Why spook at things youve seen hundreds of times???

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pipper

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Am feeling a bit down :
I have had horse couple of years - lovely boy. But OMG he gives me a roller coaster ride! One minute he is wonderful - next he is a spooky little brat! He will go weeks without spooking then with no warning he starts jumping spinning ect at things for no reason
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WHY?????
It gets me down sometimes - i see others just going along on an even keel - but we are either 'up' or 'down'
Does any one else have a horse like this? why do you think he has these spooky episodes? they last for a couple of weeks. Nothing changes - long turnout in herd, no hard feed, vit and mineral lick. tack back teeth all up to date.
any ideas???
 
I have one exactly like that, he's a pain in the bum when he's freaking out, but a complete darling when he behaves. Had him a year now and have finally realised he's not going to change so no point arguing with him. Just get on with it and ignore the bad days but relish the good ones. I believe that some horses are just like that and you'll never change them, just make the most of them. Sorry no help i know but at least your not alone
 
Taff too! We had a very close encounter with a helicopter in the winter which merited no more than a snort and a look but apparently buttercups waving innocently in the breeze are total monsters waiting to eat him - cue lots of snorting, eyes out on stalks, spooking, spinning and generally being a git.

I just let him get on with it now, any reaction from me (other than keeping him moving forward and not letting (if I can stop it!) him spin round just makes things 10 times worse.

I have had a few 'deep breath, count to 10' moments though...:-)
 
Cream daffodils OK, yellow dafs spawn of the devil. Spooking adds a bit of excitement to the ride, especially when you can tip them off and bolt for home. Aiming the 'drop off' sos they go straight in a dyke scores the highesst points. Yes, life is fun.
 
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Taff too! We had a very close encounter with a helicopter in the winter which merited no more than a snort and a look but apparently buttercups waving innocently in the breeze are total monsters waiting to eat him - cue lots of snorting, eyes out on stalks, spooking, spinning and generally being a git.

I just let him get on with it now, any reaction from me (other than keeping him moving forward and not letting (if I can stop it!) him spin round just makes things 10 times worse.

I have had a few 'deep breath, count to 10' moments though...:-)

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Ahhh Now see! thats where I am inefective. I need to kick him forward and give with my hands, but my natural reation is to hold tight waiting for the spin. He sort of stop and drops his haunches ready to go! I just cant bring myself to 'let go' Any tips???
 
My yearling does things like this, lorries, tractors and vans are quite alright...but the word SLOW written on the road is the devils creation, and is quite blatantly going to eat him alive if he walks on it. Cue lots of going backwards, spinning into the road and much crying at the top of his lungs.
x
 
Hee hee, I normally try and sit deep and keep him moving forward but keep my reins fairly short and an even contact on both reins so I can try and stop the spin.

That's generally the theory anyway - in reality we've had a few 'thelwell' moments with some very inelegant pony club thumps and me clinging on for grim death to avoid being shot out the side door!

I think its an excuse to make our hacks more interesting... sign on a gate = MONSTER, log in the field = MONSTER, a gate (WTF!) = MONSTER, patch of mud = MONSTER - oh and the day he first spotted the miniature horse on our yard I thought he was going to have total heart failure!!
 
my horse is exactly the same, lived with a herd of black cows for a year fine, moved near cream and brown cows and he is petrified!! sheep some days get him others he's fine.
I'm finding it increaslingly hard to find the confidence to hack out alone now, due to the spinning and the state he gets himself into with shaking and sweating!!! And the old girl who is meant to be our hacking partner might as well be in retirement (she is ridden once every 2/3 months by owner)
some days he is an angel in the school, will work lovely, other days he acts like he is cold backed and wont let me get on for a good ten minutes!! but he is gorgeous lol x
 
George is a bit like this, bless his dear soul! Some days, weeks he is cool as a cucumber and others he goes into 'i'm scared mode'. He seems most put out about things changing i.e. if someone mows the verge, paints their house a different colour, puts the jumps away differently in the school!! But drive past him in a combine harvester, tractor and trailer and so on and he is an absolute rock!
 
But sometimes these things give you a huge advantage - take one nappy pony that's scared of cows + a friend with a lovely piebald - stand piebald in the entrance of jumping arena = no more napping
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My old mare is the same. We haven't jumped for a while now (she's 33) but sometimes I'll put a couple of trotting poles down just to do something different - you'd think by the way she reacts she's a 3 year old going over poles for the first time - eyes out on stalks, snorting, canter half passes, grows at least a hand! I just laugh as it's good to see she still has the energy to do this, but she scares the life out of one of my friends who is a more cautious rider.
 
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Why spook at things youve seen hundreds of times???


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As my OH says: that flower pot might have always been there, but the little worm on the leaf is new!
 
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