I really need your help! - issues of trust between me and my horse

beanz's mum

beanz's mum

Kilmucklin Girl
Jan 18, 2006
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Taunton.Somerset.
okay so my new pony harry is very very sensitive and spooky. Ive always known this and always ride him with confidence so he has confidence too, but it doesnt always work, i need some exercises to do to build our trust on the ground and under saddle ... what can i do?

he is very sensitive to the touch, and sensitive to ride. He doesnt like being mounted due to his old saddle (it pinched bad) and his owner did too litlle too late so now he thinks that when someone mounts it will hurt. Under saddle he is extremely spooky, he even spooks at bushes that he sees every day!

what things can i do to build our trust? i have a few comps coming up and they arent going to be successful if he spooks at everything. i want him to trust me and to trust him back too.

pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee help!!! xxxxx
 
He sounds a bit like my ex-loan Cassie she was so so spooky it was untrue! She would spook at her own shadow and could not be ridden round the edge of the school i always had to ride her a few meters off the track at first things like cones and barrels she spooked at too. She would not go over a trotting pole either. I started by just walking and trotting round the paddock later on i added barrels and cones to weave in and out of and did this a few times a week when she was fine at walk i added some trotting poles and built it up gradually i started to ask her go onto the track more and although spooky she eventually got used to it and in time i could canter her round the edge of the paddock she was spooky first but got used to it. I found that if i rode her one day but missed a couple of days she would go back and become more spooky. so i would advise doing a little bit every day when i had finished with Cassie i had her going over 3ft she wouldnt even go over a pole when i got her. Sorry if this is not much use at all if you need any help you could always message me :)
 
I agree with the walking out in-hand etc. but I'd be inclined to not go down the flappy plastic, scary things route etc.

At the moment you could de-sensitize him to say, a tarpaulin, but it won't help him if he thinks the bush is going to eat him :eek:

He needs to have leadership from you so that he can build his own confidence - if you are not scared and can 'lead' him past horse eating objects then he will gradually learn that you are not going to steer him into danger and will learn to go where you want. Spend time just sitting in his field and allowing him to come up to you and graze near you.

How new is he - and you say that you have always known about his spookiness and sensitivity is this because you knew him for a while before yuo bought him? If not, then he might just be still settling in to you and his surroundings.

And trust works both ways - you might find that actually he is fine at a show and knows what to do and will just get on with it :rolleyes:
 
Elly Koopman said:
How new is he - and you say that you have always known about his spookiness and sensitivity is this because you knew him for a while before yuo bought him? If not, then he might just be still settling in to you and his surroundings.

And trust works both ways - you might find that actually he is fine at a show and knows what to do and will just get on with it :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

oh no hes not fine at shows haha :rolleyes: well i have him on loan from his owner who is a friend, shes had him for 2 years and is considerably shorter than me so when i ride him my leg is there and he gets worried about it as he isnt used to it so he needs to get used to it and needs de-sensitizing, im just unsure as to how to go about it, i dont want to make things worse and confuse him.

ill go down after college and work on him, rub my hands all over him, take him to the arena and walk round through poles etc and poss down the yard drive as he doesnt hack on his own. good plan?
 
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