# Hack Spooks



## Taffieboy1 (3 July 2013)

So my boy is quite a nervy creature anyway.
Have a bridleway right out of the yard, prob am having is half way along it is a house, they have about 5 or more dogs in pens along the fence of bridleway, he goes nuts, spins, goes sideways, backwards, canters on the spot, backs into ditch, he just does not want to have to pass them, anyone got any tips on over coming this problem ?


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## Clodagh (3 July 2013)

Can you do the hack the other way round so you are on your way home and he wants to go past? Do you have a calm horse that could maybe go past it with him a time or two?
Never look at the scarey thing yourself, sing or recite poetry - you will look mad but it keeps you breathing and more relaxed. Consistent legs on, try not to hang on to his mouth and don't make him look at it, I never know why people turn their horses heads towards scarey things! (Not saying you do). Don't look at it yourself - look past, to where you want to be and aim for it.
Good luck! It does sound horribly scarey for him.


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## Muddy Mare (3 July 2013)

Ive got a super spooky hacking mare.  She will go past a full silage tractor and trailer at a trot and not even see it...but if a doc leaf looks at her in the wrong way we are frozen to the spot.  Ive tried all sorts, but now got her on Supercalm, Global Herbs, and a vitamin supplement and she is much better. Less panicky, thinks more before reacting.  I used Skratch, by Global Herbs and it was fantastic, so I thought I would try their Calmer.  It is good, but expensive.  You use full dose to start with, then reduce it over time, effecting a cure.  Fingers crossed..... 

I think she will always worry.  They never forget past fears, and so thats that. She has been badly beaten in the past, you cant use a stick on her. But how I love my horse!  She had passed from home to home before I had her and I have made that commitment to her to keep her here and quiet for the rest of her life.  She really needs this, more than I need a perfect horse.


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## Taffieboy1 (3 July 2013)

Was thinking of maybe walking him down past the dogs in hand, in hand bridle for control, maybe twice a day for a week.
Or maybe tacking him up for the ride & walking him in hand till we have past the dogs then mounting once past, and staying mounted on the return past them, as the bridleway isnt a loop its same way back as you go out, turning back on yourself not ideal either I know.
The dog are is only like 2 minutes along the bridleway if that, so its not far to go in hand before mounting, an who knows he may start to just ignore them, that I can mount an ride out past them & on the return.
What do you think to any of those ideas ?


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## Clodagh (3 July 2013)

Do you feel you have more control in hand? If so then yes go for it, are you OK getting on from the ground once you are past?


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## Taffieboy1 (3 July 2013)

Always think you have slightly more control from saddle as you havent got half a ton of animal pulling at you, yea can get on from the ground easily with my boy.
Ya think walk out in hand past them few times then mount up, then after few times ride him straight out.
Or do in hand only work for a while


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## Pearlsasinger (3 July 2013)

I have found that horses are often less scared of scary stuff if the handler is between them and the scary thing, so going past inhand might be your answer OP.  Is there another calm horse that can accompany you?


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## Taffieboy1 (4 July 2013)

Yea think am going to do that today, tack up for the ride, walk him in hand the few minutes down the track, past the scary wolves !!!!
Then hop on do the hack, and stay on the whole return past the wolves again see how he does.
Somedays he goes past them with just minor hesitation an spooking, yet others he just point blankly refuses too


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## Taffieboy1 (4 July 2013)

My partner thinks am nuts too, asks why I even want to go along a concrete track that is also a bridleway with cars & tractors up an down it, with dogs etc, when I have 2.5 mile gallop right next to my barn, with no dogs, cars, tractors etc, and can do at any pace I choose, walk trot canter, dont see anyone, just a peaceful 2.5 mile loop, no turning back on yourself etc,
Do you agree ?


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## Pearlsasinger (4 July 2013)

I think we all, including the horses, need variety!


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## Taffieboy1 (4 July 2013)

Well I bit the bullet, got him ready, mounted up an off we went, he was quite sluggy at the start, then he smells & hears the dogs, we go backwards, sideways, spin around, each time leg on an turn him different directions, just to keep him going a step forward each time at least, kept pushing & pushing, next thing we are in a ditch, me still on his back, and him scrambling & fighting to get back up onto all 4's and out of the ditch, he was v shaken up, so got off walked him past the rest of dog bit, got back on and had the most amazing ride, came back same way as you have to, and barely a sideways step at the dogs, its only going there is ever an issue grrrrrr
This woman who has this pack of damn hounds bouncing off the fence is a horse woman too, and its a bridleway, you would think she would know better !!!


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## Keevabaccara (9 July 2013)

Taffieboy1 said:



			Well I bit the bullet, got him ready, mounted up an off we went, he was quite sluggy at the start, then he smells & hears the dogs, we go backwards, sideways, spin around, each time leg on an turn him different directions, just to keep him going a step forward each time at least, kept pushing & pushing, next thing we are in a ditch, me still on his back, and him scrambling & fighting to get back up onto all 4's and out of the ditch, he was v shaken up, so got off walked him past the rest of dog bit, got back on and had the most amazing ride, came back same way as you have to, and barely a sideways step at the dogs, its only going there is ever an issue grrrrrr
This woman who has this pack of damn hounds bouncing off the fence is a horse woman too, and its a bridleway, you would think she would know better !!!
		
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Well done you! I had the ride from hell yesterday. It's amazing how these man eating dock leaves work. Though my menopausal mare seems to shriek at every horse going, do amazingly small circles in the road holding up traffic, and does vertical take offs at the smallest noise. 
I'm putting it down to change of yard and hoping thingsll improve. It's only been 2 weeks. Might try super calm!!!


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## Amymay (10 July 2013)

its only going there is ever an issue grrrrrr
		
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Nappy little ******.

Next time give him a good wallop and tell him to bloomin get on with it.


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## Taffieboy1 (15 July 2013)

Hi AMYMAY,

You think he's just trying it on an being nappy an no real fear of the dogs ?
He does'nt nap at all, he goes out quite happily until he sees & hears those dogs, had'nt thought of him being nappy as its quite a long hack that route an maybe he knows so don't want to do it lol


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## TrasaM (15 July 2013)

I've got a similar problem on one bridle path we go through. Don't know how many dogs but lots of loud barking as soon as they hear the horses coming. I've got the advantage of riding out with a friend but it still unsettles both horses.
Seems perfectly reasonable for a horse to be wary of barking dogs.

 In your position I'd walk and lead him past them until he realises that they can't  get him and its just noise. Glad you didn't get hurt when he went into the ditch. Scary.


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## spacie1977 (15 July 2013)

Taffieboy1 said:



			Well I bit the bullet, got him ready, mounted up an off we went, he was quite sluggy at the start, then he smells & hears the dogs, we go backwards, sideways, spin around, each time leg on an turn him different directions, just to keep him going a step forward each time at least, kept pushing & pushing, next thing we are in a ditch, me still on his back, and him scrambling & fighting to get back up onto all 4's and out of the ditch, he was v shaken up, so got off walked him past the rest of dog bit, got back on and had the most amazing ride, came back same way as you have to, and barely a sideways step at the dogs, its only going there is ever an issue grrrrrr
This woman who has this pack of damn hounds bouncing off the fence is a horse woman too, and its a bridleway, you would think she would know better !!!
		
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So glad to hear you didn't get hurt. I took my lad out for his first solo hack yesterday and although he was a bit like a cat on a hot tin roof riding past the field his mates were in, he did me proud with the rest of the hack. Not nearly as much spooking as I expected. We had a moment he was convinced there were monsters in a bush, backed up several metres at warp speed and span the other direction. But with a lot of leg, a bit of whip and firmly telling him to walk on, he finally decided to trust what I was saying. I've noticed he gets into a habit of napping or spooking about certain things which makes me think maybe your horse has maybe done the same - at his last livery, the gate at the end of the indoor school was apparently scary although he was ridden past it every day without being eaten by anything. I realised after a while I was tensing up slightly and already getting ready with my leg aids in anticipation of him being silly, and upon feeling that, I was actually reinforcing his behaviour so I started concentrating on really relaxing my body language and speaking softly to him which helped kick his habit. Just a thought.
If I was in your shoes, I'd walk him in hand past the dogs, with me between him and the dogs, speaking to him calmly. Then turn around and walk straight back. Then turn around again, stop near them and give him a pat and treat, then walk on again and keep repeating it until he's showing more relaxed body language. Then mount him, and repeat the process. It might take the best part of an hour, but it should gradually desensitize him and he'll learn every time he shows signs of relaxing when something is scary, he'll get a pat and treat. And if the dogs owner gets fed up with the barking in the meantime, maybe she'll do something about them.


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## Taffieboy1 (21 July 2013)

Thank you Spacie,

Yes great neither party got hurt, hope yours calms down soon too.


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## Smogul (22 July 2013)

Clodagh said:



			I never know why people turn their horses heads towards scarey things!
		
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Because often it helps a horse to realise for themselves that the thing isn't scarey! Let the horse look at it, keep your leg on and a sensible experienced horse will calm down and accept that there isn't a monster there, just a few stupid dogs/prams/kids/whatever. Only time pony spooks at barking dogs is when he can't see them.


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## BeBopTalulah (23 July 2013)

Muddy Mare said:



			She will go past a full silage tractor and trailer at a trot and not even see it...but if a doc leaf looks at her in the wrong way we are frozen to the spot.
		
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I 'lol'ed a lot at this. My mare struggled with big stones when we hacked out, same set of them (the ones people put out on the verges to stop you parking/turning your car). Just plain old boring, non-moving stones.

And I think I'VE got problems.....


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## kittyb (29 July 2013)

My boy is a bit of a chicken and is constantly trying to swirl round on me and head for home if he hears anything move or if a tree looks at him the wrong way. Pigeons and rabbits are apparently the creatures of the devil, they don't even have to move for him to begin his freak-out dance (mini-buck, mini-rear, back off, legs out to the side and head down and finally try head for home). He's even still freaked by the floodlights in the outdoor school (even though he must have ridden past them at least a hundred times by now) so you can imagine what happens when we encounter a lorry!

What works for us is me singing to him whenever I feel him start to tense up, he seems particularly fond of nursery rhymes. It relaxes him and gives him something else to concentrate on. As a bonus concentrating on the breathing relaxes me too


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## Amymay (31 July 2013)

Taffieboy1 said:



			Hi AMYMAY,

You think he's just trying it on an being nappy an no real fear of the dogs ?
He does'nt nap at all, he goes out quite happily until he sees & hears those dogs, had'nt thought of him being nappy as its quite a long hack that route an maybe he knows so don't want to do it lol
		
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Yet you say:




			had the most amazing ride, came back same way as you have to, *and barely a sideways step at the dogs, its only going there is ever an issue grrrrrr*

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So the fact that he only does it leaving the yard means he's napping.


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## Taffieboy1 (24 August 2013)

OK
So took the old boy up the South Downs yesterday, no problems for first hour of the hack, no spooks, napping, nothing, a total dream.
Turn to come home back to lorry, and bang a total explosion of idiotic behaviour, we cantered sideways down hills, charged through a gate, luckily the farmer was holding it open for me, as we went past, his comment was damn thats a sharp little *********r, great when a pony you love shows you up hey !!!


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## Tronniehead (25 August 2013)

amymay said:



			Yet you say:



So the fact that he only does it leaving the yard means he's napping.
		
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I am with amyway. 

Im new to this riding lark- been about a year. Still take weekly lessons and have a horse share. Out on a hack yesterday, crazed Cows (young little baby cows) came bolting across the field just over a revene from where we are happily hacking along at walk. Terror strikes my horse he is watching them- napping-backing up-watching-repeat repeat, i give a little tap and a pathetic walk on repeat repeat. Terror strikes me!!  I start to feel the tight knot in my tummy thinking uh oh do I jump off but NO! 

I think of what somone on here said to me, may well have been one in the same.

Big Kick growl GGGGGEEEETTTttttt OOOOONNNNNnnnnn 

and of we go kick gettttt oonnnn and ignored, were past, all is good in the world! confidence restored!


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