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Discussion on ADD Horse
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Member:
Aannk
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 22, 2003 - 11:20 am:
My 7 yo gelding has what I can only describe as ADD. He has been in professional training on and off over the years, and he continually spooks, with me as well as everyone else who has ridden him. It is not entirely random, but it is at things other horses ignore. He is not spooky in the field with his buddies, and the spookyness does not increase or decrease with work or with location (trail rides, arena, etc, though he is much better at new places than at home). I have had him physically checked several times, and I have tried varying his work and feed, but nothing seems to work. The trainer thinks he just can't pay attention to his rider. He is always looking around, and it is actually sometimes kind of funny how he can be not paying attention at all to his rider, yet still be able to canter a 10 meter circle with a 3 foot jump on it and hit it perfectly every time. He will be doing this, and maybe the 5th time around, DrOp his shoulder and swerve in on the circle to run from whatever he saw, then will go back to being fine if you get him more framed and make him keep going. I am wondering if he might actually have some kind of brain problem. If so, what could I do? Is there medicine for this? He is extremely talented, and if he put half as much energy into paying attention to his rider as he does trying to escape the evil stump or tree in the field, he would be an FEI horse. Any suggestions? Should I try join up? He has always been very stubborn.
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Member:
Suzym
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 22, 2003 - 12:11 pm:
Has anyone ever done any very quiet, very patient ground work with this horse? By that I mean just standing, and every time his attention wanders, lightly asking with the lead that he return his attention to the handler. Then, after he has this down perfectly and reliably, moving on to positioning his head, flexing at the poll, giving to pressure, and so on.
All this takes time - as much time as it takes for him to settle into it. And, yeah, it's boring, but it lays the foundation for everything else.
If this hasn't been done, it's worth a try. There are not going to be any quick fixes. 
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Member:
Aannk
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 22, 2003 - 12:25 pm:
Yeah, I know it won't happen quick. Thing is, we have been working on it for years, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.
The trainer I sent him to did that stuff you are referring to in the beginning, but it would be worth it to try again (I will try myself).
He will stand in the crossties very well. He won't focus on you, but will tune out. I have done extensive in hand work with him, and have the same looking around problem there. A question, though. Do you want them to look at you? What I mean is, do I ask him to face me?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 22, 2003 - 1:12 pm:
Perhaps 5 revolutions is 1 too many at this time, try fewer and shorten any lesson down to the point of keeping his mind on your requests. As you succeed you can try building on this.
The nutrition and training techniques are not a try and if things are not quickly better you go on to the next thing: you continue a nutritional program that minimizes excitement, you contine a turn out that maximizes a relaxed attitude, you continue the various training techniques that have been shown to help focus a horse. The real question is does this horse fit in with your goals: do you want a training project or something else. If something else perhaps another horse might be best.
DrO
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Member:
Hwood
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 22, 2003 - 1:22 pm:
Hi, Alicia.
I had one mare in my life that I worked with who was like the horse you describe . . . She wasn't my horse, and thank God her owner loved her and was willing to give her a good home . . . otherwise, I'm sure no one else would have had the patience with her. She was a truly frustrating animal.
In the ground work Suzanne describes, and in any of the round pen work, the main idea is for the horse to focus on the handler and respond to the handler's cues, which are often conveyed with body language, i.e., horse language. Yes, you want the horse to look at you with both eyes . . . soft eyes and relaxed ears . . . IF that is what you are asking for . . . if you want the horse to move away from you and walk or trot or canter, you are not going to get him looking at you with both eyes, but you are still getting the horse's attention and response.
I DO know that if the horse is able to focus and respond to you consistently on the ground, that the horse will carry that attention over to his back . . . so the better response you get on the ground, the better the response when riding . . . of course it depends also on the rider's ability to convey consistent, immediate rewards for the correct responses on the ground or when riding.
I would be interested to hear about other horses who exhibit this behavior and how their handlers/riders have dealt with them . . . and the subsequent results.
Holly
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Member:
Aannk
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 22, 2003 - 1:31 pm:
Dr. O,
That was an example. He does it at the walk, trot, canter, jumping, in the arena, out on trail, etc. He will do it at the start of a lesson, the middle, or the end. There is no consistancy, other than him being the worst with things "hiding". By this, I mean that if he can't see behind something, you can almost be sure he is going to spook at it. He is turned out about 10 hours a day, gets less food than any other horse at our barn, and has been checked out as healthy by our vet several times.
As to him being what I want, he is physically. If I could get him to pay attention to me, he would be mentally too.
Holly,
I will try what you say. I will work more in hand. I have been doing almost all under saddle work for the past year or so. He is kind of slow, maybe he needs to be reminded about things from the ground every so often as well. He kind of goes in stages, and this one is pretty bad. I will start doing some in hand stuff today.
Oh, he is uncanny in his ability to do what you are asking and still not pay attention to you. I ask him to trot under saddle, and he does it well, and two seconds later will spook.
I am trying to think how I can make sure he is paying full attention to me, and I can't figure out how I will do that? What if he never has both eyes and ears on me? I obvoiusly need to acheive that at a stand still first. I know a carrot would do it, but I don't think that is the way to go.
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Member:
Parfait
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 22, 2003 - 4:46 pm:
Alicia,
I have a horse that is very good in the show ring, very good in the trails (for the most part) but acts as you describe in training. I have found that I cannot treat her as I do my other horses where they are handled quite affectionately and with lots of petting and treats and such. I treat her in a Very Business like manner. I can, as a matter of fact, tell when the stall girl has gone back to playing with her again (which is easy to do as she is a lovely, sweet mare). I haven't focused on *getting her attention* as much as controlling where she is standing and when (from the ground). For instance, sometimes I will fiddle with her blankets or wraps or something while making her stand away from her feed and I will often work with her at liberty. Actually I treat her as if she were a dog in obedience training at all times (without the hotdog treats). I am not luke warm on the ground--especially at the beginning. She Must obey 100% or else. Backing a horse up agressively is the best punishment I think. I act like an Ogre when I do it, too. I weigh about 100 lbs soaking wet and I can still make an impression, so anybody can do it.
I have also found that I HAVE to wear spurs or she will "spook" without them. This is the only horse I have ever had like this. When she starts to look at something, I give her a slight goose and a command to do something else. I also Never let her do her own thinking. When I don't give enough variety, she will supply it. Now I think my horse is like this because she struggles for dominance. I am hoping that as a mare, she will eventually come around as we build our relationship. I think mares just get better after a couple of years. 
Sometimes she resists me by spooking. If she is sick of an exercise she will look to get out of it and now I usually can see it coming. I think that is why she has never spooks at a show. There is lots to occupy her and she is not as sure of herself.
Now all this could be Totally out of the realm of possibility for your guy--I'm just throwing it out there to consider. All horses are so different but hey--that's how we all keep learning!
Good luck!
Kerry
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Member:
Suzym
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2003 - 12:12 am:
 No, I don't think getting his attention with a carrot would be quite the thing! Just stand facing him, and when his attention wanders, ask - as gently as possible- with the lead for him to get his attention back on you. Less is more, but do what you have to do to get his eyes and ears back on you. With practice, his attention span should get longer and longer.
I realize this sounds about as interesting as watching paint dry, and, considering his history, it may take a while, but sometimes that's what it takes.
Good luck and keep us posted. Like Kerry said, all horses are different, and we're all here to learn.
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Member:
Imogen
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2003 - 3:06 am:
Alicia, how much work do you do with this horse? You describe it as a potential FEI horse. In my experience leisure riding is not enough for a lot of blood horses because they are smart and tend to get fit quickly.
They need 2-3 hours work a day, one training session, one hack, and they need a good outing that tires them out at least once a fortnight.
Also I have a Cavalier mare that loves to spook as you describe. It is extremely important not to bore her as she is quite a clever animal - repetitive exercises lead to spooking and I would describe it as an avoidance of boredom behaviour.
You don't describe what if anything happens if you give your horse a good telling off for spooking?
Have you tried working it off grass and does it make any difference? I used to event the Cavalier mare off grass... This is not one you will find in the textbooks and I always thought I was bold for doing it but I once found myself parked beside a very well-known Irish event rider who was working a young horse. The two of us swapped experiences of creeping around the field at 4.30 am in the dark looking for our horses before setting off for the event - hers had developed a rearing problem and she reckoned the only solution was working it off grass.
All the best
Imogen
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Member:
Beasley
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2003 - 9:29 am:
I had a gelding (6 yr) who had the same M.O. He was sound, atheletic, willing, etc., but spooked and was inattentive. I sold him before he hurt me by spooking and throwing me. However, hindsight is the best and I have learned a lot since then, i.e., he learned easily, needed constant stimulation and I was asking him to perform alone a great deal of the time. He did much better with another horse leading on the trail....is that the case with yours? For other work, I started doing Lyons round penning and Parelli games. These two things helped enormously. You really have to mix things up for these guys. I also (as someone else mentioned) started wearing a spur and carefully monitoring his ears/attitude. Any infraction on his part would cause me to get his attention refocused on me, whether on the ground or riding. It takes a lot of patience to work this through. If he doesn't hurt you, he may be worth some work. GOOD LUCK.
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Member:
Nonie
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2003 - 10:52 am:
This may be a long shot, Alicia, but have you had his eyes checked? The spooking thing is sometimes a vision problem.
Zoe
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Member:
Aannk
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2003 - 11:54 am:
Well, I have an update. He went to his first show in a year yesterday. He was still better than at home, but not as good as he used to be. This was his first on many accounts. First show in an indoor, first evening show, first jumps over 2'3". There was a light going on and off in the indoor, and many horses spooked at a jump centered under it. He didn't do that, but he did spook at a spot where kids had run around earlier and scared him. All in all, he was very good, and I can't fault his behavior. He jumped everything, and well, and only really misbehaved by not listening to the trainers half halts. After about an hour of riding, however, he really settled, and was great.
To answer the other questions I got since I last posted.
Kerry, he ground ties, and stands still very well. He just doesn't pay attention to the person working with him. He will stand quiet for me to groom him, but he is looking around all the time. I do beleive dominance is an issue, and I am pretty agressive at making sure he knows I am the dominant one on the ground. I just can't seem to translate that to the saddle. I imprint trained him, but I think I botched it. He is not afraid of people, but he doesn't respect them much either. He is not dangerous, but you can see he just tolerates some people. His spooking has no rhyme or reason. I am going to try the Pirelli stuff. The trainer my gelding was with suggested this, and said it would take time and committment, but that he thought it might work with my gelding.
Does anyone know how I can get started with the Perilli stuff?
Suzanne,
I practiced getting his attention yesterday at the show. He is funny. He will pay attention to you for a while, and while he is paying attention, he tries to play (tries to nip, nuzzles, etc.). Then, he will look around like he is looking for a predator. You get his attention back again, and it lasts a little while, then he is back to looking around. He is from a slow maturing blood line, maybe this will get better with time. All I can do is try what you suggested and the perelli stuff and keep on chugging.
Imogen,
You have described him pretty well. He is very fit, very athletic, and has an active mind. We did about an hour's worth of pretty difficult riding yesterday and he barely broke a sweat. Problem is, I don't have the time to do what you suggest. I can only ride him an hour a day. He is turned out for 12 hours a day, though. What do you mean by "off grass"?
Jo,
Yeah, that describes him pretty well. His ears are a good indicator of what he is focusing on, hardly ever on me!! I get his attention by putting him in a tigher frame and bending him away from the distraction. This works almost every time. Problem is, I get lazy and stop being attentive to him, then he will get a spook in. I am definately going to try the games. By the way, his spooks, no matter how bad, have never gotten me off, so I don't consider him dangerous to me.
Zoe,
Several times. That was one of the first things we checked.
Thanks all!
Alicia
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Member:
Beasley
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2003 - 2:03 pm:
Alicia
He sounds so much like the gelding I had, except he hasn't gotten you off. I later determined that my horse was probably "playing" at some of his spooks, like you see a young horse do when playing with each other at liberty. The Parelli stuff is great for this and will also teach you to use the most subtle cues while riding, which, in turn, will make him more attention. He should be a good student. Parelli has a web site, books, tapes and is on RFDTV if you get that. If he spooks on the trail, try riding behind a solid horse for a while and take turns leading. Sounds like you'll get there with him.
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Member:
Aannk
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2003 - 2:14 pm:
Jo,
We have tried to guess why he does it, and can't figure it out. The only thing we do know is that most of the time, he is not scared. Also, he doesn't spook when out in the field, so it has to do with his relationship to people. The crux of the matter is he does it, and I don't want him to. So, I need to stop him from doing it, even if I never figure out why he does it. The Parelli site says spooking can be "cured" if you go through level two. I bought all the stuff for the first two levels. It says it takes about 6 hours a week and 3 weeks to 3 months for the first level, then another year for the second. I guess people were right when they said it is a long term committment!! My baby is worth it however.
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Member:
Jerre
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 1:02 am:
Alicia, I don't know where you're located, but check the Parelli site under instructors and see if clinics are scheduled near you. They are very cheap to audit and give you tons of insight, plus connecting you with other students. You'll find that the first levels are very much about changing you -- your horse will then perceive you differently.
I know many people who have had very rewarding results with this program. It's not the only thing out there, but the self-study program does work. For support and practical advice, checkout www.exracehorse.com and click on the Savvy Circle.
Best of luck,
Jerre
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Member:
Imogen
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 4:53 am:
Alicia
Off grass means out at grass 24 hours per day but in work (say exercised 5 or 6 days a week) and fed grain.
Any chance you can persuade someone else to ride him as well?
You didn't answer about what happens if you scold him for spooking - better, worse or no effect?
All the best
Imogen
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Member:
Aannk
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 11:25 am:
Jerre,
I will do that. I was told in passing that one was coming up soon. I will look into attending. I am in the Washington DC area.
Imogen,
He has been in professional training the last 3 months. I had been riding him once a week in a lesson, and he had been ridden by the pro 5 times a week. Where he was, he was on grass about 12 hours a day, then inside with hay and grain.
If you scold him for spooking, I mean really get after him, he will get nervous and anxious. If you just slap him and go on or pat him, or ignore him, it seems to have no effect. I have tried all aspects, from ignoring it to spanking him, to beating him to asking him to work, and the work seems to be the best bet. Usually, he will get less spooky if you put him to work in collection and leg yeilding, etc. Problem is, I would like to be able to ride him on a loose rein and enjoy my ride instead of having to keep on my guard all the time. I was hoping the Parelli stuff could help with that.
Alicia
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Member:
Mwebster
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 12:23 pm:
My mare sounds a little like your gelding. She's very smart, very alert, very athletic. She's half Trakehner, so has that Arab brain, and some of the Trakehner attitude, and the other half is TB so she's got that TB reaction time.
Like your gelding, she spooks less when she's being asked to do something harder, that requires her to concentrate. Like you, I want to be able to hack her out calmly, without putting her to work, asking for shoulder-in, etc. etc. every time we ride.
A friend of mine has helped tremendously with this, by teaching her to spook in place. That's not to say the spooks have stopped, but they are much less violent and much less frequent. The rider needs to sit quietly during the spook, without tightening in the seat, and make her stand (and stand, and stand!) -- until she totally gives in, usually with a big sigh. Then a pat and onwards. (If she tries to move off without a cue, it's more standing!) She really doesn't like to have to stand still, but she now knows if she spooks and tries to run off, or just marches off on her own, she'll have to just stand there forever, and so she has started to catch herself when she spooks and freeze those feet, almost as if she's saying "I didn't take a step!!".
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Member:
Aannk
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 12:33 pm:
Melissa,
Funny, his mother was 1/2 arab, 1/2 TB. His dad was a dutch warmblood (Ommen) who's sire was a french TB (Abgar). So, it looks like bloodlines have a bit, if not a lot, to do with it.
He mostly spooks in place too. I don't try to make him stand still, though, as he has issues with not being forward enough, so I don't want to ingrain in him that if he spooks, he gets to stop. He used to run off, and the spooks now are about 3 times better than before, but I would prefer they go away. It wouldn't matter if I wanted to do jumpers, but a hunter that spooks won't do well, usually. Also, it is a matter of him paying attention to me, and not what he feels like. He can jump stuff while looking over his back, but I don't want him to
Alicia
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Member:
Beasley
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 3:17 pm:
Alicia, Good luck with the Parelli. I did it also with my gelding and it was a big help. Doing it by yourself will work, but if you can get to an instructor who knows it, that will be a huge benefit. It is fun too and the confidence comes for you and the horse. GOOD LUCK!
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Member:
Aannk
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 3:26 pm:
Thanks, I can't wait to get the stuff to start it!!
Just for info, I rode him last night (we showed him Tuesday, then he was DrOpped off back at home) and he was very good. We went out on trail (I have never been on the trails around our barn, but someone else was going so I thought what the heck), and he did spook once, in place, at a russle in a corn field, but it was a legit reason, and he didn't go anywhere, so I just ignored it and went on. He was great in the indoor and outdoor, but he is usually better when stuff is new. He will start getting dumb again about the trees outside the arena, or the water buckets, in a few weeks, I'm sure.
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Member:
Nonie
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 3:37 pm:
Melissa, I love your technique and think it might work on my mare, who has the same tendencies as the others horses described here. I get the idea about the quiet, relaxed seat, but I worry that my mare might have a meltdown if I tried to keep her still when she was already riled up. Do you and your friend have any particular tactics other than the seat? How do you use your reins, and what other HALT aids do you use?
Thanks!
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Member:
Mwebster
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 6:41 pm:
We worked on ground manners first, teaching her to lead perfectly, including moving off when we moved off, halt-trot, trot-halt transitions, standing still when we stood still, and backing up when we walked backwards, all without any pressure on the lead. It became a game, and she mastered it quickly. (Lots of praise and some treats when she was perfect, clear immediate corrections to help her when she wasn't perfect.) In the beginning, she didn't like to stand still in hand, on crossties, etc. When she would barge off unasked, or keep walking when we stopped, we'd ask her to back up, and then just stand. She started to correct herself -- I'd see her about to take that step, not paying attention, and catch herself, or take that step and realize oops and back up one step and stand. We extended the length of time she had to stand still, chatting with friends, etc. Again, plenty of pats and praise for being a good girl. We took her new places, with lots of new distractions -- cross country skiers, sleds, joggers, dogs, weird looking equipment, and repeated all this under some stress.
During times of excitement, even in hand, she has wheeled around or spooked and even reared a couple of times, so this training came in handy. A sharp "uh UH!, and a correction on the lead rope, and backing up if necessary, and she comes back to paying attention and settles down.
Same idea from the saddle. If she squirts off, she has to stand. If she tries to evade standing, she has to stand longer. In terms of aids, it's a sharp tug as required, a quiet seat (you get nervous, she gets more nervous), a sharp "uh UH!", a kick if necessary on the side she's spooking to. It may be more of a series of little corrections to achieve the standing still. It's the consistency of your response, and repeating the correction until she really stands and gives in. If she starts to move off before you ask her to, you have to have the discipline to tell her no and make her stand all over again.
If she spooks at something and stops, don't kick her past it. Just have her stand, take it in, then get over it. Her reward is to go forward again. She indirectly controls the length of time she has to stand by making the spooks less violent. Don't pat her to reassure her when she spooks (don't reward her for the spook). Want till she's standing quietly, then a pat and a forward cue.
Same thing for a disobedience. It works as a little "time out" if she gets too excited. It's hard for a horse to stay wired standing in one place for a while, and it gives you the opportunity for some positive reinforcement when she does, at last, stand still and "give in". Then you can go back to work with a calm horse.
M
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Member:
Kthorse
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 27, 2003 - 3:03 pm:
Hi,
I also do what Mellisa does however , when I feel his attention is not on me, or I feel him ready to spook I back him to get his attention back on me then we stand till his is calm and walk
forward. What ever scared him doesnt even bother him. I just started doing this along with long long rides out on the trails. My horse is an arab and would spook all the time. He would get himself so worked up he was like a bomb. I ride in a very loose rein , however he must always be focusted on me. I leg yeild from side to side of the trail with out even touching the rein, just to keep him on me. Eventually I wont have to even do this
Thanks to all on this board who helped with the advice for my terrified arab. He is soooooo wonderful now. He still has bad days but they are getting less and less.
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New Member:
Moser
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 12, 2006 - 2:32 am:
Hi -
My boy is afraid of the invisible man behind the tree. I will definitely try backing up and standing still - I think it will help.
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Member:
Hwood
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 12, 2006 - 9:08 am:
As long as it is not an invisible tree, Maureen, your guy should make progress . . . that is, as long as the backward steps don't outnumber the forward steps!
Welcome to HA.
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New Member:
Ella
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 12, 2006 - 12:45 pm:
If he doesn't do it all the time and doesn't do it in the field then he is not really scared, he is playing with you. He needs to work on manners. I have all my horses capable of going in showmanship classes even if I never intend on showing in showmanship. Just the ability to square up and stand - (sometimes for 20 minutes without moving a foot just because I say so) than trot off and do spins, backs etc. with only my body language for cues has given me more respect from my horses than I have ever gotten from anything else! It also teaches them that they have to pay attention to me and my body just like they do in herd situations with other horses.
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Member:
Shanson
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 12, 2006 - 2:36 pm:
I've experienced these "faux spooks" with horses that are bored or feeling naughty and disobedient. Also, you have a long history with this horse and may have come to expect spooks under certain circumstances. Is it possible that you begin to anticipate them and tighten up or in some other way "encourage" the spook (without meaning to, of course)? I struggle with this tendency...I start thinking to myself, "This is where he always does so & so," and, right on cue, he does it.
In my case, a good trainer/instructor has helped.
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Member:
Mrose
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 12, 2006 - 3:38 pm:
Most horses, at least ones I've had, will spook occasionally, like when it's cool out and they haven't been ridden for awhile. Usually it's the younger horses that do it, and I've always thought it was just a good excuse to "play" because they are feeling good and are excited to be going out.
I had one horse that spooked every time we went past certain things. I remember there was one rock by the trail home that he loved to spook at. The rock was a couple of feet high. We'd be walking along and suddenly he'd snort and start, then prance a little with his tail held high. He did this even at age 30! I just thought it was really funny and never disciplined him for it; it was just a game he played. He'd go really scarey places good as could be.
A young horse might actually be frightened or startled, but once a horse has been out on the trails a lot they seldom spook out of fear. I had one young horse that came from East Texas and had never seen big rocks. As we lived in the Sierras at the time, we spent her first summer there going down the trail just scooting from one side of the trail to the other with the occasional spin or bounce thrown in. By her second summer, she was an "old hand" and fine.
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Member:
Erika
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 12, 2006 - 6:18 pm:
I'll second what Sharon and Sara said. I find my horses get bored with the same old trails and will sometimes "invent" spooks. They don't do that on unfamiliar territory.
Like you, Sara, there are rocks that my mare has passed for fourteen years now and they still merit snorts and sidepasses! We always joke that "three horses were eaten by those rocks yesterday".
As far as just relaxing on a ride, I recall most of my worst injuries came from stupid falls on reliable horses(not paying attention while walking, gentle sideways spook and--opps! broken pelvis, or concussion, or...). With spooky horses, I'm usually paying attention and am less likely to have an accident.
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Member:
Leilani
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 12, 2006 - 7:02 pm:
Good post all.
My older, seasoned, trail-wise mare decided to jump a ditch awhile back. Took me completely by surprise as I was talking story with my friend.
Now when I ride my young mare or my older mare, I focus on my ride more than my company. I know my horses can tell when I am not paying attention to them. If I am not, I shouldn't be surprised at what transpires. Leilani
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Member:
Dtranch
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Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 12:13 pm:
We go on a camping / trail weekend every month if possible. Since I always have outside horses for training, I usually take them for me to ride and continue their training, so I am always on a green horse. This last weekend, I decided to take my old reliable trail mare so I could enjoy myself. She spooked at tree stumps, rocks, and different colors of dirt. She nearly deposited me on some of this dirt when we were loping down a grassy trail and she spooked and spun at her shadow. After a few hours, she settled in and all was OK for the rest of the weekend.
My point is, I hadn't worked with her for several months and I believe she lost some confidence. I don't know your exact situation, but this is a common theme with my clients, and unfortunately, with myself. Once we get beyond the initial groundwork to the point of backing and becoming rideable, we do far too little, if any serious groundwork beyond that point. We start taking things for granted, and ignore some of the behaviours on the ground until one day we realize that we have problems. I always wind up back to basics on the ground and problems are usually solved in short order.
The funny thing is, that even if we ride a lot, we still spend 90% of our time handling the horse from the ground, but never find time to work on any of this once the horse is "trained" My suggestion is to go back to basics and these problems will soon disappear.
DT
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Member:
Lhenning
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Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 1:36 pm:
My horse is just as Sara says, young and spooks as much for play as it is for real. I recently saw Chris Cox talking about this subject on his TV show. He said when our horses spook, we should immediately put them to work and get their feet moving. His theory is these "faux" spooks happen because once when they spooked for real, we stopped them and let them rest so they would calm down. This put the idea in their heads they could rest after a spook and thus, they do it to get out of work. What are your thoughts on this? How do each of you handle a spook at the moment it happens?
Linda
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Member:
Dtranch
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Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 2:16 pm:
Linda .. I usually try to immediately turn my horse to face whatever it was that spooked them when possible. If it is a stationary object, I will ride back to it. If the horse spooks again, we will work for several minutes, then face it again, moving a little closer. The idea is work away from scary object, rest near scary object. I never rest after a spook, only after they relax.
DT
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Member:
Kathleen
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Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 2:23 pm:
Linda,
I think Chris Cox is right on. When Mona spooks, I don't even pick up the reins (if I have a bridle on her). I just pretend it didn't happen and continue working on what I was working on. You can't do this with a horse that bolts when it spooks, though. Sometimes she wants to look at what she spooked at and sometimes I let her, especially if I think it is a real spook. I don't know about every breed/horse, but my Arabians are very inquisitive and relax better when they can face what scared them. But the main thing is to not make a big deal of it. If you start banging on them, it justifies that they had something to be scared of. Of course, this is just my opinion and it works on my horses.
Kathleen
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Member:
Mrose
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Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 3:37 pm:
It depends on the horse. With an older horse that just spooks because they're getting out and feel good but who aren't frightened, just "putting on" I just say something like "give me a break" in a disgusted voice, and continue on with what we were doing.
With a young horse, I turn and go by the object several times until they don't spook at it anymore. With a really young horse, I try to have a more experienced horse go past the object first. I've even gotten off and touched whatever it is to show them it's safe, then make the passes past it until they accept it.
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Member:
Erinport
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Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 6:48 pm:
Just thought I'd weigh in here. I'm not riding right now (since April, because of my pregnancy), but I rode my mare from December (when I bought her) until early April. She was young, not quite four, when I bought her. Normally, as a somewhat advanced beginner, I would never have bought such a young horse. But she was so impressive when I went to look at her (for those of you familiar with the upcoming gathering, I bought Raven from JoAnn Becker at Brushy Creek). I mean, this little mare was without fault! We trail rode for well over an hour, after pulling her straight out of a stall. She stood still for everything, came when called, tacked up easily and quietly, rode quietly and responsively, was alert, but no spooky on the trail. I can't say enough good things about her. We were riding with only three other horses when I tried her out. When I got her home, my riding instructor was very impressed with her abilities and level of training as a long three year old. But as time went on, we began to see little spooks start happening. First, in the indoor, she decided that an orange cone was the devil, and I literally couldn't force her to ride that corner of the arena. The next time, she acted like it had never happened. Her spooks were so random. Just a big jump in place, nothing that would even unseat me. But surprising, nonetheless. I sent her to my gaited horse trainer for gait and trail work, and while working on gait in an outdoor arena, she was fantastic. Out on the trail by herself, she was an absolute nut. When I rode her again, it was with my trainer, who was on another horse, and Raven spooked twenty nine times in just over an hour. Big spooks, going from one side of the road to another in one jump. It was so weird. I was never scared, I never lost balance, I never really even reacted to her other than to ask her to move on. But if I acted frustrated or at all nervous, or if I let her stop, she proceeded to get her panties in a wad so badly that she'd stand there trembling. Neither my trainer nor I could figure out what the heck was going on. She called Raven a "silly filly". When I got pregnant, I decided to sell her, for a couple of reasons. For one, I wouldn't be riding this horse for almost a year, and in a horse that is now four and already spooky, that's not a very good idea. Secondly, I no longer felt she was appropriate for me and my level of confidence or riding ability. JoAnn took her back and agreed to help me sell her, and ride her frequently in the meantime. Since the day she got there, she hasn't spooked once. She goes out on trails, alone, every time she's ridden, and she's now being ridden by beginners regularly. It's absolutely goofy. However, Raven was born, raised, and trained at Brushy Creek, and when she came to me, it was the first time she'd truly been away. I really wonder if she just wasn't comfortable anywhere but "home". Once back there, she settled right down and was the same horse I'd looked at back in December. Now, she's ridden no more than two days a week, and she's the same perfect, calm horse every single time. Go figure. Maybe by next October, I'll be able to ride her at the gathering, if she doesn't sell by then!
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