only difficult with other horses in school?

[fathairycob]

my daughter has a cob dales x on (very new) part loan (after much pleading) and she/i can't understand why when she rides him on her own in the evening (with me there) he goes really well, very obedient, excellent brakes/acceleration etc, very easy to catch, groom,tack, mount - so seemingly no probs? we thought he might spook in the evening as he has a reputation for spooking but has done hardly at all, she hasn't done any jumping in eve yet but we have been doing lots of flat work (albeit at slower paces) and he has been super and she has loved riding him. we go up at least every other day to see him even if she doesn't ride him, sometimes just a groom and cuddle (very affectionate!) and then back out, he gets to go outside and play with his friends for much of the time so it isn't as if he is kept indoors for days on end.

how come in a lesson (place where he has always lived) with a couple of other horses (that are stablemates) he is a completely different scary horse? daughter had lesson from hell yesterday, every time she asked for canter she got a fast canter which turned into a buck, and another buck and another buck. this happened again and again she stayed on but lost her stirrups (not worried about that) and her confidence (am worried about this) and is not sure she wants to continue the loan. she goes out regularly on 2 hr canter/gallops at another stables so it isn't her scared of going fast. he doesn't always buck in lessons but is usually very nervous and skittish and acts like he is scared of everything.

the cob is quite young about 5 and i don't think he is used to being ridden very much. daughter is considered a competent rider by others has been riding since she was 2 - good seat quiet hands etc - any ideas that we can try please? she feels he is scared but why/what of? owner hasn't got any ideas (but no one else will ride this horse!)

please can someone offer any advice/suggestions? i don't want her to give up too soon but i don't want to pressure her into riding him (i wouldn't dare to!) thanx

[KateWooten]

Who knows why he is like this ? Some previous history, perhaps ? Some learned behaviours ? The problem sounds like when he is in the school with others, his focus is not on his rider. She needs to get his focus back quickly. There are techniques to do this, but she would need to be instructed how to, by someone who can watch.

How interested are the two of you in learning groundwork ? Because of him being a youngster, you have to see him in the context of the long-term training journey that he's on. If he were mine, I'd want to be out there, whenever there are other horses around, just doing groundwork with him - forward backward, left and right ... closley observing where his focus is, what distracts him, whether he's nervous or spooky, or pushy ... There are lots of things you can do.... but first off, I'd get her off the horse in lessons because the very worst thing would be for her to lose her trust in him and her enjoyment of it all.

[mayoguinness]

My horse was a bit like that when he was doing something he didn't want to do he would spook and pretend was scared of everything, later on I discovered that this was what he did when he didn't want to do what I was asking him to do so he would avoid it and divert my atention by spooking and up to then it had worked. So after that I took no notice of him and kept asking for what I wanted and he doesn't do that anymore. Maybe he just does it when he doesn't want to do what hes being asked to?? Just a thought;)

[puzzles]

hey, i just wrote an answer but my pa deleted it before it could be sent!!!!
:-O)))))))
anyway . . .

Your horse, particualry being young, is behaving so because he feels threatened and vulnerable in the presence of other horses - most likely to be from an insecure upbringing (eg weaned too early, kept alone recently/for most of his life) or - considering that he seems fine with humans and the issue only revolves around other horses - he has had a nasty incident with another horse: he could have been bullied/'mugged' or - linked strongly with the 'upbringing' and 'isolation' options mentioned earlier - he has not been socialised properly with other horses and so does not know how to be a hotrse again; he may have been brought up on the bottle or, again, kept alone/weaned too ealry so has not been given the oppotunity to grow up with other horses, justlike a child growing up without humans or other children at all.
Don't make a big deal about it; your horse associates others with a bad experience (especially if he has/is being bullied by other horses. therefore in knowing this you need to teach him that other horses = good experience, security and safety.
you can do this by ensuring that he is always turned out with other horses, preferably in an equal number of animals. horses tend to form pair bonds, so given the best chance to your horse will probably develop one strong friendship in time (and this will take a long time!).
if possible, turn him out next to other horses but with one other 'nanny' horse who will look after him and who won't push him away, or another, friendly, horse. keep experiences with other horse short and sweet, and always end them on a good note.
NEVER punish him for whatever reaction he does; yet don't avoid them either. by all means avoid confrontation and experiences you know will/may set him off, but build up gradually to build up his trust in other horses ad also his sefl-esteem an confidence in general.you cannot prevent/treat his reactions/the 'symptoms' but you can treat the actual cause of the problem as this is the only way forward.
you sound like you now what you are doing, so all the best: be patient and consistant and your horse will improve.
:-)