Whatttt is going on!!!

Prjsmk

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Dec 1, 2017
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With my cob!

hes always been super safe and sane! The odd spooks but they was nothing major, either tensing up, or a slight jump (like we do if something makes us jump)

lately hes been so up and down! One day spooking at everything, usual routes... With the same trees, fence posts, pot holes etc... Spooking like a loon! Then the next day full hack with no problems!

Today was horrendous! He hasnt been in work for a week or so due to a big break in his hoof, was waiting for farrier to confirm work was ok, then we had rainy days... Today he was a full on prat! And did something which surprised me! Turning off and head the opposite direction full gallop! Over a crop field changing colour! (Was all green, but now all black)

then just silly spooking, spent ten minutes walking up and down the same bit untill he stopped spooking! This was like a ten steps length of area he was so jumpy took ten mins to get him to walk it without jumping! Then out in to the village he did theroad fine and a barking snarling dog in a garden was fine! Wasn't impressed with the cows just before a gate back into thefields, this set him off again!

Now some hacks we are slow all the way just walking, some we do a mixture of speeds... So today i decided to let him have a gallop, its a rare opportunity that he will actually gallop as he's usually a lazy toad! But he galloped and the decided to throw some bucks in! Never done that before! As i said, safe and sane! How the hell i didnt fall il never know!!!) so he was pulled up and made to do some circles on each rein (we are lucky we was in a fenced sheep field we are alllowed to pass through)

Then trying to rush home got spooking again! So i decided to do hill work, we have some massive hills behind our field and he was very good going up and down them at different speeds.

His environmen is tons of grass but after lots of nagging the field owner has let us all temp fence the fields so he is being strip grazed, he's basically on bare ground (sunburnt) and every few days il movethe fence s few inches,this is mainly to control his weight. Hes on healthy hoof molasses free feed to add his supplments in which are his equine america airways (always has this and never any probs) biotin for his hooves and a new one, linseed oil recommended to help promote healthy skin (stubborn patch of mud fever wont shift!)

i was wondering does the linseed fizz them?

although i wouldnt totally blame that hes onlybeen on it two weeks and this behaviour started before then!

sad :( its ruining our rides to the point where i feel like not riding because its not enjoyable at all! Getting worse each time! Hes 7 now been hacking out for 3 years! Hes seen plenty of things, he rides round fields with sprayers right next to us and doesn't bat an eyelid yet being so silly lately!
 
7?
My just turned 7 year old has decided that he is frightened of approaching cars after hacking on the same roads for two years
When Star turned 7 she became very stubborn for a few months - refusing to be caught from the field, refusing to trot in the school.
Is it an age thing? Kind of like the teenage years in humans?
 
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7?
My just turned 7 year old has decided that he is frightened of approaching cars after hacking on the same roads for two years
When Star turned 7 she became very stubborn for a few months - refusing to be caught from the field, refusing to trot in the school.
Is it an age thing? Kind of like the teenage years in humans?

I was going to say the same thing - 7 seems to be the age, especially with cobs IMO, that they suddenly change behaviour. My own horse (Arab) did, but it was a less marked change than you're experiencing. It always amazes me when people advertise 5 year olds as 'complete plods' and 'novice rides' because I just don't think you can tell at their age. Luckily the terrible teens doesn't seem to last forever.

I wouldn't completely rule out the Linseed either. My horse went batty - pretty much how you describe - on micronized linseed. He shouldn't have done because it's not supposed to have that effect, but I tried it twice and the same thing happened both times. Why not take yours off it and see if there's any difference?
 
Il give him another week on it, just to test its not this one day good one day naughty thing he was doingbefore he was on it, what sorted him was literally just over a week of work same route different times of day and he settled, but then we got the broken hoof and the rain! I cant ride today unfortunately! But tmro i am going to lunge him then ride him and see if i survive! Make sure no dinosaurs eat him! Even the sheep yesterday he was wary of! The sheep fields are smack bang next to him! We ride through sheep every time we go out, he usually tries to go where the sheep go, when they share a field he is with the sheep, hecant just take a dislike to his favourites lol!

il also keep perseveringand do some extra ground work then if 7 is a stubborn age, i didnt know that!!!! Spook busting course coming up!
 
If it’s any consolation at all Belle can be steady Eddie for months and then out of nowhere turns into a big baby who’s jumpy and spooky at all sorts.
She is 21 and has been around the block hundreds of times quite literally but some days she will spook at the daftest things.
I know her inside out and can tell when I get to the yard if she’s in one of those moods, I tend to just give her the day off and she’ll be fine next day, back to normal, who knows what goes on in their minds.
Another thought, could it be flies? We hacked this morning and I was a bit rushed and forgot her fly spray, she behaved like a loon pretty much the whole hack and it wasn’t until I caught the mozzies sneaking under her belly that I realised what was upsetting her.
 
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I agree with the 7's Ginger at 4 to was lovely to reschool from the track 5 he was still great hacked everywhere 7 was just horrid.

Agree with the linseed and also the grass at the moment.
 
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I was also thinking grass but he was like it before the rain,he is definitely worse when there are alot of flies about he pays more attention to the flies then when he does look and somethings there he spooks, he is fly sprayed but in some areas where we hack that isnt enough.

ohh lots of factors that can be playing a part, horses sre hard work! Whose idea was it to get a horse lol
 
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Had onehack since this post and he was ok. Hes off the linseed now, think il just have him on it in the winter when he isnt in work to promote healthy skin. Stupidly busy at the moment so not getting the time to do what i love most, hacking out! Hopefully fit another one in before the weekend
 
Sounds like the linseed may have been a problem.
I wish the linseed made my two spritely. I've been feeding it now daily for a year it's never sent them loopy. They also get sugar beet daily too, and they are on a large field which we recently cut for hay. With the rain the regrowth and sugars should be like rocket fuel. Wow. The only thing I guess is mine are in very regular work.
If 7 is is the siily age I have that to look forward to next year. Although when I brought him it was reckoned he was 6 months older than on passport so any time from now on he should turn into a dragon lol.
 
Mine are on linseed oil all year around with no effect. Although you know what they say about the 7's being the Kevin's..stroppy teenagers pushing their luck:p
 
so a short hack yesterday and he was a nightmare, spooking at fresh air

3 hour hack today, was fine for the majority towars the end his sillyness kicked in. Spooking at tiny littl birds! Yet a combine, tractor pulling a trailer with machinery on and then further up a 4x4 pulling and empty rattly trailer was all ok.... Tiny birds scared the living life out of him!

what can i do in the events of a spook? Or when i can feel him ready to spook.. I try talking to him and reassuring him but his spooks seem to be getting worse to where hes trying to bomb off
 
Sounds like maybe he was ready for home. Storm used to get a bit daft / joggy on the way back now and again. I don't know what to say about when you can feel a spook coming because whenever I could sense mine about to do something, I probably made her worse by tensing up. So difficult isn't it? I think talking to him makes sense, maybe give him something to think about? When you feel the coiled spring about to unwind can you do something schooling wise - just to occupy his head? And then carry on? Even just change the pace?
 
Thats what happens he coil springs it and I instantly tense up, never used to because his spooks was never bad but the latest ones are awful! Yep usually when hes ready for home he starts but this was a different form of starting than his usual

i am now wondering if hes bored because the way we go out the first almost 3 miles is always the same way to get out, then u can choose different routes, when we are on the different routes part doing a diff route hes mostly ok and his spooks are genuine if there is any! Its genuine things! But on the familiar route he spooks at gaps in the hedge and all sorts of daft things!

we have started going round the village and there is a ton of spooky things! E.g garden with trampoline, swings, slides, a pool, kids running round... He walks past without even blinking!

new routes dont bother him! So is he bored and the new routes keep his brain ticking over
 
Barely finding time to post on here! Work, riding, three dogs, two nephews! Busy busy!

so... Tues went for a hack, good as gold! Not one spook!! Then couldnt go weds but went yesterday and spooky as hell again! There was an open gate he kept spinning and bolting because of! A pile of mud he spun and bolted at! Plants in the river moving in the slight breeze! All made worse of course by me then getting nervous which i cant help when hes bouncing round like a ballet dancer
 
I walked out yesterday with a friend and both horses were spookier than usual. It was a lot cooler than we've been used to though, so we put it down to them feeling fresh.
 
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I would be inclined to put some variety in his work rather than just hacking. Perhaps he needs something to keep his mind busy? Do you do anything else with him - pole work? jumping? dressage? agility? TREC? There really is a huge variety of different activities to take part him and they have the advantage in that they will get your horse listening to you, improve your riding skills/confidence and get you working as a partnership. I think that in order to get a well rounded and well behaved horse, you need to vary their workload and do different things.
 
Been busy not had time to reply, sorry,

he can do small jumps, he has an old tendon injury so small jumps only advised, although after doing them 2/3/4 times he starts running through them, doesnt matter whose riding he gets bored and hes like no not doing it anymore haha! Luckily im not interested in jumping!

we do some obstacle course every so often in our big field sometimesinhand some times ridden

so an update...

he had just over a week off. I made a plan, because he craves attention.... I decided to ignore him! In a way to help us reconnect...

So day one... I went in, poo picked and did the water... Ignored him complelty, made his feed, he seen me put it down, i walked away no communication at all between us, he was as happy to ignore me too!

Day two, he was a tad interested in me but not persistent so i knewwe still wasnt ready to start doing anything

day three.... He was waiting at the gate for me, followed me all over the field, standing infront of me despertae for attention.

so day 4 work started again, just ground work though, short session to him to earn his attetion and praise

so a few days ground work, then two days lunging, working well to earn his praise.

done three ridden session since... First one in the big field, he spooked twice in first 60 seconds as basically nothing but i kept telling him to settle down, bit of schooling, then that was it, stopped got off, lots of praise (short session)

next ride we went out the front, and theres adjoining crop fields with paths round them all, square fields so we just went round one and he did spook twice, spun but didnt take off, reassured him, i got off3/4 times just to give him so reassurance from the ground and an extra gentle rub on the face to let him know everything was ok and hes doing fine... Also little breaks for him too. Went well minus the bronk in the big field after, totally my fault not a good idea to attempt a gallop after time off lol, but stopped him and took him through his paces again and he did it well, endon a good note.

Then today out on to the hills at the back and they was moving the cows on the lane and even i could hear there distressing moos as they was seperated from the calves so he was a bit anxious, but we to the top of a hill, spent some time stood at the top, just over the wall is a very busy 60 road lots if large vehicles and he was ok, sensibly walked back down, then we went back in to the big field of ours and tok him through his paces four times, then a short walk round to end in a different part of the field and he was super good, very impressed with today behaviour.

keeping his sessions short, lots of praise for behavior i want.

i know its not fixed now just because he was good today but im pleased with his progress so far

back and saddle checked yesterday, both fine also :)
 
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