My horse mentally checked out with me last night, very out of character for him. Would welcome feedback from the Coth world.
10 yr old steady eddy type, leads in a group, happy to go out alone (75% solo rides). Usual attitiude is “let’s go, that’s NO problem”.
So last night, headed away from home, about 1 mi out, on dirt road, we come across deer feeding at edge of road under apple tree. Horse goes from road trot to full stop and would NOT go forward. Escalated into all sorts of evasion, backing into ditch, showing whites of eyes, idiot fear behavior. I ride with dressage whip and spurs, used to persuade, but not abuse, pushed him on, but he just lost it. I put him to work, small circles, fig 8’s, side pass,etc, but he would not go past a certain spot in road. As it was getting seriously dark, I left (gave in?) on a fairly good note, he was going forward and I asked for the turn towards home. I then spent the rest of the ride turning him back several times, both directions, trying to get him to unwind, relax, which he did the further from that spot we got. Made him ride past home (dark at this point). If I’d had more daylight, I would have dismounted and led him past the deer (which never left while we were there!), done some ground work there, etc. But as worked up as horse was and darkness coming, I did not feel this was a good idea, leading by and then a hurry-up remounting (recipe for getting dumped!). Several yrs ago had a bear cross the road near this same spot, riding with one other horse and we were able to push the hoses past, but we were on our way home, more incentive for horses to work thru it. Maybe he was smelling something more than the deer last night? He is used to all sorts of critters in his pasture, turkeys, deer, bear, prob even a moose, so I am baffled by last night’s meltdown.
So, what would should/could I have done different?
And - how should I handle the next ride (all roads/trails go past this area). My gut tells me it won’t be a huge deal, but he will be on high alert. he is an energetic, VERY observant boy, but in 7 yrs, this is the first meltdown of this sort… thanks for reading!
Do you think he could have actually sensed something dangerous?
When I was a teen, I was riding my mare on the trails one day when she stopped just like that & wouldn’t walk past a certain spot. She was very trail smart so I trusted her instincts and turned around to do dressage work in the arena instead. We walked that trail nearly every single day, and she never had a problem before or after that day. I still have no clue what was there, but she was the smartest horse I’ve ever ridden so I’m convinced there was something.
Certainly possible there was something more, but he wanted to focus onthe deer, which was flicking its tail and ears chewing on apples, prob quite entertained by the ruckus we were making.
I second giving him the benefit of the doubt. If it becomes a repeated behavior, then that’s a different issue, but if it’s a one time thing, you should perhaps re-think trusting his judgment a little bit. It’s a tough call to make.
I was out alone on my steady-eddie one day, came across a fallen tree on a familiar trail. He was a bit surprised, but I let him take a moment, and finally he began to approach it (could not see past it, but there was a small space to get around it to one side). Suddenly he became very nervous, seriously wanted to turn and flee. I tried to settle him, but there was nothing for it. I turned and allowed him to move back away from it as long as he remained under control. Shortly after that, another horse broke through from the other side. As soon as he saw it was another horse, he settled, and the other rider and I had a laugh about it and went on together for a ways.
As we were riding, I asked how her horse had behaved, and she described the same initial skepticism that my horse had demonstrated. I asked what she finally did to get her horse to go through. She replied that she growled at her.
Think about that. My horse encountered a strange fallen object in the trail. He tries to be brave. Then suddenly there is something on the other side of the object growling (I could not hear it), so he makes the judgment that we better get outta there.
Given the givens, who am I to question his judgment?
A few thoughts (from someone who trail-rides her 11-y.o. OTTB weekly, alone and in groups):
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If this very-out-of-character behavior continues, definitely get the vet out, and have him checked for Lyme. Lyme has been very prevalent in my area, and one of its common symptoms is behavior changes such as this.
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Barring any other incidents of weird behavior, I personally would chalk it up to “horse knew something you did not.” Any horse who’s pastured in deer country is probably WELL accustomed to deer, and I wouldn’t think that would be a problem at all. Heck, we’ve FLUSHED deer less than 10’ off the trail, and other than a momentary “freeze” spook at the quick movement, my horse couldn’t care less about deer. (Now if your horse has vision problems, that might be a different story-- possible he couldn’t discern WHAT the things were standing out in the field.)
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I don’t know about your horse, but with my OTTB, once he truly loses his marbles at something-- doesn’t matter what it is-- it takes him a good 10 minutes to remember his brain. Doesn’t matter if Scary Object has passed and is well out of view; it just takes TIME for him to return to earth. I chalk it up to whatever stress hormones/adrenalin/etc. are released, and take time to level out…
Anyway, you have my sympathy-- it’s one thing to have a horse that you KNOW is flighty, but it’s really hard when it’s a steady-eddie who loses it. 
Perhaps, bears cross there normally and there was a residual smell. Then, couple that with an actual animal (no matter, it was not a bear, I guess)…
Also, sometimes, their eyes just catch a wrong angle or wrong light and it puts them into frenzy. Considering, you were out late evening, when lights were changing, it is definitely a possibility.
By coincidence, it happened to me yesterday also (during day, but in thick woods). Something close to us caught his eye wrong and he unraveled. It was kind of funny, because that “something” was right by us, but I could not identify it.
The only thing I do differently from you, probably, is that I do not work our sensitive horse through anything. With him, it is a recipe for a major blow-up.
I just sit there, relax as best as I can (think “nirvana,” ha, ha), “hold him,” talk to him (or sing), wait for him to loosen up a bit, then proceed. I also do back off and give him more distance, if that is what it takes for him to relax.
I hope, it was just a bad day. If he starts doing it all the time, I agree with others- call a vet, have him checked (eyes also).
Having said that, give him a benefit of doubt even next time, when you go through the same spot. It might take time for them to not being weary, when going through.
[QUOTE=arapaloosa_lady;7756159]
Do you think he could have actually sensed something dangerous?
When I was a teen, I was riding my mare on the trails one day when she stopped just like that & wouldn’t walk past a certain spot. She was very trail smart so I trusted her instincts and turned around to do dressage work in the arena instead. We walked that trail nearly every single day, and she never had a problem before or after that day. I still have no clue what was there, but she was the smartest horse I’ve ever ridden so I’m convinced there was something.[/QUOTE]
My mare did this with my husband. He kept urging her forward, she finally reared, then stood perfectly still. DH looked down to see the the tail end of a rattlesnake going into the bushes at the side of the trail. Smart horse!
My guy recently had a meltdown when we came upon a family of deer grazing near the entrance of the woods- the same deer we see nearly every evening. The same deer that he has previously tried chasing down the trail saying “Come back, I want to be one of you!” But for whatever reason that night, they were horse eating deer.
I basically sit there on him and wait for him to de-puff before going further. If he tries to turn away, I just guide him back around to face the dragons. Then I just give his neck a scratch and talk to him. He’s a chicken, but curious enough to take his own steps forward. It took maybe all of 30 seconds from him slamming the brakes, to moving on without a problem. And when we circled back around for home, he saw them again and goes “Oh hey guys!”
I had to do the same process with a newly built equipment shed a few weeks ago- dark and shadowy at that time of day. That took maybe 2 or 3 minutes to get over, but since then he hasn’t looked at it twice.
With him in particular, if I ever tried pushing him past the scary, or tried working him down, it backfires on me, and each day after that is an incident of varying degrees.
It happens.
Maybe it was hard to identify the critter at dusk, maybe the deer NOT moving made it hard for your horse to figure out what they were. Who knows.
Last summer, my recently acquired ranch horse had a very similar meltdown… at COWS. Now, he came from the plains and those were free range cows in the trees and I don’t think he made the association.
When this happens, I really try hard not to do battle with my horse. Whether or not we as humans think it is silly (but it’s just a deer, you see them every day!) the fear is quite real to the horse. I would rather my horse gain trust in me.
Try to go back there soon when you have more time so you can work through it.
I’ve had something similar happen with my TB. We were on a very familiar trail that we rode on all the time. We both heard something up ahead. I called out in case it was a person, but no response. Horse’s head goes up, I can feel his heartbeat, his breath becomes shallow and he turned and took off. Since he was theretofore a very reliable horse and wasn’t one for shenanigans, I took his word for it that there was something to be worried about and we navigated our way through the woods at a gallop. When we slowed down, we took another path home.
I can only imagine it was a bear or mountain lion and I gave him the benefit of the doubt. We went back other times without such incidents.
My mustang has very keen senses and it isn’t uncommon for him to stop on the trail. I just wait with him and soon something pops up - hiker, biker, critter of some sort - and then we’re on our way again. If / when I come up on something that really seems to bother him, it becomes a game of inches. If I can get him to take one step forward at my urging, then I win and we can turn back.
Ok, thanks, you guys, for the perspectives.
I will stop dwelling on it as a my failure to fix, but more a sh#t
happens, and we will go on.
I will keep the Lyme and eyesight issues in mind.
Try really hard not to anticipate a repeat, as then you’ll likely get one!
My awesome, amazing perfect mare did this once. I never figured it out. Could not move her. I sat in the middle of the trail and waited for my friends for probably 45 minutes - they went on, probably another 15 riders walked by in that period, but Jet was not moving. Several horses came back up the trail very worked up, even shaking, but none of the people ever figured it out. We haven’t had another issue, and that was 3-4 years ago. Who knows?
Maybe he did sense something. My friend & I were riding our by then show experienced OTTB’s around the back of a ruined barn, came upon two tractor trailers parked behind it. There was a wide dirt road to go by them, but neither of us could get our horses to get anywhere near those trailers! Later after we cooled them off & put them on their trailers, we walked back to inspect - the trailers were filled to the brim with cages of live tigers, lions & other wild cats!!! the struggling farm owner had accepted cash to secretly park some zoo animals temporarily there. (Yes it was an abuse situation & we called them in - it was a hot day, the cats are obviously dying in that heat with no water, cages all piled on top of each other, poor things. Animal control came & got them).
Had to give our horses credit - they KNEW there were lions & tigers (no bears tho) in those trailers!!! Hopefully this was just a one time thing for your guy.
Ghosts. When we were kids we used to torment my little brother by telling him that horses could see ghosts. When they stopped and looked and wouldn’t move, they were seeing a ghost and if you looked through their ears you could see it too.
[QUOTE=nhhaflngr;7757470]
Ok, thanks, you guys, for the perspectives.
I will stop dwelling on it as a my failure to fix, but more a sh#t
happens, and we will go on.
I will keep the Lyme and eyesight issues in mind.[/QUOTE]
I don’t think this has any whiff of failure about it.
You used the phrase “gave in” in regards to turning around and going home.
Your horse doesn’t even know the concept of “give in.” It was getting dark. There was something funky on the trail. You chose to go home where things are safe.
There’s no failure in this. None at all.
I’ve got arabs, and they quite often do this. I simply let them stand and stare and assess the situation. I wait until I sense the relaxation - might be as subtle as a slight twitch of the ear, or a tiny dip of the head, or a shift of weight, before I ask them to walk on. I do not make them go faster, and if they want to do a bit of a detour, that’s ok.
Horses live in the moment, and once they feel the danger is passed, will resume normal activity. If I interfere with one of my horses, he is upset/nervous for the rest of the ride, so I have learnt to be very calm and as he gets more experience he is more confident and worldly wise.
So, no spurs, no whip, no side passes, just patience, will see you through.
Rue is normally very brave and curious, but there have been times he’s planted his feet and not wanted to go on. Sometimes I’ve been able to figure out the reason, sometimes I haven’t.
So, we’ve been back thru this spot 4 times, coming and going, and no problems at all. I will not be doing anymore eve rides as it is getting darker sooner. I am hearing around that the bear population is much increased. One fellow within 2 miles of me has game cam video of 8 different bears entering a cornfield.
I will listen to my horse more!
And probably time to hitch back on my saddle the strip of 3 harness bells I use during hunting season…
Happy and safe trails to all!
Oh, that is a lot of bears and probably no Winnie-the-Poohs either!
Glad, life’s as usual again.
Enjoy your Fall rides & stay safe! 
[QUOTE=LouBeans;7756765]
My guy recently had a meltdown when we came upon a family of deer grazing near the entrance of the woods- the same deer we see nearly every evening. The same deer that he has previously tried chasing down the trail saying “Come back, I want to be one of you!” But for whatever reason that night, they were horse eating deer.
I basically sit there on him and wait for him to de-puff before going further. If he tries to turn away, I just guide him back around to face the dragons. Then I just give his neck a scratch and talk to him. He’s a chicken, but curious enough to take his own steps forward. It took maybe all of 30 seconds from him slamming the brakes, to moving on without a problem. And when we circled back around for home, he saw them again and goes “Oh hey guys!”
I had to do the same process with a newly built equipment shed a few weeks ago- dark and shadowy at that time of day. That took maybe 2 or 3 minutes to get over, but since then he hasn’t looked at it twice.
With him in particular, if I ever tried pushing him past the scary, or tried working him down, it backfires on me, and each day after that is an incident of varying degrees.[/QUOTE]
This is pretty much happened the first time my current horse saw a deer. When he was first in training I would let him walk up and “kiss” any strange items that he LOOKED at so he was usually pretty brave. When he saw that deer I thought he was going to climb a tree. Once he “de-puffed” (love that) I did the same-made circles if necessary to keep him in the direction I wanted and he eventually decided to trust my judgement. The most important thing I did was stay calm and wait. It was just as bad when he saw pigs for the first time and I won’t go into the reaction to the steamroller that came out of nowhere.
Last trail ride with a friend 2 deer jumped right in front of us. He shied of course, but after a few seconds wanted to follow them.
