Explosive Spooking

[anon510129]

I hate to admit I don’t know the answer, but is she too young for reg-u-mate? I also really like the Training Day product by Perfect Prep. It is all natural, with magnesium as another poster above suggested. It helps my mare concentrate. TD might be a better option for a young horse, over reg-u-mate. Putting her on Omeprazole couldn’t hurt either.

Good luck!

[GraceLikeRain]

If there is no pain/ulcer component it sounds like a confidence issue. When startled she completely shuts down and goes into defensive response mode because she’s low in confidence and genuinely afraid. Building her confidence and teaching her how to process even when scared should be a huge help.

A friend of mine has a very low confidence reactive mare. When startled she goes from 0-10 in the blink of an eye and will throw in a ton of buck, spin, take off cantering crap. For years she was a sticky ride and rode it out. She’s now getting to a place where she is able to command her mares attention more so outside stimuli is less important. The mare may still startle but she’s so focused on the work that she knows exactly where the next foot is supposed to go.

The TRT method is a really cool philosophy on how to build confidence so that the horse feels less of a need to have an explosive response to a scary stimuli.

[SweetTeaMustang]

Warwick Schiller has some fantastic videos on creating confidence in the horse. This does sound like a confidence issue if there are no ulcer/pain issues going on. She needs to learn to handle her reactions. Good luck OP.

[Libby2563]

Have you had a neuro exam done by a knowledgeable vet? IIWM I’d want to rule out neck issues. You mention that the explosions happen after something startling. I’m wondering if when she raises or turns her head to look at the scary thing or to scoot away from it, she could be experiencing pain from spinal cord compression or impinging vertebrae or whatever. The pain could then be setting off the explosions. Just a thought.