We have an 8 year old gelding and the problem is when we ride him which is limited to none due to his "all of a sudden without warning" he jumps to the side and off the rider goes and I mean without warning. I read a post from 2009 that said when a problem is anticipated to turn the horse's head and go in a circle until he stops. We have no warning so what is suggested?

Horses never spook for no reason, and they always give a sign that a spook is coming. Apparently, the signs are too subtle for you to see, so I would suggest lessons with a good natural horsemanship trainer for both the horse and you. The NH trainer can teach you what to look for and how to defuse the horse's nervousness, and most important, teach you how to show the horse that he can trust you to be his protector so that he doesn't need to spook. Good luck.

My gelding spooks as well. I never know exactly when it will happen but I do know when it might by watching his ears.  We did a trail ride in an area he is familiar with twice this week.  Day 1 was around noon so shadows were at a minimum and the wind was calm.  We were riding through a creek so there were crunching gravel and leaf sounds as well as water splashing but he was fine with little ear movement.  Day 2 was different.  We rode later in the day so we cast long shadows which are always scary to him AND the wind was blowing around 25mph.  With this knowledge in hand, I watched the ears.  Forward ears means he is paying attention to unknown monsters and not paying attention to me. When this happens, I give him a little nudge with my foot to get his mind back on the job of hauling me.  That being said, he did spook on Day 2 while we were stopped and I was talking to another rider.  There was a big metallic clanging sound nearby which made him go sideways about 3 feet.  I didn't fall off then or any of the other times he's spooked so maybe I have been lucky, but I can say, watch the ears and work at being balanced and relaxed in the saddle as well as keeping heels down. 

Thank you so much and what you said makes perfect sense and when we ride him again we will watch his ears and make sure he is listening to us.

Thank you for your reply and I guess it all happens so fast we are not sure what spooks him at the time, we do plan on taking him to a trainer this spring.

Until you can get him to a trainer, the ears will tell you a lot. Also, when you take him to a trainer, make sure that the trainer will work with both of you. If the trainer says, "Drop him off and he'll be fine when I'm done with him," walk away and find someone else. You need to learn as much as the horse does, and that's why I recommended a natural horsemanship trainer. A NH trainer understands the connection between the horse and the rider, and knows how to make it better. A better horse/human relationship is what ends the spooking, b/c the horse doesn't NEED to spook if he can rely on you to watch his back.

Hi!

if you dont already, try walking him around the area you ride or on the outside of the arena if you ride in one. if he has a pen, try tying a blue tarp on the side. give it enough slack to where it can blow and make a noise. try putting trotting poles in with him, a blue tarp on the ground, wind chimes, anything you think you would ever ride your horse around. It sounds mean but you WANT to scare you horse. What I mean by that is you want them to become used to the objects, and he dosent jump anymore.

~Why put the objects in the pen with him?: So he will be able to sniff, nibble, and taste what they are and find out that they arent going to hurt him at all :)

~I am an experienced horse trainer and I beleive in working with the horse, listening to them, and going slow, and easy :) hope i could help :D

Encores Cadillac Ice

I could never understand the method of circling a horse when he spooks.  YOU want to act as if nothing just happened and ride him forward through the spook.  If he see's that you're not upset, then he will realize that there's nothing to be upset about.  All circling is going to do is make him more upset and tense and you don't want to make any more of a big deal about it than he already has.  Now, if he bolts and takes off with you then yes you want to pull his head around to get him to stop.  He WILL give you little subtle cues he's getting ready to spook.  He will tense up or suck back.  His body language will change and he may even snort. 

Does he always spook the same way and does it get him out of work?  Does the rider get back on and keep going?  Is in always in the same spot everytime?  If so, it could be the rider causing the problem.  I think you need to find a good trainer to help you.  If training doesn't help then I would get his sight checked.  If he's up on his grain, this can make them more spooky too.

 

48northfarm:

when you take him to a trainer, make sure that the trainer will work with both of you.

 

 

I agree, it is so important for you and your horse to learn to work through this together. It may be extra work, but in the long run it will better you for future problems (example: things you learn from a trainer that you don't have problems with now, but may later, or the same problem with a different horsse; this will even save you money). Good luck!

Horses spook because something is scaring them, they don't do it for the fun of it.

There are several good books to look for . This is something that you could work on during the winter in a stall, round pen or arena. By spring you could have a decent trail horse. John Lyons teaches horses to spook in place- sure, be scared, but don't move your feet! Any of the "natural" trainers could help you. If you keep letting him spook and riders continue to fall off that is teaching him something! You can take him to a trainer, but for now, YOU are the trainer!   

 As prey animals, the horse's natural instinct is to survive and get "outta there" even if it means unseating the rider.  Your horse may need desensitizing in a slow, steady, organized way.  Start with small objects and work your way up.   Jane Savoie talks about "The Theory of the Dominant Eye" on her website. Horses always have a dominant side (stronger on the right or left) so too with their eyes. It can effect the way your horse sees things.  Pat and Linda Parelli also discuss spookiness and some of its reasons and solutions.  One thing is that your horse has to trust you and feel that you are a confident leader. I also agree that during certain times of the year horses can be more sensitive to the outdoors...windy day, cold day.  If they do not get enough exercise and are getting too much grain, it can make them overly sensitive.  Alfalfa hay can also make some horses "high". They just get too much energy from it.  I have a big warmblood that is a mild spook and I have had to work on gaining his trust. If he does get spooky, I feel the tension in his body first and then I am able to ask him for some kind of transition to take his mind off it.  The part of the brain that causes the spook is kind of put into neutral by asking him to work to move his body in a different way. ( The right vs. left brain theory). Good luck.  Spooking can be very frustrating and scary to deal with as an owner but with patience and practice ( for you both), you and your horse will become a great team.  : )

 

 Have his vision checked. The problem may be physical.

kittykay:

If he does get spooky, I feel the tension in his body first and then I am able to ask him for some kind of transition to take his mind off it.  The part of the brain that causes the spook is kind of put into neutral by asking him to work to move his body in a different way.

 Hahahaha -- tell that to Encore when he is pondering why all the other horses are getting fed while he practices his lateral work.