What does your horse lack confidence in?

newforest

newforest

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2008
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Just curious.
Mine has issues with puddles.
She's gone through this lots of times. But you get the odd ott moment, she slammed on the breaks, I almost flew over to take a bath!

She can spin over a wet patch on the road and definitely if the sun reflects a puddle.

From a horse perspective she's being very sensible. It could have an alligator in it (I hope not!!) She can't see how deep it is (hoof height)
She loves having a bath, but isn't keen on having the feathers done. Can you get wellies for horses?
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Jess is funny about things being where they shouldn't be, rubbish outside houses/in the estate is fine but flytipped stuff in the forest often warrants a look :rolleyes: and a random mound of dirt can make her slam the brakes on o_O she's fine with people but not the 'helpful' ones who get off the track out of the way in the bushes :p and people carrying things like ruckscacks. Oh and the local shop, the door makes a swooshy sound :D
 
Yes seen those, they fit over brushing boots.

Mine has a thing about a certain wheelie bin, but two cyclists came up behind her as she was passing and scared her.
That's how I knew my one rein stop worked.
 
Not really sure with Kia of I'm honest. He will pretty much do anything I ask him when I ask him, but I'm not sure if that's because he take confidence that I am asking him to do it so has confidence in me, he has days where nothing phases him then he has days where he will jump at a rock.

The one thing he cannot stand under saddle or in hand is enclosed spaces. He was trapped in stocks and ear twitched to have his eyelid sewn up and since that (before ingot him) narrow gaps he bombs through.

He will do it for me though just at 100mph.
 
Um.... aside from the killer bale of straw, Albi has overcome his "What is lurking behind every hedge?" fear, so I would say his main confidence issue is scary things behind him. But not traffic, funnily enough. ..
 
MrC said:
The one thing he cannot stand under saddle or in hand is enclosed spaces. He was trapped in stocks and ear twitched to have his eyelid sewn up and since that (before ingot him) narrow gaps he bombs through.

He will do it for me though just at 100mph.
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My other lad was ear twitched. It left scars on both ears. He never forgot it and to bridle you had to put it together like a jigsaw.
Going bitless was discovered by accident, he settled.

Poor Kia.
 
Only thing I've found she really doesn't like is balloons tied to lamp posts. Which can happen quite often round here. Birthday parties at the village hall, weddings in the chapel all seem to need balloons tying up. I tend to go round popping them the day after:rolleyes:
 
Atm there is a killer bath in one of my paddocks on the way to her field! Either that or some Orkney beast lurking in the overgrowth that only she sees!
 
newforest said:
My other lad was ear twitched. It left scars on both ears. He never forgot it and to bridle you had to put it together like a jigsaw.
Going bitless was discovered by accident, he settled.

Poor Kia.
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He is fine with bridles and headcollars, but if you faff about once it's on then he won't tolerate it. You get to within three inches of the back of his head and he immediate changes from droopy donkey to red alert and the head goes up. He's not naughty just wary, once he realises you're not going for he ears he relaxes again.

Just one of his quirks, still love him to death :)
 
Puddles is one for sox! He will spin but we eventually just go around them! It was ,once, give way signs. For some reason he doesn't seem to like deep mud and he lacks confidence jumping ( cant just stick it up, have to start of tiny tiny and work up!) Things that he hasn't seen in a while; statues. Oh and dogs! The smaller the dog is the scarier it MUST be! Then the things that aren't normally there; roadworks!

However I found out that in a previous home soxs owner and another person were taking sox and another horse out for a hack and a lorry hit the other horse sox saw it and bolted and then bolted quite often after that. However with me, he has never once bolted or shied away from lorries. Which I think is quite amazing actually given what happened.
 
Moët lacks confidence in large vehicles. As long as I can pull out of the way into a driveway or something then she stands calmly to watch. But if there is no where to pull over she can panic.

Puddles Moët would rather avoid....but if a big one with no area to pass then she walks through. But if it's wide across the path but narrow then she is known to launch 4ft over it....I know when she will do that as there is a pause just before, that is when I grab the 'oh s**t' strap on my saddle!
 
I was lucky to be in a place we could walk back and forth, back and forth.
It helps temporary because we did the same during winter.
We could trot through eventually, but a paddle in the sea is going to be a definite no.
 
Going out all puddles contain crocodiles and alligators so he banana bends around them. Going home though .... what puddles ?
 
Case in point last night, borrowed my neighbours school, she has laid this spongey stuff on top of our native sandy soil, so in places the soil peeks through the sponge, cue banana bending, eyes on stalks and desperately trying to avoid walking on those patches fpr the first 10 mins. Its ridiculous given her field is literally the other side of the fence and its the exact same dirt, silly bloomin mare :rolleyes:
 
Ruskii said:
Going out all puddles contain crocodiles and alligators so he banana bends around them. Going home though .... what puddles ?
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That photo was homeward bound. It's just her, always done the walk around.
I can lay a rug over the puddle and she walk across that. :)
She just doesn't do "wet"
 
Briea snorts at all sorts of things but doesnt do much more. She is lacking confidence over poles though :( Even poles on the ground are a bit scary now and its coming from me frustratingly.

Brook is very wary of things on the ground that look different, tonight it was a clump of mown grass. Ive been told this may be having spent 3 years ferral on a hillside on Mull! She is still lacking confidence with things flapping near her, hands, rugs.. ive to be careful putting her saddle on still :/
 
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