# Spookers



## Taffieboy1 (15 July 2014)

So I was always led to believe, if you have a spooky horse/pony, it was better to ride them out daily, keep energy etc down.
Yet a Vet told me the other day totally opposite, that riding a spooky one out daily can make them worse as constant stress for them, anyone else follow either way ?


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## Olliepoppy (15 July 2014)

Not sure about the horse's stress but I would be stressed riding a spooky horse every day! My 6 yr old spooks out and about and I am taking him right back to basics, getting him used to one route over and over again before moving a bit further, desensitising in the field etc.  I have been advised to lunge before going out to burn off some energy but my boy isn't ridden every day anyway.


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## L&M (15 July 2014)

Tbh I think it depends the horse.

My youngster is better in constant work in terms of energy levels, but only spooks at things he has not met before, such as roadworks or pigs etc - however once he has seen them a couple of times, he takes no notice.

My 15yr old has always been a spooky 'wally' and may go past something 9 times, but the on 10th time decides to spook, just because he can! In his case daily exercise makes no difference, as his spookiness is just part of his personality.


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## MerrySherryRider (15 July 2014)

Both are true. If you can make the ride a successful one, even thought the horse has found it difficult, then it builds confidence. If you keep repeating the same mistakes and the horse doesn't return having learnt something positive, then you'd be reinforcing the negative experience. 
 One way is to ride a sufficient distance so that the horse conserves it's energy for work, rather than reacting to everything it sees. However, if the whole ride is too difficult for the horse to cope with, then all it learns is that the task is not to be repeated. The key is to challenge the horse without overfacing it. But the theory of Ride, ride, riding a green horse, is right, as the more you do something, the easier it becomes.


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## Taffieboy1 (15 July 2014)

L&M
Yes he's 19 years old !!
Was told he wasn't a spooky horse at all, yea right, a crow will even make him jump, even a rabbit or a cat :-(
Now he did come in a Pelham an martingale so I guess I know why now then !!!


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## L&M (15 July 2014)

Ha ha! At 19yrs old I wouldn't be expecting him to grow out of it.....!

On a more serious note, it might be worth having his eyesight checked just to eliminate any vision problems, but suspect he may just be doing it for 'fun' as my older chap does.

The upside of owning a serial spooker (and occasional bucker!), is that I have developed a very secure seat and am proud to say that in the 6 yrs of owning said 'spooker' I have only parted company with him once due to these antics.


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## Taffieboy1 (15 July 2014)

An Olliepoppy, believe me it does stress me out sometimes, I have to be v careful where I ride, times I go etc :-(


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## Taffieboy1 (15 July 2014)

Yes had eye sight checked as I thought that too.
Agree at 19 think either I have to accept it or not ride, which I don't want to do.
We haven't parted company in the 3 years of it, so that's a bonus I guess.
But I am not ashamed to say, sometimes during his spins, spooks, sideways canters, jogging about, bucking, he can at times scare the living S**T out of me !!!


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## flirtygerty (15 July 2014)

Taffieboy1 said:



			Yes had eye sight checked as I thought that too.
Agree at 19 think either I have to accept it or not ride, which I don't want to do.
We haven't parted company in the 3 years of it, so that's a bonus I guess.
But I am not ashamed to say, sometimes during his spins, spooks, sideways canters, jogging about, bucking, he can at times scare the living S**T out of me !!!
		
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This sounds like my TB when I first owned him, at 17hh, it was scary when he spooked, reared or spun round, I sold him to a more experienced rider, (with regret) two years later he was gifted back to me, when checked by my EDT, his teeth were so bad he was in agony, hence his behaviour, one sedation and treatment later, he is a different horse, almost, but not quite a plod, just to add, when my vet tried to do his teeth,(the first time) he fought him from start to finish and was sold before the vet could sedate him to do it


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## katpower (16 July 2014)

I find that my eejit TB spooks less if I keep his mind busy - give him a job to do the whole time, instead of just sitting there letting him make his own fun... and some horses do quite enjoy giving themselves (and you!) a good scare, they really look out for things to be terrified of.


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## Lottie9 (16 July 2014)

katpower said:



			I find that my eejit TB spooks less if I keep his mind busy - give him a job to do the whole time, instead of just sitting there letting him make his own fun... and some horses do quite enjoy giving themselves (and you!) a good scare, they really look out for things to be terrified of.
		
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I had the same thing with a TB, he would do the spinny, bolty, jumping stuff as mentioned above!  He did the same in the school but would only settle down and relax nicely if I kept him in an outline.


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## Taffieboy1 (16 July 2014)

Well today took him on a 3 hour hack, at times I wondered if I would ever see my partner again !!
Oddly tractors, lorries, trucks, caravans etc not a thing, yet logs or the bushes rustling, and I was spun round into traffic the opposite way b4 I could sneeze !! But am v glad we didn't part company once


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## frostyfingers (16 July 2014)

My TB is fine with lorries, hedge cutting tractors, dustbin lorries, low flying planes, rattly trucks etc but ask him to go past a clump of grass that looks slightly different from the last time he saw it and he has a hissy fit.  Stones from the gravelly road that he kicked into the hedge as we walked by gave the excuse to leap 6 foot in the air, bicycles are the work of the devil and the occasional bird tweeting more loudly than he likes are terrifying.  It's impossible to work out what he's going to spook at sometimes. I have hacked him past a helicopter on the ground with it's blades spinning with no problem (at a fair distance I hasten to add, but not miles away), and past a stationary tank (decorative rather than functioning) with no hassle but the white lines on the road could only be crossed by cat jumping over them!  It can be exhausting and I find the crosser I get with him the worse he becomes so I try and grit my teeth and ignore as much as possible.


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## Taffieboy1 (17 July 2014)

What do you all ride your spookers in ?
Deep seat dressage or close contact saddle, what bits for control etc.


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## Pinkvboots (17 July 2014)

katpower said:



			I find that my eejit TB spooks less if I keep his mind busy - give him a job to do the whole time, instead of just sitting there letting him make his own fun... and some horses do quite enjoy giving themselves (and you!) a good scare, they really look out for things to be terrified of.
		
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Sounds a bit like my Arab spooks constantly in the school unless I make schooling very difficult and busy, I think much of it stems from boredom as his worse in walk seems to be looking for things to spook at, as for desensitising we go down the same track everyday and he will spook at the same logs same water trough and most other things that are always there, He even gave a pile of poo on the drive a sideways look this morning:/


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## Noodlebug (17 July 2014)

My IDxTB is a terrible spooker and is now 18yrs and not going to change now. He has even spooked at his own gob flying through the air! Tractors, lorries are fine but a small bird or a dying nettle are to feared!! I have a keiffer saddle that is a wonderful for keeping on but as for a bit I can't see how that would help!


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## Circe (18 July 2014)

L&M said:



			Ha ha! At 19yrs old I wouldn't be expecting him to grow out of it.....!

On a more serious note, it might be worth having his eyesight checked just to eliminate any vision problems, but suspect he may just be doing it for 'fun' as my older chap does.

The upside of owning a serial spooker (and occasional bucker!), is that I have developed a very secure seat and am proud to say that in the 6 yrs of owning said 'spooker' I have only parted company with him once due to these antics.
		
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This really. My old horse was 33yrs old and still had a good spook at things, just for a laugh really. If he managed to get someone off, all the better, he'd had a good ride. lol.
Ifs that their character, then Im afraid you have to learn to live with it really. Neck strap, sticky seat saver and sticky bum jods.
I think you do start to tell if they are in "that' mood, and can put your leg on, hold whip down the shoulder if you feel a spook, which can stop it happening.
I also learnt to keep my bum in the saddle, but I won't deny I could've done without the dramatics sometimes.
Kx


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## Circe (18 July 2014)

just to add, current horse, tb, will spook at things he isn't used to, so for him getting out and seeing things, and putting the miles on the clock is the cure for spooky when trail riding.
In the school, he spooks as an evasion, so ignoring him and pushing him on works quite well.
Kx


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## katpower (18 July 2014)

Circe said:



			just to add, current horse, tb, will spook at things he isn't used to, so for him getting out and seeing things, and putting the miles on the clock is the cure for spooky when trail riding.
In the school, he spooks as an evasion, so ignoring him and pushing him on works quite well.
Kx
		
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I'm a big fan of ignoring spooks too - prevention is good, but if it happens, don't give them any encouragement, just carry on.


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## Lottie9 (18 July 2014)

Taffieboy1 said:



			What do you all ride your spookers in ?
Deep seat dressage or close contact saddle, what bits for control etc.
		
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Mine just jumps out of her skin so I don't have anything special, it's just a case of being somewhat alert and getting used to it.  She doesn't bolt so a stronger bit won't do anything and I try to hack her on a long rein so she can relax anyway.


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## holzrokz (18 July 2014)

My share horse can be spooky, more so in winter than in summer. She was much worse when I first started riding her but now I'm more confident and we have a good bond she is not so bad. She does have a good spin on her on the odd occasion but I can almost always tell when this is going to happen and can then kick her on to avoid it. She once did a good sliding stop when trying to canter through a large puddle (normally fine with water), then spun and tried to ****** off the other way. Not sure how I didnt come off that time. 

I haven't come off her at all from her spooking and its given me a much better seat. I have a seat saver which is pretty handy though! I find she is much better if you don't make too big a deal out of it, keep your leg on and push her on if she starts to look at something. Her head comes up and she becomes very tense if she finds something particularly scary.


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## Taffieboy1 (1 August 2014)

For a sharp spooky pony, would you say a Close Contact jump saddle or better in something like a Mono Flap dressage saddle ?


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## Snuffles (2 August 2014)

Mine spooked this morning because I dropped his fly mask on the floor. He comes in and out the same gates and pathways every day
but still find something to spook at. I don't ride him anymore he was getting dangerous in  the school and out. He has no physical problems. If hacked out with another horse he just tagged on behind and went past anything. He is 20 now and too old to change his ways I fear


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## Jazzy B (6 August 2014)

My old mare spooked until the day she was pts... She was 27 - I then found my boy..  His the most confident lad in the world but when his bored..  He finds his own entertainment and we have the most ridiculous leaps at anything!  I have a humphries and swain saddle.  I'm sure it's saved me on a few occasions!


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## Embo (6 August 2014)

Snuffles said:



			He comes in and out the same gates and pathways every day but still find something to spook at.
		
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Yep, this is mine! 5yo IDx. He is mostly fine, but sometimes gets worried about things. He is young and still gaining confidence and experience so I mostly ignore it.

This morning, he took major offence as there was a black car parked outside the barn doors where there was a blue one yesterday. 

He will also spook as an evasion. He spooked at another livery who was sitting in her car with the door open parked next to the arena. The next day, there was a different car parked in the same spot, but empty. Spooked at that just incase. Then the day after that, there was nothing parked there, so thought he'd best spook at the empty space, just for good measure. 

He did it twice before realising he was being a twit and was fine after that!


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