Long time, no see...

I'm having a problem with my horse.  I've mulled it over, read up on it as best I can, asked for advice from more 'worldly' horse people.... I'm still stumped.  I need real help - so I've come back to the one place I have found real help in the past :)

 My mare is 12-15 years old, but I've only had her about two years.  She's a Paso Fino cross of some sort as best we can tell.  She's my first riding horse - and I'm fairly green as far as riding goes.  She spooks at everything.  That has actually become the predictable part of riding her.  The part I'm having trouble with is staying in the saddle when she does spook. She shoots sideways - always this dramatic leap and 20-30 ft. scramble to the immeadiate left or right.  She finally slung me out of the saddle and I was knocked unconscious.  It was a good long flight & a hard landing :P 

 I have tried 'desensitizing' her before riding, but it really doesn't help much.  She's 'hot' and just wants to run, run, run.  So much energy and flighty-ness just don't make for a fun ride.  Where do I start?  Do I go back to square one with the mare?  Will it really make that much difference in her actions at her age (old dog & new tricks)?  Or do I need to "learn to ride" and work on my own short comings as a rider? (And for the record - I've never taken a lesson and am at a loss when people start talking about things like 'balance'.) 

 Let me have it - I'm a big girl......

Long time no see! I was on here when you had DOC.

When CB had a spooking problem i wnt back to square one taught him from the ground that whatever it was that was scaring him wasn't going to "eat him" whether that ment walking him on the trail up to the Scary object inhand or making him constintly walk past the object and get a treat when he did it without a massive explosion.

I'm Sure theres more suggestions from others to come.

Welcome back

Also i would try posting this topic in the General Disscusion Folder as it gets more eye traffic.

How scary for you.  I hope you're OK?  I don't believe in the can't teach an old dog new tricks.  My mare will be 13 this yr and my new personal goal will be to get her jumping (originally trained as a reining horse).  I have become a believer in taking lessons.  I think, if it were me, I would start with lessons, then bring home and work with my mare on what I've learned in lessons.  Best scenario would be if you could get lessons for you and your horse together.  I know that is not always an easy task, if you don't board at a lesson barn.  This is all just my perspective.  Good Luck.

Have you had this problem with her for two years or just recently started riding her? Pasos and Paso crosses can be little bundles of nervous energy under even the best of circumstances. Keep her grain ration low and longe her for a good while before you ride.

I know someone who couldn't stay on her squirrelly little Paso either. Almost the same scenario; 12 YO pony that hadn't been ridden regularly in a long time and a rider with rusty skills. She wound up selling the horse to her farrier and all he did was ride the vinegar out of the mare for an hour or two every day in the pasture and she calmed down in less than a week. Maybe all yours needs is a confident rider and lots of work. Can you get someone to ride her for you that won't put up with any shenanigans? After being unseated and knocked unconscious, your anxiety may also now get transmitted to the horse more easily than before the accident. That will also complicate her issues.

If it turns out she's definitely a spookaholic, she may need her eyes checked. Good luck! ~FH

She has always been 'spooky' - as long as I've had her anyway.  I just assume she's always been that way.  I think she's a bit 'bent' mentally though - I don't think she knows what she's really put here on earth to do.  The previous owners kept her in a 20 x 20 dry lot, with no other animal contact and no riding, for 6 or 7 years.  She doesn't interact with other horses well at all - a lot of screaming, fence running, attempts to fight, and so on.  I think her background has a lot to do with what is wrong with her in general.  If you think about herd animals and the natural order of things - being penned up and used as a back yard lawn ornament is sure to bring about all sorts of neurotic behaviors.

When we first got her  (about 2 years ago)- we had serious ground manners/respect issues out of her.  I hired a guy - no formal training here, just one of those 'horse guys' that breaks in your horses or tunes them up - he came out and had a blast on her.  She crow hopped, stalled out, balked, refused direction - you name it, she tried it.  He said she needed the 'whiz & vinegar' worked out of her and she needed to understand who was boss and she also needed to learn that she had a job now, something besides looking pretty and being handed a carrot over the fence.  He had nothing but good things to say about her - lots of heart, strong will to please, and he thought she'd make a terrific trail horse due to her wanting to 'go, go, go' all the time. 

 She responded very well to ground manner training.  She's smart, willing, she likes to work and be with her 'people'.  I've even taken her out by herself for a ride down the road.  I know that sounds so elementary to a more experienced horse & rider duo - but for her, it was monumental!!  We even came across another woman riding her horse.  No outbursts, screaming, attempts to fight - I was so proud I could have danced in the street.  It was a huge milestone that I never thought I'd see with this particular horse.  The next week, I took her & a pasture mate back down the same road and we passed a bunch of screaming kids bouncing on a trampoline with minimal spooking.  I got on her the next weekend, and she jumped right out from under me.  I will say that part of my mistake was my mindset.  I'd had a few good rides with her & was feeling too confident.  I got on her and was expecting something to be magically different with her.  I wasn't paying attention like usual and my mind was other places. 

 I'm going to work with her spooking issues - even if I have to walk her down the road and test her with everything that catches her attention.  I'll pick a day when I have time to kill, get started early & pack a lunch.  (Sorry for the lengthy reply and thanks for the 'welcome back's - hopefully I'll be here a little more often)

Looks like we have 2 posts going on the same subject here (see Super Spooky Horse?) - anyways, I'm still wondering what you're feeding this mare as diet can have a huge effect on how horses behave.

    I would say first off get a little more experience riding  so if she does spook on you then you have a better chance staying on. ive seen a big difference from when i first started riding i have a quarter horse who is either a perfect gentleman or be ready for anything. i cant tell you how many times i bit the dust from him spooking but for about the past 6 months i have easily stayed in the saddle when he spooks. But the more you ride the more balanced you will become and the more likely for you to stay in the saddle.

  You said you desensitize her before riding thats good but what do you use to desensitize her with. lay down a bunch of obstacles on the ground maybe hiding in some weeds that you feel your horse will more then likely spook at. like lay down a tarp on the ground make her look at it see it shake it a little make sure she hears the noise and make her walk over it if she hurries over it make her walk over it until she is walking nice and calmly over it. grab a rain coat rub it down her until she stands nice and still lay newspaper on the ground. This stuff i have used and it has worked good for me but it takes time. ive even bought a giant beach ball because my horse is afraid of things taller then him so i would just stand there throwing the ball up in the air at first he would completely freak out then after a few minutes he didnt care if it came down on him. maybe lunge her with "spooky" stuff on the ground near by. When your up in the saddle, if you feel her tensing up or becoming uneasy do some circles figure 8s stuff to keep her mind on you and her attention on you. if your riding and her attention is all over for the spooky stuff then you have little to no control.

    i believe i read in another reply that you said she is agressive like toward other horses. try getting her around other horses more often but without putting her or another horse in a dangerous situation. Riding with another horse and rider may help keep her from spooking as much as well. we have 2 horses but they are not always together sometimes we loan a horse to friends when they go on trail rides so then we put a goat out with the other horse. goats are awesome companion animals but its bad at shows and fairs when the goats cant be with them.

Im not the biggest fan of sending a horse away to the trainers especially if they are a ways away we had some issues with a horse of ours that we sent to be broken and she came back crazy mean 400lbs underweight and deffinately not broke. since then i have done all of our training. there are alot of very good trainers out there but as another person has said if the horse trusts you then they will trust that you wont put them in a dangerous situation.If the horse is away at the trainers how can you bond with that horse. you could go to see it and the horse could be perfect for the trainer then you can take it home and be right back to square one because this horse hasnt seen you for months. if you find a trainer make them come out to you and your horse give you some tips and then work on the horse yourself with their help.

You dont have to listen to a word i just wrote i just figured to put my opinion in but if you do try any of this and have questions let me know

Good luck sorry its so long          Britt

I agree that it would be a good idea for you to take some formal lessons, and also have a trainer or more experienced rider work with your horse for a while.The other things that come to mind are her feed, as someone else had mentioned (anything with a lot of molasses, starch, etc. could get her keyed up) and supplements. There are a lot of great calming supplements out there. Sometimes, spooky horses are defficient in B-vitamins, so a lot of calming supplements contain them. Also, tryptophan and certain herbs can have a calming effect.

It might also help to have a friend ride with you on a laid-back, "bomb-proof" horse.

Good luck! 

alot of what people already have said is waht i would say, what is your horse on as in feeding wise (not drug wise lol) also go back to the ground and spend a few days desesatizing your horse to everything you can possible think of

plastic bags, tarps, chickens (my pony thinks they are chew toys), take a lead rope and gentally toss it all over the body, around the legs and head, if he/she sees anything scarey take them up to it and get used to it so that when you walk by it there isnt even a ear twitter.

sometimes my horse gets worked up over nothing when i get on him and he throws little bucks. Maybe you should try lounging for a bout 15 mins before you ride to get some stupidness out.

p.s. is it possible that there is some arabian or something along the lines of that in her? Or could she be in heat? Is this a all the time thing of just like a week and then shes fine.

iv been riding for a long time but i think i would still die if i rode out that sideways leap. do you ride her english or western? does your saddle fit properly?

something i have learned is what when a horse is doing something that they shouldnt be doing like backing up for no reason inset od making them go foreward keep backing them up so it becomes uncomftortable for them, but in your case it may sound mean but run her untill she doesnt want to run any more, you will nostice her start to slow down and then push her forward for  like another lap.

i had a horse that had a habbit of not stopping so when he kept going i ran him into the wall and when he didnt stop he used his noggin if ya know what i mean lol. but he stops great now

also it could be a respect issue, we had a girl whose horse was fin in the arena but when she took him out on trails he disrres[pected her so much and he would go crow hopping all over the place until he got his way

 if you have a round pen or a small arena to your self you sh ould try join up  http://www.montyroberts.com/ju_ask_monty.html i have done it will all of the horses i work with and they respect me and all people.

 Dear super Spooky horse friend,

I do agree with one of the other writers, if your horse is not being ridden enough she may become spooky, it does not matter the breed as this can happen with any breed. 

it is important to not get scared, mad , or nervous when you ride her, this will only create a more dangerous situation. 

here are my recommendations. 

first if you don't already have them get a good pair of schooling chaps, a good helmet, and ride in a western saddle on the trails this will help YOU feel safer and give you more traction to stay in the saddle when she spooks (and she will spook again) 

try and ride her at least 4 days a week, walk most of the time, and if she starts to tense up then try a little trotting(trotting has a calming effect on a nervous horse), take her out for 30 min each time, talk to her in a calm voice and reword her with a nice rub on the neck when she lowers her had on the trail, if she really gets tense and ready to blow, is she starts to get nervous and spooky at something turn her away from it and allow her a minute to calm then redirect her in the direction you want to go and walk with out allowing her to look directly at it. 

 and most importantly PLEASE take a few lessons if it is reasonable. 

I have been riding for over 30 years and have retrained off track TB's as a trade, as  hunter jumpers and i grew up riding  western, I always like going to clinics and working with a spotter\trainer to improve my skills, it is a good way to keep safe(er)

best of luck 

Brian. 

 I know a lot of people suggested getting lessons or trainers, but if you can't afford that (some people are a bit tight with the economy) I would reccomend going to your local library and look up some training DVD's. Clinton Anderson is a good one, he is very safe & respect oriented and is VERY easy to understand. I'm really glad you 'got back in the saddle' and didn't give up. As far as you've come I think you'll get through this fine!

 I have a QH mare that also used to spook at everything.  Seeing as she was basically green when I got her (she was 14 and hadn't been worked or handled for 10 years) we basically went back to square 1, but it wasn't super successful.

I did a lot of ring work with her since trails were no fun and I also took her everywhere with me so she had to get used new things.  I have a dad who works with cows and he taught me to treat her exactly as he would a flighty cow so what we did is we started putting things that scared her in her turnout pen with her so she had to see it and get used to it.  We started with our stock trailer (which was hooked up to an old tractor) so as she got used to it we started putting feed closer and closer to it until it was eventually in it happily.  We then started doing the same thing with things that spooked her, or anything I could think of.

I also made a lot of obstacle courses with her.  I think the thing that really has helped her the most though was when I got my TB.  He's so laid back that she took his lead and has slowly started to relax more (she's now 22).  If you can find someone with a really reliable, calm horse that you and your horse can spend a fair amount of time with she'll start taking her cue from that horse and the spooking slowly diminishes.  My mare has become relaxed enough that I can take complete beginners out on trails with her and me on my TB and everyone has a great time.