Bombproofing an idiot horse?
- Thread starter Marey
- Start date
I think a change in YOUR attitude would probably help hers for a start. Just because you think the things she gets worried about are silly, ridiculous, foolish... doesn't make it any less real to her, or make her an 'idiot' for reacting to protect herself from possible danger. You are probably making her more inclined to shy, because she knows she's on her own, you aren't going to help her feel safe.
Firstly you need to understand that she is a prey animal, who is 'programmed' to react fast & run from perceived danger, without hanging around to think it through - THAT would make her a foolish idiot, & possibly a dead one, if the danger was real. Horses are perceptive and nervous about anything they're not used to - such as a group of people having a picnic in an area she's never seen that in before. That is her biological make up. You need to be considerate of this and put in the effort to get her comfortable & confident first with you, then out & about, so she learns to trust that you will look out for her, keep her safe.
Whether or not she's naturally more inclined to shy & be reactive than some horses, or whether her training or lack of is what has caused her to be more reactive than other horses you've dealt with we don't know, but is largely neither here or there. That should only affect the time it may take, speed you can progress, to earn her trust & then desensitise her to stuff.
Firstly you need to understand that she is a prey animal, who is 'programmed' to react fast & run from perceived danger, without hanging around to think it through - THAT would make her a foolish idiot, & possibly a dead one, if the danger was real. Horses are perceptive and nervous about anything they're not used to - such as a group of people having a picnic in an area she's never seen that in before. That is her biological make up. You need to be considerate of this and put in the effort to get her comfortable & confident first with you, then out & about, so she learns to trust that you will look out for her, keep her safe.
Whether or not she's naturally more inclined to shy & be reactive than some horses, or whether her training or lack of is what has caused her to be more reactive than other horses you've dealt with we don't know, but is largely neither here or there. That should only affect the time it may take, speed you can progress, to earn her trust & then desensitise her to stuff.
No original text any more but just hope you don't really think your horse is an idiot. How sad for you both.
Of course not. Just couldn't be bothered to have a discussion about the rights and wrongs of thinking your horse is an idiot. Sometimes I think my parents are idiots, or my boyfriend. Doesn't mean anything.
I just wondered if anyone had any advice or ideas for exercised which might help her not to react so strongly and inconsistently.
ditto to the other replies. I also think that you have to accept that all horses are different, and some will always be more spooky than others. And don't be fooled into stereotyping. I have a tb who is fizzy to ride but totally bombproof - plastic, tractors, fire, smoke, dogs, bikes etc. He will stop to look at things but will take the time to look and think rather than spin round and run off. My friends cob is the total opposite. I think the point about getting trust and respect etc is a valid one.
An old tip which still works for me is, if you spot something which you think your horse might spook at, don't look at it yourself - focus on going forward or on somehting else. Don't quite know how this works, but it does for me.
Must be frustrating to have a spooky one though.
An old tip which still works for me is, if you spot something which you think your horse might spook at, don't look at it yourself - focus on going forward or on somehting else. Don't quite know how this works, but it does for me.
Must be frustrating to have a spooky one though.
I call my horse an idiot all the time! I also call her a cow and all manner of things!! Doesn't mean I am 100% serious all of the time. Sometimes people mean it in a light hearted way. I know when reading text it isn't always possible to tell the tone of voice that would be used if it was said verbally and therefore different slants can be put on things. I think sometimes things written on this forum are taken too literally sometimes!!
No advice to add, sorry!!
No advice to add, sorry!!
On an open internet forum you are going to get responses you don't like (invariably, as in all walks of life, people have differences of opinion). Having read the original post before it was removed, i can see why your horse would have found a party of people having a picnic scary. Mine finds mud scary we aren't seeing things how a horse sees things. i find when my incredibly spooky cob is going to try something, i distract him by focusing his attention on me and asking him to leg yield, travers or shoulder in. Not only does that focus his attention, it gets my mind off worrying what was worrying him! i've also found that working with a dressage trainer on getting my horse more responsive has paid dividends, because now if he's asked to move forwards, or move over when he's piaffing in the middle of the main road, then he obliges. You are not alone in having a spooky horse i've had mine 13 years, he's been and done lots of things and still behaves like a headless chicken when summat scares him
we aren't seeing things how a horse sees things. i find when my incredibly spooky cob is going to try something, i distract him by focusing his attention on me and asking him to leg yield, travers or shoulder in. Not only does that focus his attention, it gets my mind off worrying what was worrying him! i've also found that working with a dressage trainer on getting my horse more responsive has paid dividends, because now if he's asked to move forwards, or move over when he's piaffing in the middle of the main road, then he obliges. You are not alone in having a spooky horse i've had mine 13 years, he's been and done lots of things and still behaves like a headless chicken when summat scares him Mills spooks at in no particular order,,,, Gates, small ponys, donkeys, the wrong shade of grass, a sign that wasn,t there yesterday, cones that weren,t there yesterday, maybe puddles, maybe not...
but i would NEVER call her an idiot,,,
like others have said it is up to the rider to help them and make them feel safe and trust you...
and likewise don,t tense up yourself when you see something she might be frightened of.
MM
but i would NEVER call her an idiot,,,
like others have said it is up to the rider to help them and make them feel safe and trust you...
and likewise don,t tense up yourself when you see something she might be frightened of.
MM
But the original text is no longer there so all we've got to go on now is the "idiot" bit. I have absolutely no idea what your problems with her are/were, so what else do you want comments on when all you leave is a title like that?
Y
Yann
Guest
Whether or not we're being serious the words we use often shape our reactions more than we realise. If your horse is being an 'idiot' the tendency might automatically be to discount or dismiss that behaviour. If they're 'spooky' or 'upset' you might think differently about it.
If I could delete or change the title I would. I didn't realise when I typed it out that it would be taken the way it seems to have been, or come across how it has.
I don't want any further comments hence deleted the original post.
Thanks to all of you who have replied, there is some food for thought there.
My point, in my post, was that although the op gave a very good description of the scenario and the way her mare reacted, she gave no indication of her own abilities or experience, or the way she reacted to and dealt with the situation which arose.
She described the horse as an 'idiot' for behaving in that particular way.
'Idiot' is a word used to describe a person who is so deficient in mind as to be permanently incapable of rational conduct.
That's definitely more of a human trait than an equine one, in my experience.
Whilst I have no desire to make this into anything other than a simple misuse of a term, I have to say I find it extraordinary that so many people lay all the blame at the horse's door when looking for answers to everyday problems such as those described in the original post, without contemplating that much of the fault may lie with themselves and their conduct, rather than being wholly attributable to the horse.
I'm not making an attack on the op, I am merely pointing out (again) that many riders/handlers are too quick to see faults in their horse, whilst failing to acknowledge that it is their own responsibility and duty to prepare their mounts well for the work they expect of them.
She described the horse as an 'idiot' for behaving in that particular way.
'Idiot' is a word used to describe a person who is so deficient in mind as to be permanently incapable of rational conduct.
That's definitely more of a human trait than an equine one, in my experience.
Whilst I have no desire to make this into anything other than a simple misuse of a term, I have to say I find it extraordinary that so many people lay all the blame at the horse's door when looking for answers to everyday problems such as those described in the original post, without contemplating that much of the fault may lie with themselves and their conduct, rather than being wholly attributable to the horse.
I'm not making an attack on the op, I am merely pointing out (again) that many riders/handlers are too quick to see faults in their horse, whilst failing to acknowledge that it is their own responsibility and duty to prepare their mounts well for the work they expect of them.
Sadly, so true Aengus. People want 'respect' from the animal without giving any. Want the horse to trust them without earning it. Want the horse to understand them without bothering to try to understand the horse.... Want the horse to be a responsible 'partner' without taking any responsibility themself.
I don't wish to 'attack' the OP either. I hope my original post was taken as constructive criticism & not an attack. I was only using (some of)her own terms, only had her own words to go on, which were pretty derogatory about the horse.... so I don't understand how 'of course' I should have known she didn't mean what she wrote/said?? OP if you don't mean what you say, then don't say it.
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I'm guessing your horse is spookey, so the best thing to do would be to spook-proof her in an environment she feels safe in.
What you could do is find something that spooks her (a plastic bag maybe) and get somebody to hold her on your yard. (Don't tie her up, because if she reacts badly, could be a bit of a disaster..)
If you try and bomb proof her in an environment she feels she is safe in, then she is less likely to spook at something.
Back tot he plastic bag example, what you could do id stand about 10 meters away from her and rustle it, look carefully at what her reaction to it is. Once you think she is comfortable with it, you could stand a bit closer to her and rustle the plastic bag.
Another thing I've tried that seems to work is when you go on a hack, don't ride. Have her tacked up, but lead her. If she shys at something or if there is something that she is likely to spook at, try and get her to go over to it. Don't drag her to it, but talk to her and gently and slowly get her to go over to it and sniff it. By doing this, you are showing her that it's not dangerous.
If she is particularly strong, maybe get another person to come out with you with an extra lead rope, so if she starts going a bit silly, they can clip onto her too so you've got a bit more controll
I tried this with my three year old welshie, and it seems to have worked.
I'm guessing your horse is spookey, so the best thing to do would be to spook-proof her in an environment she feels safe in.
What you could do is find something that spooks her (a plastic bag maybe) and get somebody to hold her on your yard. (Don't tie her up, because if she reacts badly, could be a bit of a disaster..)
If you try and bomb proof her in an environment she feels she is safe in, then she is less likely to spook at something.
Back tot he plastic bag example, what you could do id stand about 10 meters away from her and rustle it, look carefully at what her reaction to it is. Once you think she is comfortable with it, you could stand a bit closer to her and rustle the plastic bag.
Another thing I've tried that seems to work is when you go on a hack, don't ride. Have her tacked up, but lead her. If she shys at something or if there is something that she is likely to spook at, try and get her to go over to it. Don't drag her to it, but talk to her and gently and slowly get her to go over to it and sniff it. By doing this, you are showing her that it's not dangerous.
If she is particularly strong, maybe get another person to come out with you with an extra lead rope, so if she starts going a bit silly, they can clip onto her too so you've got a bit more controll
I tried this with my three year old welshie, and it seems to have worked.
Often but not always. My mare spooks on a regular basis, at what seems like nothing in particular. There are also some things that scare her one day and not the other. I have found the best way to deal with this is to be quite matter of fact and act as if nothing is wrong. She then sees I'm not bothered by whatever it is and calms down slightly. I will therefore regularly day "come on you big idiot" in my normal tone of voice with 'you big idiot' being almost a term of affection.
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