Young horses - Spooking?

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Charlie77

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Hi slightly daft Q really but for them that have stared a few young horses, if they start out spooky do they come round or have they stayed spooky?

My 4yo i started my self and hacked a little, i am on my own tho so no school and no older horse to hack with, always take my dad on foot! He was easy to do, n not a big issue to take out though is spooky!

Any way sent him off to my trainer for 2 x weeks coz he has a school and we are going to have lessons with him any way. he is doing really well so pleased with him, but had a text off trainer who took him for a hack that read " He is spooky to hack ! " said i know but thought with an older horse would be better, text back " he was with another horse!"

All the babies i have started in the past have just taken to hacking like ducks to water, Good news is my old boy is now sound so can come with us. collect him Monday so pics to follow x
 
OH is in the process of riding away one of ours that is incredibly spooky on the ground and last year was when we started to back her. This year, having abandoned the process last year, she's still spooky on the ground, but is proving fabulous under saddle. Hacking out she's striding out past cars, building sites and portaloos, humans with alien things on their backs (we call them rucksacks) etc. So I guess no, they don't alway stay spooky!
 
Ah thats really good to hear!

colleted him this morning n was told that he is just spooky not dangerouse, he has been fine with traffic just white lines n things that are a problem, so now my old boy can start to come out with us im sure thing will improve. Trainer also said he is a lovely horse just needs a bit of time as he is so big. in all im very please!
 
One of mine (the one I event) is horrendously spooky. Ive never known a horse as spooky. He spooks at himself he's that bad. When I first got him I couldn't get him anywhere near a hose pipe. He's getting so much better with just showing him loads of different things. I don't pussy foot round him at all, I take his boots off and throw them over the other side of the barn. I shake his hay out of a feed sack into his hay bar, I hack him out after every ridden schooling session, even if I only take him up the hill and back. And if cars come past I stop him in the verge and I turn him to look at them, I do this because if he saw something in the hedge he would spook in front of cars or anything. now he's loads better, he is still spooky and always will be I think but when I think back to how he was, now he's like a different horse. Ive had two incredibly spooky horses now, this one bar far the worst but I've found the more worked up I get the worst they are. If they spook or plant and I were to smack him he would be really bad. If I was to ignore it and just keep my leg on or if it was a really bad spook then halt, turn and walk past again, and again, and again until he went back calmly, not saying a word and not getting tense just turning back, and then when he walked past nice I said good boy and moved on, I have found that works better than anything. I do this jumping with him aswell, if he sees something he can't work out and stops I very rarely smack him, I do smack him if he drops behind my leg but schooling I just keep turning him back into it and I don't say a word, and then when he jumps it I pat him and I move on. He's got now that he 'usually' jumps whatever it is that he doesnt like the look of the second time
of asking because I believe he thinks there is only one way out and that way is over, rather than "oh god she's going to whip me Ill have to jump it"

Now my way may be totally wrong for your horse, I'm just saying what has worked for mine. And strangely enough he isn't audio spooky, just visual. I can walk past very loud gens when out and he doesn't bat an eyelid, but a bucket... Or god forbid a BAG!!! Lol. Or even worst... A fallen showjump filler haha!
 
Princecharming - thank you so much! this has made me feel so much better, i think Cracker and your horse are a lot alike! he was a shy baby i got him at 8 months but it was over a year b4 i could brush his face, He is such a nice horse now and very trusting in me now, but as the trainer said he is a worrier, i have also found that when he spooks if you just sit with leg on, dont even need to push he will go past in his own time. its just the initial spook. Thanks also for the tip to turn n face the cars so as not to see things in the hedge i would not have thought of that. He has no option to get better as i have no school so we will be hacking a lot over winter with our first walk trot test in spring and go from there, just hope he has stoped with the growing up 17 h is more that enough for me lol. growing out and brains are welcome!
 
Alltheprettyhorses said:
I think really big horses take at least a year longer to become coordinated and strong enough to cope with their huge frames. Their brains seem to need the time too....
Click to expand...

Absolutely true! My 4yr old 17.1hh TB is an absolute MUPPET. He is more than happy to hack out on his own past cars, scary horse eating cows and even the dreaded dock leaves.
However ... with it being my day off work today I thought i'd take him in the outdoor school for half an hour as it was pretty warm. Now our outdoor school over looks a bridleway along side a hugeeeeee field. So ... did toby clock the crow that was sitting in the middle of the field? Yes he did. Did he also clock the squirrel sitting in the tree? Yup, course he did. He EVEN kept spooking at the mounting block in the corner when we had literally just been standing right beside it for me to get on the daft thing !!

But back to the topic of convo aha, he is still certainly much better than when I first got him a year ago. So there is hope :) just keep working at, you'll get there. It'll be rewarding when you do.

SS x
 
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