Spooky Arab

["Janet Baca" <horsetrl@ctaz.com>]

Hi amber,
This is exactly what I went through with my gelding (4yo).  He was so calm
out on the trail with another horse and there wasn't a thing that scared him
in the arena.  I know just how you're feeling.  I think I was glad to ride
my other spooky arab.  As a matter of fact, my other arab always spooks to a
point at what I call "dark dirt".  She is 13 years old now and for gosh
sakes, you'd think she'd be used to it by now.  But her spooks are very mild
nowadays.  I did notice something last year when someone else was riding
her.  She got very scared with another rider because she had no confidence
in that rider as she did in me.  I actually gave her confidence by trying to
get confidence by talking to her and telling her it was ok whenever she was
scared.  So she learned to depend on me and trust me and when she doesn't
get that from someone else she spooks pretty good.  This is what I didn't
have with the gelding since the trainer had built up a rapport with him and
I had only ridden him twice.  My thoughts are to keep riding him and build
your confidence back up while building his and it'll get better along with
all the other things you are going to do.  I plan on doing the same thing if
his nose ever heals.  BTW, it's almost, almost healed.  I think one more
week will do it.   I don't think I've ever had a horse that took this long
to heal but he certainly has developed a taste for yogurt to build his
immunities back up.  Good luck and keep us posted and I will be watching to
see what advice you get also. jb


Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 20:33:53 -0500
From: Bob & Amber Roberts <mlaboure@flash.net>
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: Spooky Arab
Message-ID: <36118A80.F9FFB9FE@flash.net>
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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