This Arab is playing games with you. He or she (I will stick with he) thinks it
adds some excitment to a ride if he acts up a bit. Or he may be using
shying as a way to get out of work. Either way you need to pay attention
to how you are handling him when he shies.
If he is shying at something that you have spent alot of time introducing
him to and showing him that it is not going to hurt him and he still shies at
it, you need to start calmly but firmly using your aids to keep him from shying
at it when you go by it.
For example, lets say that you are riding by a barrel in your yard. You have
spent alot of time with the horse getting him use to the barrel. But still he
shies at it (except maybe when he is going by the barrel towards the barn,
then he could care less.) Then he is using shying as a means to not have to
go away from the barn. When you ride by the barrel and the barrel is to your
right, the horse will shy to the left. As he starts to shy cue him with your left
rein and your left leg to keep him straight going by the barrel. Do not let him
avoid the barrel. Continue to go by the barrel on both sides not letting him
avoid it, but go by in a calm manner.
Now some horses will take the shying a step further and bolt away from things.
If you have a good seat you can usally stay in the saddle but it makes for
a tense ride. When he bolts do not let him go any further untill he will walk
past the object calmly. There again using cues, patience, and firmness. If
you can make him walk over the object he will accept it faster, but do not make
him walk over something that he might get tangeled around his legs or you could
both get hurt, and always use patience and firmness. If you lose your patience
and hurt the horse in any way you will reinforce the
idea that the object is scary because the horse got hurt. If you feel you are
going to lose patience, stop and give yourself and the horse a break to
collect yourself. This also works if you feel the horse is going to lose patience.
Just stop pushing him and give him time to think about it, but in no way let
him get by with shying.
There is another possiblity that I have heard of. Some horses have defects in
their sight and perceive things in the wrong way or just don't see them. You
should have a vet to check out the horses sight to make sure that his
problem is not physical before you start retraining him.
Lynette Helgeson
Diamond-H Ranch
Arabians and Pintos
helgeson@lansford.ndak.net
helgeson@lansford.ndak.net