Re: Spooky Arab

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

I don't know about advice...but I had a mare that did that...BIG TIME.  I
never got dumped, but it was NO FUN riding with that kind of tension...sure,
say my tension caused it...NO WAY.  This mare was NOT afraid...her heart
rate did NOT go up.  I tried everything you did and all thst worked at all
was lots of miles.  BTW, she rarely did it with another horse in the lead.

Perhaps this goes back to how horses are in the wild...a lead mare was
always "on the alert", ready to "tell" the rest of the herd that there may
be danger...

I sold the horse.........

Teddy

Bob & Amber Roberts wrote:

> I have a 6 yr. old Arabian gelding that has done two LD rides.  I'm
> trying to condition him and me for our first 50.  He is 14.2, stocky and
> short coupled, therefore very agile.  He has good manners and a great
> disposition, but is afraid of dark spots on the trails.  When I first
> started riding him on trail, he would balk and refuse.  He has gotten
> over this and has learned how to cross water, bridges, sidepass to open
> gates, go past previously scary things.  So he is capable of learning.
> However, twice recently he has spooked so badly that I have been flung
> off on the ground!  First spook was like a cutting horse; he saw a
> dark/wet place beside trail and ducked his head and shoulder to the left
> so fast that I was just hurled over his right shoulder.  Yesterday he
> spooked at a dark tree branch to his right.  He took a step right and
> then rose up in air and snapped his head and upper body to the left
> flinging me off to the left.  Now I'm afraid to ride him at any speed
> because I can't take much more of this.
>
> Have talked to a trainer.  We are starting by placing a black plastic
> bag filled with cans in his feeder so he had to put his head near the
> noise to eat.  Then placing black tires in his stall near his feed so he
> has to step in and around them to eat.  All this is on advice of
> trainer.  He will then ride the horse on trails for me to see what is
> happening.
>
> I started round pen work with horse this morning.  Tried the John Lyons
> "spook in place" stuff.  Started with the Boo sounds, no reaction.  Went
> to the raspberry sounds, no reaction.  Then took plastic bags on end of
> whip and shook them in air.  Horse stood still.  When he did move, I
> made him trot.  When he stood still, I petted and praised him.  Am going
> to continue this with more spooky things - per John Lyons.
>
> Question is:  has anyone had an endurance prospect that has had spinning
> spooks and what is the correction?  I'm going to ride my other horse
> until this gets solved.
>
> Thanks for any advice.
>
> Amber