quite funny, she kind of scrabbles about on the spot - you can tell she would love to go forward or sideways but she's just too polite and sensible.

 

[rara007]

Over 360*, 180* followed by long enough out of control you have time to think about it, 180+ buck or naturally anything that makes me fall off!0

 

[Street_Skill]

One where you can see the sparks from the horses shoes and there's a slight smell of burning.... This was my Arab's speciality, not had another one since!

 

[ihatework]

My mare is quite a spooky type, but 99% of the time is very manageable.
The other 1% needs superglue ... very very predictable yet every time it's touch and go whether I stay on. It is the 90 degree shoulder drop and bog off manoeuvre designed to unseat me sufficiently that she can have the gallop she wants that I'd told her she couldn't have!

 

[Shantara]

Ned's worst spook was when he fell over and I fell off!
A trailer came past as we were trotting on a verge, it hit a bump, came off the road and crashed down next to him. Front end went down, I lost my seat, he spun, lost his footing and rolled onto his side, where I slid gently to the ground The poor boy had a slight cut on his hock, but was fine. I can deal with the rear/spin, but not the front end down and spin!

 

[Hoof_Prints]

One where they s*d off in the opposite direction! Or any rearing. I don't mind spinning on the spot. My friend was out on her little welsh pony and he spooked and sat down, it was hilarious to look at, as if he had just sat down in shock and disbelief at the hedge blowing in the wind

 

[Antw23uk]

I sat a pretty epic spook and spin last week on my new mare. Even the local dog walkers were impressed and no one could believe I stayed on ... Pah! Not a fluke .. honest!!

 

[dibbin]

... one that ends with me on the deck! Jazz has a wicked fast spin on him, and about 70% of the time it comes completely out of nowhere. In 3 years I think I've managed to sit it once.

 

[NZJenny]

I have a little (14.2 approx.) part bred Arabian mare who can teleport. One of her many left me sitting on a shingle road like I was still on the horse - I had the bruises on my bum to prove that was how I landed.

 

[Akarno]

My mare is Brave as chips x country. Spooks at a rock or her own fart when out hacking. No words of wisdoms but open to suggestions! They say sharp horses are the smarter ones. Whatever it keeps me on my toes and never a dull hack I guess! X