Fear of Rocks (of all things) possible solution?

[Mtn_trails]

This is going to sound totally bizarre but here goes. I have a mustang that not only is my eventer but pretty much my main trail horse. I repeat, she is a mustang. However, this horse is afraid of rocks, yes rocks. She was born and lived the first year of her life in the desert of SW Oregon. What do they have in deserts? Rocks! For some reason she has this irrational fear that has become dangerous.

Last weekend DH and I were riding in Eastern WA down by the Columbia River near the Amphitheater where there are a lot of gorges of basalt rock. We were coming up a small incline with large rocks walls to either side - I was in the lead and ponying my old horse, the way was clear a few feet ahead where the rock walls ended and there was a large, car sized rock on the side of the trail. Nevermind the rocks everywhere else. She took one look and bolted to the side, then started backing up crashing into my old horse and then crashing in DH on his horse.
She was totally freaking out and the horses could have easily gotten hurt, fallen down, scraped up on the rocks, etc. I finally got her stopped and DH went in the lead and she walked by no problem.

I have just about had it with this horse. I am so pissed I can’t see straight, I’m ready to sell her. What horse is afraid of rocks? And a mustang? This has been going on since I’ve had her on trails and I thought she’d get over it in time, however, now she’s 8 and it hasn’t stopped. She is a little on the spooky side generally anyway, but usually she’s very cooperative. She gallops cross country over jumps without turning a hair. She just loses her nut over rocks and that’s it.

Is there any remedy that you can think of? I don’t know if she was involved in a landslide as a baby so thinks all rocks are going to fall on her (JK). However, I have threatened to have her drummed out of the mustang corp. for being an embarrassment to the herd.

Thanks for reading my book and if you make it to the end, you get cookies.

[cloudyandcallie]

Well, my “ring” horse was afraid of stumps. I think he thought they were bears. When he was 7 I first started riding him on trails, and I did this first by himself, he would get all upset when we came to a tree stump. I was boarding where lots of trees had fallen in the woods, so I would ride him to a stump, then we’d go back to barn. Over and over again. After a short time he got used to stumps and ignored them. Of course he was not afraid of wild hogs, gators, deer, pit bulls, heavy machinery, dump trucks, helicopters that buzzed his in the ring from the nearby army base, the low flying mosquito control plane and 'rassling raccoons who rolled over and over when fighting near us. But stumps? They looked like big dark bears. I should have known he’d have a stump issue as at one barn here, at shows, there was a stump/wooden insert in the side of the ring. He’d always give it a good look during his jumping rounds.

Positive reinforcement and repetitive work with rocks should help your horse overcome fear of rocks. I did not yell at my horse or force him to go past the stumps, and he overcame his fear in a few weeks. Good luck.

[Chall]

My Arab was scared of big rocks. He adored bicyclers ( always wanted to “run” in the herd with them), handled dogs judiciously, never bolted at deer, but car sized rocks? No go, uh uh, no way.
He was a kind loyal, stand by you guy (with a sense oh humor/mischief), and had a real work ethic. Nobody’s perfect, I forgave him.

[spurgirl]

Being a former feral horse, in her mind rocks probably mean “Cougar” or “Rattlesnake” or some other scary creature that lurks under/around rocks.

The same advice as the last poster-desensitize her…get as close to offending rocks as possible, circle in toward them, then away, sidepass over to them, then away, etc., keep her doing any type of exercise you can think of so her focus is more on you, and not the rocks.

Reminds me of a mare I had some years ago. Lovely slim barreled Appy mare, with a heck of a drop shoulder side spook, ugh, I came off her more than any other horse. She got seriously spooked at the farm by newly planted shrubs (cat jumped out from behind one), so of course a boogeyman was behind every low, dense bush on the trail after that.

…How did I get her over it? There was a hunter pace one year, a 14 mile one, and a goodly amount of it was winding through a very large TREE FARM…OMG…Developed a good deep seat for a few minutes that day, but got her to settle down by finally weaving her in and out of the closest edge (dry footing so no damage to area) following my friend. Total desensitizing OVERLOAD, but she was way better about shrubs after that day!!

[Mtn_trails]

Thanks for the responses. Here’s a little more background that might help.
The area I ride are on trails, not old roads, but narrow trails. In this case, there was no time to offer positive reinforcement like I did earlier in the day at another area of scary rocks. She bolted immediately and went to backing up. There was no circling, there was no forward, just panic (on her part).

She is afraid of small rocks and large rocks, rocks that are hiding behind a bush, rocks that are sitting in the middle of the trail, rocks on the side of the trail. For the most part she’s pretty good, but sometimes one will set her off. Earlier in the day, there was a large deposit of basalt right next to the trail. She stopped and stared and I let her take a good look and encouraged her forward. After she was satisfied, she continued along but kept a wary eye on them because they might jump up and get her. That is the preferred outcome but this time there was none of that. And, it’s not all the time, but she sometimes gets a hair up her butt that today I’m going to spook at stuff.

I picked her out of the mustang pens when she was a yearling and have done all her training myself so I don’t know where this rock fear came from. She’s been all over the mountains and has done a stellar job but now? My old horse is 27 years old and his retirement is coming and I need a replacement for him when he’s ready for his deserved life of leisure.

[GotGait]

I owned a mustang, also from Oregon, who was a terrible trail horse. She once tried to kill a tree branch and knocked the wind out of me. She bolted into a canal after she took offense at a bicycle - never mind that dozens of other bikes had passed by her earlier. When she almost took me over a cliff, I sold her to a friend who only rides in the ring. Maybe it’s an Oregon mustang thing.
I would get a few fist sized rocks and teach her to target them with a clicker. Treats make things less scary. Then you can move up to larger rocks and boulders. Make her see them as a good thing.

[Sooner_or_Later]

You must have been in Quincy/George! I trailer there often. Not a good place for a spook like that!

I have a TWH who is looky at stumps and some big rocks if they are stand-alone rocks (for lack of a better way to put it).

I also think he thinks they are bears. They’re big and they’re dark colored. With my guy, when they don’t move he relaxes, but he was born and raised domestic. I would guess that with your girl growing up in the wild, the instincts just kick in.

Can you get some large stumps (easier than rocks) for her pasture maybe? See how she reacts, put grain on them, etc… heck, bait some rocks on a trail ride with grain!

Hope you get it worked out!

[Mtn_trails]

Yep, that’s where we were, riding around the Burke Lake Wildlife Rec Area. Our BCHW chapter goes there every year at this time. The thing is, she’s also afraid of some small rocks. You never know what it’s going to be. If she didn’t just start to panic and throw it in reverse, I could get her over this pretty easily with positive reinforcement. She hasn’t had this violent a reaction in a long time and it kind of surprised me. Like you said, not a good place for those antics.

[MMacallister]

If it makes you feel better my horse spooked at a butterfly on my Good Friday ride.
She also walked through several creeks, but balked at mud puddles. Fresh cut stumps were also very suspect.
Then she walked by a dozer, didn’t spook at deer or turkey, the log truck going past was no problem but the car that passed was the devil. Then we walked past the drill truck while it was drilling a well…

The one thing I have taught her is to spook in place, and for the most part she does (the butterfly got her a little sideways when it landed on her face). I started out on wider trails and if she spooked hard, she worked, in that spot, spinning sidepass back and forth etc. If it was just a little shiver or a hard look, she gets a pat. This worked on my TB to. Although my TB was always less spooky than my QH.

[Beverley]

Ah, well, I, too, have a horse that came with a deathly fear of rocks. Otherwise a sweetie and great on all trails. But as a youngster quite capable of turning inside out. He was orphaned on the range as a foal, another mare let him nurse along with her own which is the only reason he survived. A quarter horse, not a mustang, but summered on the range in Colorado. My own very amateur theory is that maybe Momma was done in by a mountain lion which materialized from behind, or on top of, a rock. Anyhow, yes, first few times I did feel compelled to dismount, walk past, and remount. Boring repetition got him past heart failure mode- but he still looks with suspicion, every single time.

[Chall]

Maybe the rocks stink of predator pee.
A walk on foot with a dog will probably let you know if and where the rock was sprayed.
Not that helps anyone extinguish the response, but it just occurred to me.

[Peggy]

I had a horse that was afraid of rocks, specifically white rocks, though not to a dangerous degree. He would look hard at them on the trail and sometimes spook. Now, a hanging log over four really big white rocks on a cross-country course? Not a problem. The same horse also had a fear of mules and donkeys that was almost dangerous, as he would sometimes wheel and bolt, thereby crashing into the poor mule or donkey and terrifying him (and everyone else) even more. Other than those two things, he was one of the bravest horses I’ve ever sat on.

[UrbanHennery]

Try putting her on a calming supplement. I like Remission. Of course it could just be her. I gave away a Hancock bred paint horse that was an idiot spooker on the trail - just couldn’t trust him and the spin and bolt was too dangerous on our tight PNW trails. He didn’t make it as a roping horse either.