My Horse FREAKS OUT!!! HELP!!!!

Jerrilyn Duhon

New Member
Feb 17, 2025
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I adopted this swedish warmblood arabian cross 17 yr old gelding. when we first brought him home he was very very spooky. we have lots of farm animals and he was horrified at all the noises they made. then when he finally settled in, i tried to just simply take him on a walk across the yard. well i might have gotten a few feet away from their gate and he started FREAKING OUT!! he nearly smushed me when he started acting up. So when i walk him across the yard with another horse he is calmer but he just snorts and snorts and is real jumpy like. Their is NO WAY I can walk him across my yard let alone ride him across the yard! And we have lots of woods and trails & I'd like to trail ride him one day soon but not when I can't even get him across my own yard!!! (We were thinking that maybe he's never seen any farm animals before!!)
If you could help me out with any word of advice it'd be most appreciated!!❤
God Bless!!
 
He sounds like an anxious type that perhaps hasn’t experienced that before, he obviously took comfort when you took another horse with him. You’ll need to gradually expose him to what makes him anxious and teach him to manage it and put trust in you.

Spend lots of time with him doing things he enjoys to build trust between you. If you don’t have experience dealing with anxious behaviour then it’s best to find a professional to come out and work with you and him on it, as it’s a lot about knowing when to push and when to wait and feel for the situation and you can’t get that from the internet.
 
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I've looked back at your other posts, is this a different horse to that one? If it is what happened with that one and how long have you had this one?

It may just be he isn't as settled in as you think, but tio me it sounds like you're completely overhorsed and I can only safely offer the same advice as I did last time - get professional advice. Self taught off YouTube simly isn't enough when dealing with brighter horses or ones with problems and your previous posts showed that while your intentions are good there are gaping holes in your ecperience. Without help you can't help your horse and run the risk of getting badly hurt.
 
Sell the horses and take lessons. You aren't anywhere near ready for horse ownership. Need to be under the tutelage of a professional learning ALL of the basics. IMO These horses don't have issues. You do. Get those basics down and then start looking for a Steady Eddy appropriate to your level.
 
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It sounds like he's looking for a leader and not finding one. He needs lots of groundwork and work on his manners so he understands that
1. He is safe and 2. His fear is his problem and not a free pass to act like a looney toon. If you don't know how to handle a horse like this, get help. NOW.
 
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