spooky

[kelsey27]

well ive done tuns of dressage tests and my horse still spooks a lot at the boards around the edge. How ever hard i try to persaude him to bend round my leg he still spooks not badly but doesnt go very close to them and stares at them until we have gone past. He is spooky in the school and everyone says he will get used to them but he has now been out every other week for a few years and is still spooking if we go somwehre diffrent. Like i took him to the same yard to compete at every 2 weeks for a few months and he finally settled and went sooo well. But im going sumwhere he has never dun dressage at next thursday and i was wondering if anyone had advice so my scores could improve. He still somehow manages to do well with 64 and above percent in prelim but i would love to be able to improve these scores by having the contact and bend all the time. Any adivce or ideas i could use.
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[kelsey27]

ne one at all have ne ideas ????????????????????????

[Willingbe]

The first question is how do you react when he spooks? For example if you tense-up it will make matters worse because then he'll just KNOW there's something to be frightened about :rolleyes:

The second question is, is he relaxed? Do these spooks come out of nowhere or is he tense throughout the test.

The third question is, is he listening to you? Is he spooking because he has the time and opportunity to look around him and find something to be startled at.

If you can answer the above then we can maybe start to help :D

Edited to say: if he's still getting 64% despite the spooks then your probably ready to start novice classes :)

[kayjayhorses]

maybe without knowing it, your riding your test already expecting him to shy at the boards and you could be sending a bit of a signal through to your horse before he has even thought about it, like you bracing yourself for it to happen by trying to correct it before it can happen.....just a possibility.

try to ride without thinking about it and see if he reacts differently.

[kelsey27]

thankz for your help i think your right i nthe fact that i am thinking that he will so he does. i will try to relax and forget about it.
But he wouldnt do very well at all at novice would he because his bending and outline will not b well established if he spooks at the boards.

[Willingbe]

If you get his bending and suppleness established he'll be less likely to spook :)

I'll give you some of the tips that have helped me when dealing with a spooky horse.

First pay absolutely no attention to the thing that the horse is spooking at, you mustn't under any circumstances look at it since that will also draw the horses attention to it.
Keep cool, don't alter your position.
Bend the horse away from the object, at the very minimum increase the flexion, if possible use shoulder-fore or even shoulder-in. But when you do only think of the way of going in the bend not of the spooky object.
Don't and I mean DON'T tighten the reins, it may help to deliberately relax the contact and take both hands forward.

Hope this helps :)

[lynz+ollie]

we put dressage boards in ollie's turnout field, that helped but i depends on the horse

[kelsey27]

Thanx for all your help. had a lesson yesterday with a new instructor and he was spooking at fences and poles and wings by the side of he school and i had to work him very long and low to relax as he is a tense horse and when i had him beding he went right up to them and didnt spook so if i keep working on him then eventurally he will ned around my leg and not look at them. thanx again :D

[dressage1anja]

:D Hello.. if he is spooking at the boards.. you cannot under any sircumstanses let him look! keep him on the aids always.. and inside bend.. and keep taking him by the board.. maby do a 20m and each time u go by.. flex his neck to the inside.. then one time dont do anything but your natural aids and natural bending.. if he doesnt.. u have to do so much ground work.. and lungeing.. by that board! ;)


bye!

[Just.Jump]

Anja, the only area a horse CANNOT see at any given time is directly in front of their face (before peripheral vision kicks in and they so the other things head-on.) and directly behind them. They see whatever it is that they spook about as soon as they enter the arena's general area, depending on the set up. Pretending the hortse can't see it won't do anything.

Kelsey, all I can say is maybe he wasn't introduced to enough new things in his young days before being ridden. All I can suggest would be de-sensitizing him to scary sights and trailering him to new places, in which he ends up having a good time as to associate a new place with something new and good things to be exited about. Sorry I can't offer more assistance.